IFAS-Research: Call for events 2025

PhD candidates – Postdoctoral – Senior Researchers

IFAS-Research (UMIFRE 25, MEAE/CNRS – French Institute of South Africa) has a regional mandate covering twelve countries in southern and central Africa: Angola, Botswana, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. IFAS-Research promotes and supports research projects in the Humanities and Social Sciences focusing on at least one country of the area.

For the second year, IFAS-Research is offering funding for the organization of scientific events (conferences, colloquiums, seminars) to take place, at least in part, at IFAS-Research, in Johannesburg.

To be eligible, events must take place between March and July or between September and November 2025. They must be organised by a pair of researchers (from PhD level), one based in a French institution, the other in an institution or research centre in one of the twelve countries of the IFAS-Research regional mandate.

The allocated funding will range from 500 to 1,500 euros per project. It aims to support the establishment or development of research partnerships between French and Southern African researchers. Scientific excellence is the main criteria of selection. Additionally, co-funded projects will be favoured.

The application must be cosigned by both parties. The submitted project must outline the main scientific objectives of the event, its format, its timeline, as well as the wider scientific collaboration project it contributes to. The application should specify at what point in the collaboration the event takes place (whether it initiates it, develops it, etc.) and what follow-up and further development are planned.

All funding applications for 2025 must imperatively reach us before the 30^th of November, 2024 (see details and documents below). Projects may be submitted in French or in English.

Projects must be relevant to one of the Institute’s three research areas:

1. Archaeology and prehistory
   • Paleoanthropology, evolution of hominins;
   • Archaeology and multidisciplinary studies of the Middle Stone Age, Later Stone Age, Iron Age and historical archaeology;
   • Rock art.
2. Heritage, history of art and history (medieval, modern and contemporary) of southern African societies
   • Political and social history; History of social and racial hierarchies, history of slavery;
   • Material, linguistic and cultural circulations; integration of Southern Africa into Atlantic and Indo-Oceanic circulations;
   • Heritage studies, history of art, contemporary approaches to memory in Southern Africa;
   • History of ideas and knowledge, cultural history and historical linguistics.
3. Contemporary dynamics: urban studies, social, political, economic and cultural changes
   • Urban studies (geography, history, sociology, anthropology, etc.): governance and policy, security, spatial justice, right to the city, urban memory;
   • Migration studies, borders, xenophobia;
   • Political transformations in Southern Africa, election studies, citizenship and its transformations, national construction processes;
   • Cultural and language policy; cultural and creative industries; art and society;
   • Identity politics and studies; gender studies;
   • Emergence and resource capture, economic policies, development economics, labour;
   • Education, youth, social movements;
   • Ecology, the environment and society;
   • Health and society.

List of documents to enclose in the application:

1. CV (maximum 2 pages) for each researcher;
2. A detailed description of the research project not exceeding 4 pages and containing the outlines of the proposed event (scientific objectives, dates, potential associated events), how it fits in the wider research collaboration that is envisaged (specifying main objectives, partners and stage of development); as well as prospects for publication and further developments;
3. For doctoral candidates, a letter of recommendation from the research supervisor, in French or English, addressed to the IFAS-Research’s director, Annael Le Poullennec;
4. The application form for funding, downloadable here;
5. The estimated budget, downloadable here.

Selection process:

Please send the application by email and attach a single .pdf document containing all of the above to: annael.lepoullennec@frenchinstitute.org.za andlea.jobard@frenchinstitute.org.za.

The candidate’s referees will send their letter of recommendation directly to the following address: annael.lepoullennec@frenchinstitute.org.za.

Deadline for applications: November 30, 2024

Applicants will receive replies by email in January 2025.

• Find this call in .pdf in English or in French.
• Download the application form for scientific events here.
• Download the estimated budget here.