Africa Information Centre
Opportunities
On this page you will find details of opportunities arising from time to time which might be applicable (though certainly not exclusively) to graduates and postgraduates of African Studies. These opportunities may relate to work or to academia.
The British Institute in Eastern Africa: graduate attachments 2000-01
The British Institute exists for research into later archaeology, history, languages and cultures of East Africa. Each year the Institute arranges attachments for a limited number of recent graduates, who have good degrees and are interested in familiarising themselves with current research in the region. Preference is normally given to applicants from British and eastern African universities. However, suitably qualified graduates from other countries may apply.
These attachments normally run for periods of between three and six months. Those selected participate in one or more of the Institute's projects, under the supervision of the Director, the Assistant Director or a project director. These range from archaeological surveys and excavations to oral-historical fieldwork, and may sometimes extend to archival research or to the collection of linguistic, ethnographic and/or demographic data. Opportunities may be provided for some independent work to enable students to gain additional experience and to select subjects for subsequent thesis research.
The Institute is currently involved in research projects in several countries between the Zambezi basin and the Middle Nile. These include investigations of early agricultural and pastoral communities of the Iron Age and before, especially in the Lake Victoria and rift Valley regions; the development of complex state-level societies in the Great Lakes area; oral-historical and documentary studies of 19th and early 20th century patterns of disease and demography; field systems and agricultural intensification across Eastern Africa; the material culture, vernacular architecture and settlement patterns of different peoples of Kenya; and the archaeology and linguistic history of Upper Nubia, Sudan.
For those selected from outside the region the Institute usually provides a return air-fare and basic medical insurance and covers subsistence at the Institute's Nairobi base and in the field. Interested applicants - whether recently graduated, or expecting to graduate in 2000 - should write to the Director (enclosing a c.v. and the names of referees) at either of the addresses below (preferably by 30th April, although later applications are sometimes considered). Preliminary selection is undertaken during May and June, and offers are made after university finals reults are announced. For more informal enquiries, contact The Director (Dr Paul Lane) via e-mail at: pjlane@insightkenya.com
BIEA
P.O. BOX 30710
NAIROBI
KENYA
BIEA LONDON OFFICE
10 CARLTON HOUSE TERRACE
LONDON SW1Y 5AH
Edinburgh University
For 2000-2001, the African Studies Centre of the University of Edinburgh has been granted quota awards from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Three awards have been allocated to the MSc by Research and one to the substantive MSc. These are the only such awards offered by the ESRC for Masters level African Studies in any British university.The awards cover fees and a living allowance. All EU students are eligible to be considered for these studentships. However, given the high level of competition for such awards, those intending to apply should possess, or expect to obtain, either a first class honours degree, a high 2:1, or equivalent.
These awards should be applied for through the centre which will send out application forms to eligible candidates as requested. In order for the necesary processing of applications by the Centre and the ESRC to take place, we require completed forms to be returned to the Centre by the 14th of April 2000 (applications will not be considered beyond this deadline). Those shortlisted will be called for interview on April 27th for 1pm.All enquiries to the African Studies Centre at the University of Edinburgh.
DePaul University, Chicago
The Center for Culture and History of Black Diaspora at DePaul University invites applications for a postdoctoral fellow position for the academic year commencing with the fall of 2000. The Center promotes interdisciplinary scholarship and creative works that focus on historicaland contemporary experiences of Black people in the US, Africa, the Caribbean as well as other parts of the world. Candidates whose research and scholarship examine the distinctive, comparative and trans-national experiences of Black Diaspora are preferred. Applicants from all disciplines with scholarly interests in race/ethnicity, gender, class, nationality, language and migration/displacement are encouraged to apply. The acceptance of the postdoctoral fellow position carries with it the commitment to contributing toward program development of the Center, making a contribution to the research activities of the Center, as well as teaching four courses during the course of a three-quarter academic year. The postdoctoral fellow will be expected to conduct seminar as well as complete a journal length manuscript related to his or her area of research as a contribution to the Center and its mission. The fellow will be provided with an office and the use of a computer. Previous teaching experience, inclusive of teaching assistantships, is highly desirable.Application Procedure and Deadline
Applicants should submit a letter of application consisting of a single page statement of proposed
activity that describes how the applicant expects the award to enhance their professional
advancement. One should also discuss ones previous research/scholarship as it relates to the
Black Diaspora as well as relevant courses taught. Applicants are further required to submit a
curriculum vitae, two letters of reference as well as a course syllabus. Complete applications
must be received by April 3rd 2000 to assure full consideration. Application materials should be
submitted to:
Dr. Sandra Jackson, Director
Center for Culture and History of Black Diaspora
2320 N. Kenmore Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614-3298
or
Fassil Demissie PhD, Associate Professor and Director
Interdisciplinary Studies Program
DePaul University
2320 N. Kenmore Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
Tel. [773] 325-7356
Fax [773] 325-7452
e-mail: fdemissi@condor.depaul.edu
Web pages: http://www.depaul.edu/~fdemissiand
http://www.depaul.edu/~ids