News
News from African History
New Article by Darja Wolfmeier 25.07.2025
Literature review: Humanitarian Aid in transition. Decolonial Approaches in Humanitarian Research
This literature review analyses the reception and application of post- and decolonial concepts in humanitarian research. Key topics such as postcolonial continuities of humanitarian principles, institutional power structures and epistemological challenges are highlighted.
Online available here.
New book review by Darja Wolfmeier 16.05.2025
Darja Wolfmeier, reviews the book Who Gives to Whom? Reframing Africa in the Humanitarian Imaginary by Cilas Kemedjio and Cecelia Lynch. Among other things, the work questions the humanitarian narrative of ‘Africa as the eternal recipient of Western aid’. The double-edged nature of humanitarian giving is discussed in detail with contemporary case studies.
Available free of charge at this link.
New article by Prof. Glasman
25.03.2025
How not to mistake the enemy? Two critiques of humanitarian action
In this article, Joël Glasman discusses two historical critiques of humanitarianism: the far-right (reactionary) critique, and the progressive critique shared by a number of traditions (Marxist, socialist, feminist, Pan-Africanist, and anti-colonialist).
Available under this link.
New entries on the blog "Africa in Global History"
(1) Impact of climate change, over-tourism, and sustainability on heritage preservation by Smaragda Gkountinaki
(2) Rwanda and The Guardian by Lena Ziegler
(3) The Forgotten Iberian Science: The Historical Study of Modern Science Developed in the Iberian Empires by Hans Cornehl
(4) Examining the relationship between fascism, populism and the far right by Lars Nadeau
(5) The Enduring Impact of Historical Institutionalism in Post-Conflict Biafra by Kingsley
A. Anajemba
Follow this link to explore the blog!
New article from Dr. Jochen Lingelbach in the Journal of Refugee Studies 28.01.2025
Jochen Lingelbach, postdoctoral researcher in the project “Africa in the Global History of Refugee Camps” published an open access article in the Journal of Refugee Studies:
“Unequal refugeeness. Race, gender, and co-belligerence from Poles in colonial Africa to Ukrainians in Poland”
Open access under this link.
New Podcast by Prof. Joël Glasman 21.06.2024
The hero humanitarian is dead. And Joël Glasman is glad. In his new book “Humanitarian Humanities”, Glasman advocates for a more reflective and empirically informed approach to humanitarian action, emphasizing the importance of social sciences, local ties and contextual knowledge in the field. Listen in to Joël discussing his findings, callling for a shift from the heroic era of humanitarianism to a more scrutinized and regulated approach.
Freely available online under this link.
Workshop “Africa in everyday life in Bayreuth”: June 27-28, 2024
29.05.2024
The workshop is organized by Dr. Ibrahima Sene (Chair of African History) and Dr. Marcus Mühlnikel (Chair of Franconian Regional History) and will take place at the Iwalewahaus (Wölfelstr. 2, Bayreuth).
An interesting program with representatives from science, city administration and associations awaits you and is open to the public. Registration is not required.
If you have any questions, please contact: ibrahima.sene@uni-bayreuth.de
Please note: The workshop will be held in German!
New Article by Prof. Joël Glasman:
24.05.2024
The war in Gaza is seen as a potential tipping point for the Middle East. But broadening the scope beyond this region, another historic question appears: will the war in Gaza also become a tipping point for liberal democracies where they turn away from humanitarianism?
Online available here.