*** PEACE FELLOWSHIPS ***
Application deadline:October 15, 2009
West African Peace Initiative
West African Research Association & Center
Fall 2009
The West African Peace Initiative, a project of WARA and WARC, announces the Peace Fellowship for support of original research or creative work relevant to peace building and conflict resolution in West Africa (pdf versions in English, French and Portuguese).
This competition is open to West African scholars and creative artists currently working in West Africa. There will be six awards: three for senior artists or post-doctoral researchers (more than five years past their degree), and three for junior scholars (less than five years past degree or still working on a degree) and artists. Awards will consist of up to $7500 for research to be conducted over a six month period. The closing date for the first competition is October 15, 2009. Awardees will be announced in November.
Proposals should be submitted electronically to Peace@initiativedepaix.org
Proposals must include descriptions of the project objectives and methods and a clear statement of the relevance of the research to understanding and managing contemporary situations of potential conflict in the region. Applications will consist of the following:
- A narrative description of the research to be conducted or creative work to be produced, including any preliminary work completed, a statement of how the research/creative work fits in with the goals of the WAPI project, and a description of final products (e.g., an article or research paper, a piece of creative writing, a film, an installation, etc.). Please limit your narrative to six pages (double-spaced) or less. Longer proposals will not be considered.
- A project timeline
- A budget
- A CV of not more than two pages
- Two letters of reference
- A letter of support from the appropriate authority at the applicant’s institution.
A portion of each award will be disbursed upon submission of an acceptable final product for presentation at a final conference to be held in December 2011. Grantees will be expected to submit a publishable paper (or film, or other project) within six months of completing their research. These will be published in the WARA/WARC Working Papers Series or, in the case of films or other media, made available electronically.
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Study Abroad to Sierra Leone: The program will be in late May 2010. It is open to students in any college in the United States. Undergraduates can take up to nine credits and graduate students can take up to six credits. Students can use financial aid to pay for the program. For more information about the program, please download the flyer here.
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Mellon Sawyer Postdoctoral Fellowship on ‘Ethnicity in Africa’
The Center for Afro-American and African Studies at the University of Michigan seeks to appoint a post-doctoral scholar to a one-year fellowship on ‘Ethnicity in Africa: Historical, Comparative and Contemporary Investigations’. Scholars of any nationality working in any discipline of the social sciences or humanities are encouraged to apply. The post will extend from 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011.
Deadline: Friday, 13 November, 2009.
More information can be found on http://h-net.org/jobs/display_job.php?jobID=39383
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Dell Social Innovation Competition
The University of Texas and Dell are looking for college students from around the world who want to improve areas of critical human need through innovation. To qualify for the Dell Social Innovation Competition, contestants and the proposed venture must meet the following criteria:
- Undergraduate and graduate level students from any university or college in the world are eligible to enter. Proof of enrollment will be requested of all semifinalist and finalist contestants.
- The individual or team must be comprised of students currently attending a university. Students who graduated in December 2009 are eligible to enter.
- Contestants must be actively involved in the venture.
- Team size is not restricted. Teams can seek advice from mentors or outside experts, but the venture must be entirely student-led.
- All team members listed on the final venture plan will be considered full team members with equal share of the venture, unless otherwise stipulated in the venture plan.
- Teams that have previously reached the final presentation round of the Dell Social Innovation Competition may not re-enter this year's competition with the same venture.
- Team members competing must be principle owners of the venture.
- Competition entry void where prohibited by law.
Deadline: March 1, 2010.
More information about this competition can be found online (http://www.dellsocialinnovationcompetition.com/
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CONFERENCE: Peacemaking in West Africa:
Historical Methods and Modern Applications
December 12 - 15, 2009
Dakar, Senegal
While conflict situations in Africa have received significant scholarly and media attention in recent decades, less attention has been paid to the long tradition of peacemaking that kept its societies in peaceful equilibrium. This conference will feature papers that examine successful handling of potential conflicts that have been resolved in their early stages, as well as the range of ancient, historic and contemporary tools for mediation.
A limited number of observers will be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration should be completed (paid in full) by November 15th. In order to be invited as an observer, please send a brief resume and information on the organization represented to peace@initiativedepaix.org. There will be a $150 (USD) registration fee for observers. Observers will be responsible for all travel and conference costs (local transportation and lodging) for the duration of the conference. Peace Initiative will cover buffet lunch for the 13-14-15 December; observers will be responsible for their other meals.
Conference academic coordinators:
I. William Zartman, Jacob Blaustein Professor of International Organizations and Conflict Resolution, SAIS, Johns Hopkins University
Edmond Kwam Kouassi, Maître de Conférences, Faculté de droit, Université de Lomé
Peace Project Coordinator
For more information, please contact Peace Project Coordinator, Henri-Pierre Koubaka, at hp@initiativedepaix.org
Peace Initiative in West Africa: for more information, please visit the Conference webpage at http://www.initiativedepaix.org/
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The West Africa Peace Initiative is a three year WARA initiative funded by the US State Department The Project's overarching purpose is to promote peace building and conflict prevention through the exchange of ideas and experience within the region as well as by supporting scholarly research and exchange. It will thus provide opportunities to explore underlying sources and causes of conflict and historical and contemporary mechanisms for peaceful coexistence and conflict resolution. The aim is to make space for nuanced understandings of peace and conflict that go beyond facile explanations such as those built on essentialist understandings of religion and ethnicity. The project activities will engage and directly benefit key scholars, activists, and journalists from the various countries comprising West Africa, as well as select American academics who will also participate in events.Participants will be selected in collaboration with country PAOs and relevant academic colleagues and institutions across the subregion. This project will build both a store of knowledge on the topic and a network of scholars, journalists, and activists with professional interest in the study of peace and conflict resolution in West Africa.
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Fall 2009 Newsletter
WARA is now accepting submissions for Fall 2009 issue. We are interested in brief reports from our members on research and other projects. Reports should be brief (500 words) and should include name, institutional affiliation, and contact information for the author. We are also accepting book and film reviews, and announcements for conferences and meetings that will take place in 2009. Deadline for submissions is Septmber 30. Questions? Contact wara@bu.edu.
Online Membership Renewal
You can now renew your WARA membership online!!! WARA has teamed up with Network for Good, a secure online payment service for non-profits, so that you can pay dues and make charitable contributions to WARA the easy way click here to pay your dues or make a contribution. New members can also use this option, but should in addition fill out and mail in the WARA Membership Form.
WARC Hosts CAORC Directors' Workshop in Dakar, Senegal
The 2009 Meeting of overseas and US Directors of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) was held on January 4-5, 2009 in the
Senegalese capital Dakar. To learn more about this meeting as well as to look at some pictures taken during the meeting, please click here.
*** Announcements ***
*** Second International Conference on African Cultural and Development ***
The International Conference on African Culture & Development Secretariat invites you to the Second International Conference on African Cultural and Development - ICACD 2009. The Conference seeks to draw global attention to African Arts and culture and the significant impact it has on the development of the African continent. The conference aims to bring together scholars from a broad range of disciplines spanning, Developments Studies, African Culture, Social Sciences and Humanities as well as representatives of African Traditional Institutions, Non-Governmental organizations and Government Agencies to discuss a variety of topics aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals while strengthening the outcomes of ICACD 2009. For more information, please consult the organization website.
WARA/WARC Fellowships for 2010
See Funding page
WARA Institutional Members' Study Abroad Programs
Click here for a list of programs offered by WARA institutional members
Do you have announcements you would like to post on the WARA website? Please send your proposed announcements to wara@bu.edu.
