German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

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Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA)

  • MIASA, based at the University of Legon, Ghana, is one of five Maria Sibylla Merian Centres for Advanced Studies, funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research. Its overall aim is to work towards a reduction of global asymmetries in knowledge production and bridging the cultural divide between anglophone and francophone Africa. MIASA's thematical focus is on sustainable governance. The GIGA contributes to the Interdisciplinary Fellow Group on ‘Sustainable Rural Transformation’ and its outreach activities.
    BMBF, 2020-2026

    Team

    Cooperation Partners

    Head

    Prof. Dr. Jann Lay

    Lead Research Fellow / Head of Research Programme "Globalisation and Development"

    Dr. Julia Grauvogel

    Senior Research Fellow / Research Team Spokesperson

    Research Questions

    MIASA's research programme inquires into a broad field: sustainable governance in Africa in the three important areas of environment, democracy, and peace, which serve as MIASA’s main thematic corridors. The guiding question is how the practice of historically grounded social sciences and humanities in Africa can address sustainable governance as a theoretical, conceptual, and empirical challenge to provide new answers to key societal problems.

    Contribution to International Research

    Four elements are particularly important to MIASA. It is meant to create a place of intense exchange between African and non-African thinkers. Secondly, MIASA seeks to highlight knowledge production by African scholars. Thirdly, it aims to challenge the North-South divides in the academic sphere. Fourth, MIASA strives to bring different directions and research traditions across the Humanities and Social Sciences into conversation. The GIGA contributes to these overarching goals by organising the Interdisciplinary Fellow Group on ‘Sustainable Rural Transformation’, policy conferences and publishing workshops.

    Research Design and Methods

    The Interdisciplinary Fellow Groups bring together early career fellows and senior fellows to allow for the opportunity for establishing long-lasting intercontinental networks around a certain topic of specific interest. The group on ‘Sustainable Rural Transformation’, which was already created during MIASA's first funding phase, was comprised of ten international Fellows, one guest researcher and numerous contributors and collaborated at MIASA between February and May 2020. It concluded with a virtual conference in May 2020.
    The publishing workshops offer an opportunity to discuss imbalances in academic knowledge production on Africa. On a more practical level, they offer different formats of mentoring and training for the next generation of African authors, reviewers and (associate) editors.

    Preliminary Findings

    The IFG worked on selected aspects of the pertinent issues of rural change: (1) large-scale land acquisitions and rural livelihoods, (2) the nexus between the environment and rural change, again with particular reference to large-scale land acquisitions, (3) resource-based conflicts, with a focus on conflict in the Sahel zone, and, (4) internal mobility and rural-urban interactions. The group’s work was not designed to provide a holistic analysis of rural transformation in Africa, but to dive deep into the respective topic while being exposed to research on other facets of rural change. Collaborations between different members of the groups emerged and the weekly meetings of the group altered and expanded the perspectives of the individual research agendas. The collaboration has led the group’s research to (1) recognize more explicitly the interactions and inter-relationships between the different aspects of rural transformation that are typically dealt with in disciplinary and topical silos, and (2) to be more cognizant of the ambiguities of change and the empirical nuances and distinctions that call into question simplistic assumptions that often underlie analyses of rural transformation processes. Finally, the joint work also exposed (3) a number of common patterns and drivers of the analysed processes of rural transformation.

    Project Publications

    Blog Article | 04/2024

    MIASA Publishing Workshops: Making African Research More Visible in International Journals

    How can African research become more visible? How can asymmetries in knowledge production be reflected upon more systematically and how can they be addressed? The MIASA Publishing Workshops for African scholars, jointly organized by the Contemporary Journal of African Studies and Africa Spectrum, tackled these questions.

    Dr. Julia Grauvogel

    Senior Research Fellow / Research Team Spokesperson

    Research Comic | 2021

    Rural Transformations in sub-Saharan Africa: A Research Comic by Fellows from the Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA)

    This comic addresses rural transformations in Africa. Between February and May 2020, researchers from different countries worked together virtually and at the Maria Sibylla Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa. This comic gives you an insight into our research.

    Dr. Lisa Hoffmann

    Associate

    Related Content

    MIASA Policy Conference “Policies for a Sustainable Rural Transformation in Africa”

    German Institute for Global and Area Studies | 22/06/2022

    MIASA Policy Conference “Policies for a Sustainable Rural Transformation in Africa”

    Organiser: German Institute for Global and Area Studies Prof. Dr. Jann Lay (Panelist)

    Prof. Dr. Jann Lay

    Lead Research Fellow / Head of Research Programme "Globalisation and Development"

    Call for Papers and Organised Sessions: MIASA Policy Conference “Policies for a Sustainable Rural Transformation in Africa”

    Call | 13/03/2022

    Call for Papers and Organised Sessions: MIASA Policy Conference “Policies for a Sustainable Rural Transformation in Africa”

    This first MIASA Policy Conference on “Policies for a Sustainable Rural Transformation in Africa” provides a space for exchange between researchers, policy makers, and practitioners in rural development to discuss recent policy-relevant research findings. Submission deadline for contributions extended to 12 April.

    Amplifying African Voices in Peacekeeping and Statebuilding

    Workshop | 18/01/2022 - 20/01/2022

    Amplifying African Voices in Peacekeeping and Statebuilding

    Amplifying African Voices in Peacekeeping and Statebuilding, Online Event Organisers: The British Academy Dr. Julia Grauvogel (Panelist)

    Roundtable of Editors at "Amplifying African Voices in Peacekeeping
    and Statebuilding" Workshop

    Dr. Julia Grauvogel

    Senior Research Fellow / Research Team Spokesperson

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