The internship offered by the project is research-driven: the students develop themes of research fitting with the profile of the project and they will obtain support with their research design (bi-weekly seminar Sea-ing Africa, September - December), with preparation of their fieldwork (sponsored conference and methodology course in January in Morocco), and with the introduction to fieldwork sites (sponsored fieldschools in Ghana and Morocco). During the whole fieldwork period regular in situ supervision is assured in collaboration with academic institutions in Ghana (University of Ghana, Legon) and Morocco (NIMAR and the Schools of Architecture Rabat and Casablanca). (Students from TU Delft and ERASMUS University will join the methodology course in Morrocco for a three-day design/research studio, in which they collaborate with the Leiden students around questions of design of infrastructure and public works in port city territories.)

N.B. 1: For CADS students Policy in Practice and Visual Ethnography, participation in the course in Morocco (including accommodation) and the kick-start period of the fieldschool in Ghana or Morocco are sponsored by the project.

N.B.2: CADS master students Policy in Practice who choose this PiP internship will (in principle) be supervised by either Sabine Luning or Jan Jansen or Carola Hein. CADS master students Visual Ethnography who choose this PiP internship will be supervised by a staff member of the Visual Ethnography team.

Project Profile 'Sea-ing Africa: Tracing Legacies and Engaging Future Promises of 'Big' Infrastructure Projects in Port City Regions in Ghana and Morocco'

The project Sea-ing Africa involves Sabine Luning and Carola Hein from CADS and PortCityFutures, Jan Jansen from CADS, Mayke Kaag from ASCL/CADS, Marleen Dekker from ASCL and Léon Buskens from NIMAR. Costanza Franceschini (CADS/PortCityFutures) is the coordinator of the project.

With a broad network of colleagues, these researchers will do research together with master students on the prominent place of infrastructure in the thinking about development in Africa. Infrastructure projects such as ports, highways and railways are intertwined with geopolitics, economic systems, political interests and cultural values that affect citizens.

Theoretical Background Information: Return of ‘Big’ Infrastructure

In the colonial era, infrastructure was built mainly to exploit natural resources such as bauxite and gold. Later, much of this infrastructure fell into disrepair, partly due to a lack of maintenance and a shift in development thinking from macro-projects by the state to small-scale projects, that are more directly targeted at citizens and local communities (think e.g. of microcredit). Today, we are witnessing a resurgence of interest in large infrastructure projects in Africa, particularly in regions with ports and mining activities. There is a so-called re-enchantentment with infrastructure, almost in line with the earlier colonial approach. The project is trying to understand these developments by looking at Africa in innovative ways.

Studying Africa from the Sea and without the Sub-Saharan Divide

The research programme foregrounds two innovative approaches to studying the African continent. First, it aims to move away from the traditional scholarly division between the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa. When studying large-scale infrastructure projects drawing such boundaries do not make sense and a focus on Ghana and Morocco allows to break away from this divide. In addition, the project is not confined to looking at Africa as just land, but it also integrates a maritime perspective. It looks at infrastructure networks in territories from the sea. Ports are not haphazardly located in specific places. They need to be understood within broader geopolitical processes and their spatial setting. This perspective, expressed in the project name Sea-ing Africa, is characteristic for research within the Centre PortCityFutures.

Master Students Will Be Part of the Research Project

Infrastructure is often studied as part of macroeconomic processes, which remain quite abstract. Sea-ing Africa aims to provide an alternative, focusing on the relationship between macro processes and micro terrain. Students from the MSc Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology and students from the MA African Studies will carry out research projects along railway tracks and in ports that will give us a deeper understanding of this relationship and its impact and meaning for the people directly affected.

Bi-weekly seminar series

From September – December 2024 students will be supported in the development of their research proposal in a bi-weekly seminar series Sea-ing Africa (8 meetings). The aim of the seminar is to familiarize the MA students with:
1) the history and social-cultural characteristics of Morocco and Ghana,
2) the anthropology of infrastructure,
3) the interdisciplinary study of port city territories with specific attention for design practices,
4) insights in climate change and climate justice related to coastal regions,
5) methodologies for in situ studies of infrastructure projects and heritage projects.

Preliminary program of the January 2025

In January 2025, students participate in a methodology and design course in Morocco.

• 13-14 January Conference in Rabat
• 15-17 January fieldwork trips & methods 
• 18-19 January Free Weekend
• 20-21 January fieldwork trips & methods 
• 22-24 January Design Studio 
• 25-26 January Free weekend/moving to Ghana
• 27-31 January Fieldschool to introduce students to their individual fieldsites in Morocco or Ghana

Participants:

• 10 master students CADS and African Studies
• Moroccan and Ghanaian master and PhD students
• 10 LDE master students for the Design Studio

Apply

Master students can apply for participation in Sea-ing Africa by sending a motivation letter to Costanza Franceschini:

The motivation letter (max 600 words) should contain information on: 1) study background, 2) motivation to participate in Sea-ing Africa, 3) tentative description of research topic and preferred country of research Ghana or Morocco.