Research

Research at CAS primarily revolves around three broad thematically distinct yet interconnected research platforms.

Environment, Climate and Sustainability

Religion and Social Change

Sovereignties and Citizenships

Individually and in combination, these platforms are concerned with the complex realities, challenges and possibilities of a simultaneously localized and globalised Africa. At the same time, the aim is to generate knowledge and theory that is from the study of Africa but not necessarily always or simply about Africa. In other words, we view research within the framework of African Studies as contributing not only to nuanced understandings of the continent’s multi-layered dimensions, but also to deepening or rethinking such key concepts as citizenship, displacement, religion, the state, sustainability, the urban, and so on. 

Research principles

Several principles inform research at CAS. This includes a strong commitment to:

  • combining theoretically and empirically grounded work
  • interdisciplinarity and cross-fertilisation between themes
  • knowledge and insights produced within Africa/by Africans
  • deepening the links between research and teaching at CAS
  • collaboration with scholars in Nordic, European, African, and other international settings

Researchers and collaborations

CAS’s research capacity includes both permanent research staff and project-related researchers at various career levels and for varying lengths of time, including senior researchers and post-doctoral and PhD researchers. We also make space for temporary visiting researchers who further enhance our research environment.

While permanent CAS/Faculty staff aim to and do generate research projects and programmes that may include PhD and post-doctoral positions, we equally welcome proposals from independently funded scholars interested in working with CAS on relevant projects. Ideally these will have a meaningful link to at least one of the existing research platforms, however, we also consider innovative projects that open up new directions of research.

All researchers at CAS are linked to a range of key local and international networks, both within the broader framework of African Studies and in relation to our respective specialised areas of interest, investigation and knowledge.