Science Network

The Africa-Europe Group for Interdisciplinary Studies (AEGIS) has played a major role in developing a European identity among African Studies experts. 

Africa-Exhibition at the University of Goettingen (© picuture-alliance/ dpa)

The origins of the European network of university and non-university Africa Centres, which focuses mainly on the history, politics, social anthropology and culture of Africa, go back to 1991, when scholars working at the Africa Centres in London, Leiden and Bordeaux decided to create a formal framework for their meetings. 

Then as now, a precondition for acceptance into AEGIS was that the respective centre work in an interdisciplinary way and make a contribution to the network. Today, AEGIS comprises 18 Africa Centres in 11 countries. The German centres in Bayreuth, Leipzig, Hamburg and Mainz have already gained acceptance.

(© picture-alliance/ dpa) The activities of the European network have been very successful. In 2005, AEGIS organized a first European Conference on African Studies in London, in which more than 800 scholars and students from Europe, Africa and the USA participated. The next conferences were held in  July 2007 in Leiden and in June 2009 in Leipzig. 

AEGIS has thus created the first joint platform for Africa scholars in Europe. Furthermore, the initially annual specialists meetings organized by one of the member centres have given rise to a broad range of scholarly gatherings which carry the European AEGIS label. 

The network is also actively involved in the supervision of PhD students: the doctoral candidates at the member centres are given the opportunity to discuss and further develop their own theses with other scholars and researchers. Generally, the Africa-Europe Group for Interdisciplinary Studies promotes student exchanges between the university member centres in Bayreuth, Bordeaux, Copenhagen, Leipzig, Lisbon, London, Naples, Basel, Edinburgh, Göteborg, Mainz, Paris, Oxford and Trondheim. 

Since 2005, AEGIS has been issuing its own series of scientific publications. An editorial board consisting of renowned international experts examines manuscripts for possible inclusion. Also since 2005, three member institutes – the Nordiska Afrikainstitutet (Uppsala), the Afrika Studiencentrum (Leiden) and the Institut für Afrika-Kunde (Hamburg) – have been cooperating on the publication of the European Africa Yearbook, in which political, economic and cultural developments in all the African countries are analyzed by prominent experts on the respective country.

Despite these successes, AEGIS is facing several challenges, one of the main ones being the harmonization of study courses and the greater integration of African students and scientists into the network. Currently, possibilities for more in-depth cooperation with African researchers are being discussed with CODESRIA (the Council for the Development of Economic and Social Research, domiciled in Dakar, Senegal) and OSSREA (the Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa, domiciled in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia).  

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