Research Area B
Knowlegde, Communication, and Communities in Motion
Language, literature and the media in general are the ‘spaces’ where concepts can be discussed and developed; these ‘spaces’ also serve as means for transmitting concepts from Africa to Europe. The perception of Africa and African participation in a worldwide cultural interaction therefore also depends on the dynamic interplay of different perspectives on the continent: external perspectives constructed in the discourses of Western societies (both the legacy of colonialism and the contemporary forces of globalisation) and internal views of Africa constructed in the discourses of African actors.
The specification and analysis of parameters of dependence between culture, concepts and communication and a systematic comparison of these parameters are a paramount research issue. (long description)
PhD projects within this area may relate to the following topics:
- Culture, society and the dynamics of language and literature
- Language, the mediation of knowledge and its development
- Innovation, hybridisation and narrative voice
- Gender in culture and communication
- African media in local and global media arenas
- Linguistic, cultural and intermedial transfer and diaspora
- Transformations
- Culture and ethics of creating and communicating technological knowledge about ecosystems, biodiversity, climate change, ecology and energy for/in Africa
Senior Fellows of Research Area B are:
