Department of Anthropology and African Studies
Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies 07 · Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz · Forum 6 · 55099 Mainz · Tel: +49-6131-3922798 · Fax: +49-6131-392373

Current Funded Research Projects

Research Projects - African Language Studies

• Basic linguistic research within the Adamawa branch of Niger-Congo (1): Fali and languages of the Duru and Leeko Groups
  Coordinated by: Raimund Kastenholz (Research Fellows: Ulrich Kleinewillinghöfer, Raija Kramer, Sabine Littig), Financed by: DFG (Duration 2008-2010)

Research Projects - Anthropology

• Significations of Oil and Social Change in Niger and Chad: An anthropological cooperative research project on technologies and processes of creative adaptation in relation to African oil production.
  Subproject of SPP 1448 "Adaption und Kreativität in Afrika - Technologien und Bedeutungen in der Produktion von Ordnung und Unordnung".
  Coordinated by: Prof. Dr. Schareika, Göttingen; Dr. A. Behrends, Halle; Prof. Dr. T. Bierschenk, Mainz
  Financed by: DFG (Duration: 2011 - 2014)

• Western global - Interkulturelle Transformationen des amerikanischen Genres par excellence
  Projektleitung: Dr. Thomas Klein, Finanzierung: DFG (Laufzeit 2010-2013)

• The confessional Public Health Service in Burkina Faso: Cooperation and Conflicts with the Public Health Service
  Head: Katrin Langewiesche; Financed by: DFG (Duration: 2009-2012)

• Boundary work: Police in West Africa
  Coordinated by: Carola Lentz (Research Fellows: Jan Beek, Mirco Göpfert and Agnes Badou)
  Financed by: DFG, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz (Forschungsfond) (Duration: 2009-2012)

• States at Work. Public Services and Civil Servants in West Africa: Education and Justice in Benin, Ghana, Mali and Niger
  Coordinated by: Thomas Bierschenk, Mahaman Tidjani Alou (LASDEL Niamey); Financed by: Volkswagen Foundation (Duration: 2006-2011)

• The poetics and politics of national commemoration in Africa
  Doctoral research group in the context of the programme of the University of Mainz
  „PRO Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften 2015“
  Coordinator: Carola Lentz; Financed by: PRO Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften 2015 (Duration 2009-2012)
  

Completed Research Projects

• The Negotiation of Culture through Video Films and Bongo Flava Music in Tanzania
  Coordinated by: Matthias Krings (Research Fellows: Uta Reuster-Jahn, Gabriel Hacke, Claudia Boehme), Financed by: DFG (Duration: 2009-2011)

• Phytodiversity in the West African Sahel and Sudan Zone - Development and Evaluation, Subproject BIOTA West III
  Coordinated by: Nikolaus Schareika (University of Göttingen) (Research Fellows: Sascha Kesseler.; Bianca Volk) Financed by: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Duration: 2007-2010)

• Transnational religion. African catholic missionary networks. An anthropological study of “inversed” mission between West Africa and Europe.
  Coordinated by: Thomas Bierschenk (Research Fellow: Katrin Langewiesche) (Duration 2008-2009)

• "White Roles" in African Film On the intercultural negotiation of identities
  Coordinated by Matthias Krings, in Cooperation with Marie-Hélène Gutberlet, Frankfurt a.M.
  Research Fellow: Cassis Kilian. (Duration 2007-2009)

• Memory, politics and culture in post-genocide Rwanda. Collective memory and personal narratives.
  Head: Anna-Maria Brandstetter (Duration 2008)

• South-Aethio-Semitic Languages in Contact
  Typological Change in Modern Aethio-Semitic Languages
  Coordinated by: Walter Bisang (Linguistics), and Raimund Kastenholz (African Language Studies)
  (Research Fellows: Andreas Wetter and Ronny Meyer; Sub-project C.3 SFB 295) (Duration 2006-2008)

• Local and Religious Scholars Between Folk Culture, Islam and Modernity - Egypt and Ethiopia, a Comparative Study.
  Coordinated by: Thomas Bierschenk, Georg Stauth. Sub-project C.6 SFB 295 (Duration 2006-2008)
  for this Working Papers of the Department Nr. 16; Nr. 18; Nr. 52.

• Alliances and Cultural Proximity. Explorations in the Transformation of Contact Situations in Ethiopia.
  Coordinated by: Ivo Strecker. Sub-project C.7 SFB 295 (Duration 2006-2008)

• Rekurrierende Strukturen des interaktiven Sprachgebrauchs im Hausa
  (Jan Patrick Heiß) DFG Projekt (Duration 2006-2008)

• “Highlife im Club Afrique“: Travelling Musicians, African Diaspora and Intercultural Exchange in London 1950 - 1965
  (Wolfgang Bender, Markus Coester) (Duration 2005-2007)

• Persuasive Kommunikation bei den Wolof: Kulturelle und sprachliche Aspekte
  Communication persuasive chez les Wolof: Aspects culturels et langagiers
  (Christian Meyer & Anna Marie Diagne) (Duration 2004-2007)

• écocité. Peri-urban Agriculture in Senegal and Benin
  écocité — Gestion partagée et durable des espaces agricoles et naturels à la périphérie des centres urbaines
  (Thomas Bierschenk, together with Colleague in France, Senegal and Benin)
  for this Working Papers of the Department Nr. 21; Nr. 43; Nr. 49; Nr.50; Nr. 51 (Duration 2004-2007)

• The Local Appropriation of Global Products. Bouillon Cubes in Senegal/West Africa
  (Carola Lentz, Ruth Frackmann) (Duration 2003-2006)

• Documentation of the BOGOŊ (Cala) Language
  directed by Ulrich Kleinewillinghöfer (Duration 2005-2006)

• Language and Culture in the Lake Chad region
  Linguistic and Culture Contact in the Lake Chad region
  Coordinated by: Raimund Kastenholz
  Research Fellows: Barbara Dehnhard and Jan Patrick Heiß; Sub-project C.4 SFB 295.) (Duration 2003-2005)

• Gemeinschaft im Exil. Eritrean Networks in Germany
  (Carola Lentz, Nina von Nolting) (Duration 2003-2004)

• Power and Politics in Parakou/Benin:
  The Political Sociology of a Mid-sized Town in West Africa
  (Thomas Bierschenk)
  for this Working Papers of the Department No. 22; No. 28; No. 39 (Duration 2002-2004)

• The Anthropology of Corruption: a Comparative Study in Three African Countries (Benin, Niger, Senegal)
  (Thomas Bierschenk together with Jean-Pierre Olivier de Sardan (EHESS/CNRS Marseille), Giorgio Blundo (IUED Genf), Mahaman Tidjani Alou (LASDEL Niamey))
  for this Working Papers of the Department Nr. 17 (Duration 1999-2003)

• The Appropriation of Space and Local Identity in Southwest Burkina Faso.
  Carried out under the aegis of Special Research Project 268 "West African Savannah" at the Goethe University Frankfurt/Main
  Carola Lentz, Katja Werthmann (Duration 1997-2002)


• The Languages of the Duun Group (Mali and Burkina Faso). A Contribution to Research on the Northwestern Mande Languages
  Coordinated by: Raimund Kastenholz (Research Fellow: Holger Tröbs, Duration 1999-2002).