Local roots, international networks
Cooperation and partnerships
The ZASB is based on partnerships with various institutions engaged in Africa-related research in the region of Basel.
On a national as well as on an international level, we collaborate with other universities and institutions. In addition, we maintain close links with the Swiss Society for African Studies as well as with the Africa-Europe Group of Interdisciplinary Studies (AEGIS) and the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA).
The purpose of our cooperations and partnerships is to coordinate and promote teaching and graduate training on the one hand, and to embark on joint research activities and present research results on the other. We see the continued development of partnerships with African universities and institutions as a priority.
In addition to joint projects in research and education, the exchange of visiting scholars and students plays an important role in the field of cooperation.
Partner institutions in Basel
Since its founding, the competences of the Center for African Studies have been based not only on the involved faculties of the University of Basel, but also on the various partner institutions in the region of Basel.
Upper Rhine region/Freiburg im Breisgau
The University of Basel is a member of Eucor – The European Campus, a cross-border association of five French, German and Swiss universities in the Upper Rhine region.
In particular, the ZASB closely collaborates with the fields of social anthropology and political science at the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg im Breisgau and the Arnold-Bergstraesser-Institut. It is planned to intensify cooperation in regard of the Merian International Centre for Advanced Studies in Africa, which is being established by a consortium led by the University of Freiburg.
Collaborations at national level
In Switzerland, the ZASB cooperates closely with the Swiss Society for African Studies (SSAS). Together with the SSAS, research and teaching in African Studies are coordinated, scientific conferences are held and scientific publications are published.
In addition, the ZASB maintains direct contacts with other Swiss universities, where teaching and research in Africa are conducted. These include, among others, the universities of Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Lausanne, Lugano, Neuchâtel and Zurich. Moreover, the ZASB maintains associations with a number of other organizations and private foundations in Switzerland.
AEGIS
At the european level the ZASB is a member of the Africa-Europe Group of Interdisciplinary Studies (AEGIS), which includes Africa Centres from all over Europe (Denmark, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and Spain). The group coordinates their activities in research, and organizes joint scientific meetings including the European Conference on African Studies (ECAS), which is the most important convetions in the fields of African studies in Europe and takes place every second year. In 2017, the ZASB together with the Swiss Society for African Studies (SSAS) was honored to host the 7th ECAS.
Through AEGIS, the ZASB is also an associate member of the American African Studies Association.
CODESRIA
The ZASB maintains a partnership with the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) based in Dakar, Senegal. Among others, we jointly convene the ZASB-CODESRIA Summer School in African Studies and Area Studies in Africa every second year.
Further partnerships and agreements
Further partnerships exist with different universities in Ethiopia, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, South Africa and Tanzania. The University of Basel has agreements with several universities in Africa with a particular focus on student exchange.