Africa Thesis Award 2006

Are you interested in Africa and have you written your Masters thesis on an African-related subject? The African Studies Centre (ASC), the Netherlands institute for Southern Africa (NiZA) and the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in

Sub-Saharan Africa

in Africa (CODES-RIA) are offering you the chance to win
€ 4000 The African Thesis Award.

Film or video
The award aims to encourage student research and writing on Africa and to promote the study of African cultures and societies. It is presented annually to a student whose Masters thesis has been completed on the basis of research conducted on Africa. The award may also be granted to any other final-year piece of work in the form of film, video or CD-ROM that presents a clear analysis of an issue relating to Africa.

PhD proposal or fieldwork
The award consists of a prize of € 1000 for the winning thesis and an additional €3000 for the writing of a PhD proposal or for fieldwork to update the original data for a wider audience. The winning thesis will be published in the ASC Research Report Series and a summary of the work will be proposed to a CODESRIA journal.

Who can apply?
Any final-year student who has completed his/her Masters thesis with distinction (80% or higher or a Dutch rating of at least 8) at a university in Africa or the Netherlands can apply. The thesis has to be based on independent empirical research related to Africa in one of the subjects listed in the following section and must have been examined within one year prior to the deadline for submitting manuscripts (see below). The thesis has to be written in English, French or Dutch.

Subject of the thesis
Any thesis thematically related to socio-geographical, economic, political, juridical or anthropological issues or focusing on the humanities such as history, religion and literature (but with the exception of language and/or semiotic studies) can be submitted. Its geographical focus should be on Sub-Saharan Africa or its migrant communities elsewhere in the world.

How to submit a thesis?
If a student or his/her supervisor feels that a Masters thesis merits an award because of its high quality and originality, the thesis should be submitted to the ASC-NiZA Awards Committee. Every submission must include:

• A letter of recommendation from the student’s supervisor containing details about the quality of the thesis and the educational institution from which the student has graduated.  
• A copy of the thesis as well as a summary of a maximum of 500 words.
  Applicants based in the Netherlands are requested to submit 2 hard copies of their thesis. If a hard copy of the thesis is submitted, the applicant’s email address must also be included.

The application will not be processed if it is incomplete. Please note that the initial selection for the award will be made based on the summary, the table of contents and the letter of recommendation.

Where to submit a thesis
Theses can be submitted to the - A thesis can be submitted to the ASC if it is written in. If the thesis is in Dutch, a five-page English or French summary should also be attached.

Quality of the thesis
The ASC, NiZA and CODESRIA seek to attract theses that demonstrate a high quality with regard to the subject matter of the research as well as the way the research has been conducted. The jury attaches importance to an original approach and insight, and the relevance of the research to a scientific understanding of the issues covered. In addition, the jury will consider the significance of the thesis in relation to development-related issues and its interest for the general public.

Time schedule
This year’s deadline for the submission of theses is 31 May 2006. From all the entries a shortlist of three theses will be drawn up from which a joint jury will select the winning thesis. The jury will announce its decision in September 2006. In November 2006, the winner will be invited to present his/her work at a seminar in Leiden and may also be invited to do the same at a seminar hosted by one of CODESRIA’s member institutes in Africa.

The jury
The following researchers are on the jury of the 2006 Africa Thesis Award:

- Prof. Meine Pieter van Dijk (Erasmus University),  (chair)
- Prof. Eric Aseka (Kenyatta University)
- Prof. Kwame Boafo-Arthur (University of Ghana)
- Dr Rijk van Dijk (African Studies Centre)
- Dr Gerti Hesseling (African Studies Centre)
- Mindanda Mohogu (independent economist)
- Cyril Obi (Nordic African Institute)

Ms. Gitty Petit (ASC) (secretary)
Ms. Chifaou I. Josiane Amzat (CODESRIA) (secretary)
The jury's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Further information
For more information or queries regarding the submission of a thesis, please contact Ms Gitty Petit, the secretary of the ASC-NiZA Awards Committee:

African Studies Centre (ASC)
P.O. Box 9555
2300 RB Leiden
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 (0)71 527 3376
Fax: +31(0) 71 527 3344
www.ascleiden.nl
E-mail: petitg@ascleiden.nl

(18 april 2006)