Other news -ASAUK

Other news

The French Institute for Research in Africa in Nigeria

IFRA Nigeria announces the reopening of its website: www.ifra-nigeria.org It will enhance IFRA's capacity to make its work more widely available both within Nigeria and internationally. The website contains information about IFRA's calls for papers, fieldwork grants, research programmes and publications. There is also online access to transcripts of events organised by the institute, past issues of the IFRA Newsletter and to a database of the Nigerian press in Hausa.

African Affairs' African Author Prize

The editors of African Affairs are pleased to announce the establishment of the African Author Prize. The prize will be awarded for the best article published in African Affairs by an author based in an African institution, or an African Ph.D student based in an overseas university. The prize is in recognition of excellent African scholarship, which often does not reach audiences outside the African continent. To the extent possible, the prize committee will prioritize scholars at the beginning of their career.

The prize will be awarded every second year, for the best article published in the previous two year period. Thus, the first prize will be awarded for articles published in the calendar years 2008 and 2009, and will be announced at the ASAUK Conference in Oxford in September 2010. The awarding committee includes Richard Dowden (Director of RAS), William Beinart (President of ASAUK), Rufus Akinyele (Member of the Editorial Board), and the editors of African Affairs. The winner will receive a cash prize of £500, one year’s free subscription to African Affairs, an economy airfare to London, and £500 for expenses to attend the ASAUK Conference. The runner-up will receive one year's free subscription to the journal.

The Martin Lynn Scholarship

Thanks to the generosity of the family of the late Martin Lynn, the Society has pleasure in announcing the establishment of an annual award in his memory. Martin Lynn was Professor of African History in the Queen's University, Belfast, the first scholar to hold a chair in African history in Ireland. His scholarly career was devoted to the history of West Africa and he published most extensively and importantly on the 19th and 20th century history of Nigeria. His scholarly achievements were matched by the reputation he enjoyed as an exciting and concerned teacher and a delightful, generous colleague and friend.

This award reflects the interests of the man it commemorates. Annually the Society will make an award of up to £1,000 to assist an historian pursuing postgraduate research on a topic in African history. Eligible students will be registered with a UK university history department and will have successfully completed their first year of full-time or first two years of part-time study by the time the award is taken up. Applicants intending to use the award to carry out research within Africa will be especially welcomed. Application forms from: www.royalhistoricalsociety.org/martinlynnawardappform.doc

Leventis Nigerian Post-Doctoral Fellowship in London

The Leventis Foundation supports collaborative research between the Centre of African Studies (University of London) and colleagues in Nigerian universities. Successful applicant(s) will be attached to the Centre of African Studies, based at SOAS, for a period of three months. The Centre of African Studies gratefully acknowledges its collaboration with Goodenough College, which provides our visitors with accommodation. Applications should include a CV, a 1,000 word statement of current research interests and aims to be achieved during the research period in London. This scheme might be particularly appropriate for scholars working up a Ph.D thesis into publishable form. The deadline for the next round of applications is May 2010. Further information may be obtained from the CAS website.

ASAUK Conference Funding

This new ASAUK funding seeks to co-support/co-fund Conferences related to one of its key research themes, support travel costs for participants based within African institutions, and support events that will result in some form of publication. Since ASAUK became part of the British Academy-Sponsored Institutes and Societies (BASIS) scheme in 2007, it has established a research committee with a primary aim of facilitating research initiatives. Key themes include: African debates about governance and democratization; African knowledge production including media, popular culture, literature; social sciences and local knowledge, especially in relation to environment and food; and conflict resolution.

ASAUK Conference funding has been awarded to 'Brokers of Change: Atlantic Commerce and Cultures in Pre-colonial "Guinea of Cape Verde"', Centre of West African Studies, University of Birmingham, 11-13 June 2009.

african studies association of the uk