BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Sabre//Sabre VObject 4.5.8//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/Zurich X-LIC-LOCATION:Europe/Zurich TZURL:http://tzurl.org/zoneinfo/Europe/Zurich BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0200 TZNAME:CEST DTSTART:19810329T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=-1SU END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0200 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:CET DTSTART:19961027T030000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=10;BYDAY=-1SU END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:news5186@zasb.unibas.ch DTSTAMP;TZID=Europe/Zurich:20260504T133529 DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Zurich:20261108T000000 SUMMARY:Master’s block seminar: "European Land Investment in West Africa: Activist Approaches to Humanities Research" DESCRIPTION:This Master’s block seminar explores the involvement of Europ ean corporations in land investments across West Africa\, with particular attention to Sierra Leone and Liberia. Bringing together perspectives from environmental history and humanities\, agronomy\, and activist practice\, the course examines how academic research can engage more closely with lo cal and international activists and NGOs to document\, analyze\, and respo nd to human rights violations linked to large-scale land acquisitions and climate mitigation initiatives.\\r\\nTogether\, the participants will crit ically reflect on the conceptual and methodological challenges of collabor ation between scholars and activists\, and explore how such partnerships c an contribute to more grounded and socially engaged forms of knowledge pro duction. The seminar also situates contemporary developments within longer land and agricultural histories across the African continent\, highlighti ng how both researchers and practitioners have addressed these dynamics ov er time.\\r\\nWorking in groups\, the participants will develop case study projects\, design research approaches\, consider modes of collaboration w ith local actors\, and explore strategies for communicating findings to a Swiss/Europe-based audience. The course is co-taught by Luregn Lenggenhage r (historian\, University of Basel)\, Silva Lieberherr (Agronomist\, HEKS) \, and collaborators from the Sierra Leone Network on the Right to Food (S iLNoRF).\\r\\nThe seminar takes place at the University of Basel from 8– 11 September 2026\, with one or two follow-up sessions during the semester (dates to be confirmed)\, to follow up on and finalize the group projects .\\r\\nSince this block course takes place before the regular lecture peri od\, please register your interest as soon as possible (but latest by 10 A ugust 2026) by e-mail to luregn.lenggenhager@unibas.ch [https://zasb.uniba s.ch/en/news/news-details/masters-block-seminar-european-land-investment-i n-west-africa-activist-approaches-to-humanities-research/#] X-ALT-DESC:

This Master’s block seminar explores the involvement of Eur opean corporations in land investments across West Africa\, with particula r attention to Sierra Leone and Liberia. Bringing together perspectives fr om environmental history and humanities\, agronomy\, and activist practice \, the course examines how academic research can engage more closely with local and international activists and NGOs to document\, analyze\, and res pond to human rights violations linked to large-scale land acquisitions an d climate mitigation initiatives.

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Together\, the participants will critically reflect on the conceptual and methodological challenges of col laboration between scholars and activists\, and explore how such partnersh ips can contribute to more grounded and socially engaged forms of knowledg e production. The seminar also situates contemporary developments within l onger land and agricultural histories across the African continent\, highl ighting how both researchers and practitioners have addressed these dynami cs over time.

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Working in groups\, the participants will develop ca se study projects\, design research approaches\, consider modes of collabo ration with local actors\, and explore strategies for communicating findin gs to a Swiss/Europe-based audience. The course is co-taught by Luregn Len ggenhager (historian\, University of Basel)\, Silva Lieberherr (Agronomist \, HEKS)\, and collaborators from the Sierra Leone Network on the Right to Food (SiLNoRF).

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The seminar takes place at the University of Base l from 8–11 September 2026\, with one or two follow-up sessions during t he semester (dates to be confirmed)\, to follow up on and finalize the gro up projects.

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Since this block course takes place before the regula r lecture period\, please register your interest as soon as possible (but latest by 10 August 2026) by e-mail to lureg n.lenggenhager@unibas.ch

DTEND;TZID=Europe/Zurich:20261111T000000 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR