News

Chika Okeke-Agulu

Several members of the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence attended the annual conference of the African Studies Association held in Chicago from 11–14 December 2024 and contributed to themes in African Studies that have recently risen to prominence.

Text: Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Seesemann

One of these emerging sub-themes is the study of Islam in Africa, which was the subject of more than ten panels at the ASA conference, the largest gathering of African Studies scholars worldwide. Previously relegated to the margins, this field has grown significantly over the past decade, not least through the contributions coming from projects funded by the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence, such as the “Islamic Culture Archive” (ICA; Britta Frede, Franz Kogelmann, Ulrich Rebstock, and Rüdiger Seesemann, Dean of the Africa Multiple Cluster) and “Islamic Popular Culture” (Hassan Ndzovu, African Cluster Centre at Moi University Eldoret, Kenya). Within the ASA, there is now a formalized Islam in Africa Studies Group (IASG), which sponsors panels and – with the participation of Britta Frede and Rüdiger Seesemann – discussed ways of encouraging and supporting the scholarship of young researchers, especially from the African continent. Britta Frede contributed to a panel on “The History of Islam and Muslims Societies in Africa in Question” convened by Benjamin F. Soares (University of Florida) and Wendell H. Marsh (Rutgers University) and devoted to charting novel approaches to the field. The lively exchange among the participants revolved around the question of how such fresh approaches might inform a new synthesis of the state of the art in the form of a comprehensive reference work. The discussion in this and other panels showed the tremendous potential of digital humanities to develop advanced research and teaching tools on Islam in Africa, such as the ICA in the Africa Multiple Cluster or the Maktaba project of the Institute of Islamic Thought in Africa (ISITA) at Northwestern University Evanston, where Rüdiger Seesemann is a contributor. Also indicative of the new significance of the study Islam in Africa was the Distinguished Africanist Award to Ousmane Kane, whose work as Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Chair in Contemporary Islamic Religion and Society at Harvard University since 2012 was instrumental in increasing the field’s visibility in the United States.

Ute Fendler, Vice Dean of Internationalisation and Public Engagement in the Africa Multiple Cluster, participated in a panel on “Asia and Africa in an Emerging World Order” convened by Ajay Dubey (Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi), whose participation was sponsored by the Cluster. The outcome of previous collaboration with Asian partners in Africa Multiple’s global network, the panel explored opportunities and contestations in South-South-cooperation, with case studies from China, India, and Indonesia. Ute Fendler’s contribution highlighted the rising importance of South-South-encounters through art projects and art biennale; a topic that is also high on the agenda for the envisioned second phase of Africa Multiple.

Regarding African arts, a signature event was the African Studies Review Distinguished Lecture delivered by Chika Okeke-Agulu, Robert Schirmer Professor of Art and Archeology at Princeton University, on “Restitution and the Postcolonial Museum”. Focusing on the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) currently under construction in Benin City (Nigeria), the lecture highlighted the nexus of restitution, creative work, and architectural representation as it plays out in postcolonial museum practice. Back in 2020, Okeke-Agulu was the keynote speaker at the Cluster’s annual conference on “Africa*n Relations: Modalities Reflected”, where he presented his initial thoughts on the postcolonial museum.

Last but not least, researchers from the Africa Multiple Cluster also featured in the panel on “Party Organisations in Africa” convened by Alexander Stroh-Steckelberg, who co-directs the Cluster-funded project on “Multiplicity in Decision Making in Africa’s Interacting Markets.”