The African Studies Research Team
Society in Africa in an urban and rural context
The relevance of African studies is growing in the context of contemporary developments, as contacts with Africa become increasingly significant for Europe and the Czech Republic from an economic, political, and social standpoint. The long-term research programme at the Centre for African Studies encompasses a number of key issues related to Africa. These include the politics of power, the functioning of urban societies, urbanism and migration. The research conducted by the Centre for African Studies, which is part of the Department of Middle Eastern Studies, has long been concerned with the historical and contemporary aspects of Africa from an interdisciplinary perspective. The Centre is active in a number of countries in Africa, including Ethiopia, Libya, Kenya, Tanzania, Morocco, South Africa, Rwanda, Senegal and Nigeria, where it also collaborates with local scholars and institutions.
Monika Baumanová has a long-standing interest in the archaeology and anthropology of urban contexts in the context of pre-colonial and colonial periods, with a particular focus on East and Southern Africa. Her activities include the mapping and non-destructive documentation of historic buildings, as well as the examination of the social relevance of cultural heritage and material culture. Jan Zahorik's research interests include the political and social history of Ethiopia, urban and rural transformations in Ethiopia and the West African Sahel, the legacy of colonialism, particularly in relation to ethnicity, nationalism, social inequalities and urbanism, as well as conflicts in Africa. Jan Pěchota's research interests include social transformations, the function and form of cities in Morocco as a result of the rise of French colonial influence, and social issues such as the coexistence of the Moroccan Jewish community with the Muslim community.
Research projects on the following topics
Horizon Europe project (2022-2026): TRANS-SAFE: Transforming Road Safety in Africa (No 101069525): https://www.trans-safe.org/
(Project member: Jan Záhořík.)
Grantová agentura ČR (2020-2023): projekt COMPART - Comparing urban morphological transformation in precolonial to colonial urban traditions (No. 20-02725Y)
(Project Principal Investigator: Monika Baumanová, Project member: Jan Pěchota.)
Horizon Europe project (2020-2024): SAHA - RaiSe Libyan Higher education health sector for the benefit of local society: https://saha.unipv.it/
(UWB coordinator: Jan Záhořík.)
Contact our researchers
doc. Jan Záhořík, Ph.D.
doc. Monika Baumanová, M.A., Ph.D.
Mgr. Jan Pěchota