Today, more and more African students have been obtained Ph.D. degrees in all academic disciplines of social and natural sciences and the humanities in Japan. Considerable number of students (especially of the ABE-Initiative and the Kakehashi Project) annually are accredited and conducting field research to work as a bridge between the two world regions. Some African scholars have already secured full-time faculty positions in Japanese universities.
About Us
However, very few places have ever been prepared for African scholars of diverse origins to present their ongoing research, and Japanese scholars and students of African Studies hope to communicate with those on a daily basis. This led to our vision to construct Pan-African academic network with purposes such as :
・exchange ideas and motivate each other in English (or French, Swahili, Arabic, Portuguese and other
medium),
・present their research outcomes in English or in other languages in front of an international audience.
We've realized conducting fieldwork in Africa and then writing papers back home in Japanese can be a sort of intellectual exploitation, as Africans are not a passive subject of research. A face-to-face dialogue on equal footing in Japan, is expected to give enormous inspiration between you and us.
Now a completely new route of interregional communication is open ahead of us. Recognizing the principle of African ownership, this initiative welcomes the participation of African and non-African students and scholars, Japanese or non-Japanese, in the conferences, the workshops and other daily activities for the better future of Afro-Asia. We also plan to launch a new academic periodical, and envision a time when we coalesce into a Pan-Asian network of African studies covering South Korea, China, Southeast Asia, India and other places. Be innovative, and join us!
Our Mission
Our mission is simply to bring the knowledge of Africa to Asia, and the knowledge of Asia to Africa through open academic dialogue among researchers and scholars of these two great regions. We want to;
・ positively exploit the geopolitical significance of Africa and Asia, as well as the fact that the two regions are homes to some of the fastest growing democracies and economies,
・ provide a platform that uses mainly English, the lingua franca of international communication and
・ bridge the gap between different generations of interested scholars and between the various disciplines
that inform the discourse about these two great regions.
We shall be committed to encouraging innovative, non-biased, interdisciplinary and interuniversity research and sharing of knowledge about these two great regions. Thereby we shall endeavour to expand quickly and steadily from our Kansai roots to a joint network of Pan-African cum Pan-Asian studies.