Francophone Africa Research Group/Groupe de Recherches sur l’Afrique Francophone (GRAF)

The Francophone Africa Research Group/Groupe de Recherches sur l’Afrique Francophone (GRAF) was a consortium of scholars whose past, current, or projected research and interests deal either with “francophone” Africa, or with Franco-African relations. While the group is no longer active, some of the publications emerging from its activities are available from the BU African Studies Center. See below for a list of these materials; for inquiries or to order, please contact the Publications program.

Founded in 1993 by political science professor Edouard Bustin, GRAF was based at the African Studies Center of Boston University, but its membership included some 250 scholars based in more than twenty countries of Africa, Europe, and North America. GRAF acted as an interdisciplinary forum or clearinghouse to keep members informed of their respective research interests or projects; to explore research needs and funding opportunities for specific individual or cooperative projects; to develop bilateral linkages with African and European scholars and institutions; and to facilitate regular meetings of African, European, and North American scholars.

GRAF organized the interdisciplinary conference “Brazzaville + 50” in Boston in October 1994. A list of the the papers (in English or French) presented at that conference, as well as of those published by GRAF or by the African Studies Center in the form of expanded monographs or of edited collections, is available here.

The second GRAF-sponsored interdisciplinary conference “Africa, France and the U.S.” was held in Bordeaux in May 1997. A list of the papers presented at that conference is available here.