20 September 2021 / Research, Studies, Doctorate/PhD

Research seminars and graduate courses in fall semester 2021

Several units within the Research Network Africa offer research seminars and graduate events. While these are directed at PhD candidates and postdocs in the first place, many are open for guests.

Research Seminar African History

The research seminar African History is a forum for MA and doctoral students as well as postdocs from Basel to discuss their ongoing projects. In addition, international scholars are invited to present their research in the field of African History. The research seminar is open to all students, staff members, and guests with an interest in the history of Africa.

Namibian and Southern African Studies

The Research Colloquium provides a forum for local and international scholars to engage in cross- disciplinary and methodological debates in Southern African Studies, with particular reference to Namibian Studies. It is jointly offered with the Department of Geography, History & Environmental Studies, University of Namibia in online sessions and is open to all levels. Guests are welcome.

Current Debates and Research (Mittwochskolloquium)

Guests or researchers and MA students at the Institute of Social Anthropology present their work.

Reversing the Gaze: Concepts, Comparison and Area Studies

The colloquium “Reversing the Gaze” is an interdisciplinary forum to reflect on methodological, conceptual and theoretical issues related to knowledge production in Area Studies and comparative social sciences. The focus of this semester is on the translation and operationalization of social scientific concepts in specific historical contexts and socio-cultural environments. The colloquium will engage with methodological and theoretical issues bearing on the translation of concepts across regions, across disciplines, and across academic and non-academic contexts. Guest are welcome.

The Trouble with the State. Boundaries and Networks in Africa

The state is a central concept for the study of power, domination, and socio-political change across the social sciences. Its usefulness is however contested, especially in African contexts where the Eurocentric ideal-type of the state stands in marked contrast to political realities on the ground. An international consortium of research institutes in Basel, Freiburg im Breisgau, and Strasbourg is organising three consecutive half-day online workshops dealing with particular topics in this debate. Guest are welcome.

Peace Research Colloquium

swisspeace, the Department of Social Sciences, and the Institute of Political Science are hosting a bi-weekly «peace research colloquium» open to all members of the University and all other interested parties.

New Knowledge in the Making: How to Translate PhD Projects for Society

Graduate students are often motivated to carry out their research project to contribute to broader societal problems. Merging academic and societal objectives, however, poses complicated and difficult challenges. This workshop offers graduate and postgraduate students the opportunity to step back and consider their research project against a broader contextual background involving both academic and non-academic settings. 

Methodological Challenges in African Studies – “…n Progress”

The purpose of the workshop is to bring PhD students together to discuss the progress of their work. In addition to the forum’s comments, each participant will receive individual feedback by the convenor. The participant’s response will then be discussed in a separate meeting. It consists of three parts, (I) Thinking in Progress, (II) Researching in Progress and (III) Writing in Progress. The one day event will be scheduled at the end of the semester.

Key Issues in African Studies

This lecture is meant to be an introduction into the methodology of African Studies. The idea behind the course is to invite students to appreciate how scholars construct their object in this field. This will be achieved by, first, acquainting students with the major theoretical debates concerning the status of African Studies as a legitimate field of scientific inquiry, second, by discussing major issues pertaining to the authority to speak about Africa and, finally, third by equipping students with key critical skills to engage with knowledge claims about Africa.

Colloquium African Studies

This colloquium assists Master’s and PhD students in developing their research question and methodological framework.

Get it Started: Practical Advice, Strategies and General Info to Get Your Dissertation Started

Doing a PhD is a challenging endeavor. This course faces this challenge head on and aims at supporting members of the Graduate School of Social Sciences (G3S) in starting their PhD theses. Key topics include time management, strategies and tricks for communication within and beyond the university, communication and setting expectations with your supervisors, help with administrative issues and peer support. Additionally, there will be room to reflect on individual problems, practical and emotional challenges and solution strategies. Besides the meetings in class throughout the semester, participants have the possibility to meet the lecturers individually to get additional advice.

Global Studies beyond Area Studies

In many non-European research contexts, scholars’ primary category of analysis is often the region itself, or more specifically an “area” defined by a set of historical factors – Orientalism, colonialism, Cold war studies, among others. This research colloquium for doctoral students, however, engages in a critical reading of the concept of “area studies”, and brings together tropes and ongoing debates in our respective disciplines (African, Chinese & Middle Eastern studies). By doing this, the colloquium will question the limits of the “region” as an analytical frame, and discuss alternative approaches offered by various fields in social sciences and global studies.

Urban Matters

This doctoral event will take place in the format of a workshop group with the goal of fostering a peer community. Participants share a common theoretical or methodological research interest in matters of the urban - as well as space and spatial issues more broadly - as they intersect with their individual fields (Anthropology, Gender Studies, various Area Studies, Media Studies, Human Geography, Urban Studies, Architecture, History, Political Science, Sociology, Psychology, Linguistics, Biology, etc).

Coloniality of Gender: María Lugones' Decolonial Feminism

A course for students who are interested in engaging decolonial thinking across the arts, narratives, histories, philosophies, ethnographies, performances, and pedagogies. It also relies on their critical commitments to plural, contradictory, realities. Specifically, it assumes that students are familiar with social theories that emphasize the interweaving of race, class, and colonization.

New Research in Peace, Conflict and Development Studies

Participants discuss research methods and new research perspectives in the field of peace, conflict, and development studies. Presentations and discussions are based on state of the art publications and on the participants ongoing or planned research projects at MA or PhD level.

Past, Present and Future in the Anthropology of Africa and Beyond

Details tba

Courses offered by the Language Centre

• Swahili I
• Swahili II
• Afrikaans III
• Speaking Fluently: Presenting Digitally and Formulating Spontaneously
• Academic Writing: How to Compose a Seminar Paper, Research Article or Thesis
• Writing to Be Published – Academic Writing Conventions and Style

For further language and writing courses see the website of the Language Centre.

Graduate Centre for the University Basel (GRACE)

Welcome day  for PhDs and Postdocs on 29 September 2021, 12:00-13:00

Transferable skills