The African Studies Centre (ASC), the Netherlands institute for Southern Africa (NiZA) and the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) are offering an Africa Thesis Award worth €4,000.

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.

The award consists of a prize of €1,000 for the winning thesis and an additional €3,000 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 also appear in a CODESRIA journal.

Who should 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 below and must have been examined within one year prior to the deadline for submitting manuscripts. The ASC, NiZA and CODESRIA specifically encourage students from Africa to submit their theses for this annual competition

Subject of theses:

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.

For submission to the ASC, its geographical focus should be on Sub-Saharan Africa or its migrant communities elsewhere in the world. For submission to CODESRIA, the geographical focus of the thesis should be on Africa or its migrant communities around the world. The thesis must be socially relevant.

How to apply:

The thesis should be submitted either to the ASC-NiZA Awards Committee or the CODESRIA Awards Committee. All submissions 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, and
• a copy of the thesis as well as a summary (maximum 500 words).

Applicants based in the Netherlands are requested to submit two hard copies of their thesis. Those based in Africa are welcome to send an electronic version of their thesis by email. If a hard copy of the thesis is submitted, the applicant’s email address must also be included. 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. The application will not be processed if it is incomplete.

Theses can be submitted to the ASC or CODESRIA (but not to both) depending on the following criteria: A thesis can be submitted to the ASC if it is written in English, French or Dutch. If the thesis is in Dutch, a five-page English or French summary should also be attached. A thesis can be submitted to CODESRIA if it is written in English, French, Portuguese or Arabic. If the thesis is written in Arabic or Portuguese, a five-page English or French summary should be attached.

Deadline for applications is June 15 2007.

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