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Center of African Studies in Yunnan University
Published Time:2012-11-18 Print Close

Yunnan University has a long history in African Studies. In 1950s, with the contribution of a famous scholar in Arab Studies Na Zhong, Yunnan University launched the research and teaching program in the field of North Africa and West Asia. In1980s, Professor Zhao Ruifang and Professor Wu Jide participated in the preparation and writing work of three-volume “General History of Africa”.

 

In 1991, Professor Liu Hongwu started to establish the discipline of African Studies in Yunnan University after studying in Nigeria. From then on, African Studies became one of the characteristics of the two disciplines in Yunnan University——World History and International Relations. Furthermore, Center of African Studies began to recruit master students specializing in African research since 1996 and to recruit doctoral students of the same research direction in 2000.

 

In 1998, a non-entity of the Center for Asian and African Studies was set up. For further development, Yunnan University established the “Center of African Studies” in 2007, which is under the institute of International Relations in Yunnan University. The center enjoys the personnel establishment, granted funds and appropriate workplace that includes two offices covering 70 square meters. Currently, seven full-time researchers and ten part-time researchers are working for the center.

 

After decades of accumulation and development, the Center of African Studies in Yunnan University has gradually formed its own characteristics in the field of domestic African Studies. Firstly, it is one of the most important organizations for cultivating high-quality talents of African Studies in China. So far, the center has been trained almost 40 postgraduates who obtained Doctoral or Master’s Degree for the national  universities, research institutions, and government departments, and many of whom have become the influential researchers in this field of study; Secondly, it devotes itself to researching Africa from cultural perspective, especially focusing on the cultural identities of the emerging African countries in their construction process; Thirdly, it persists in researching history of individual countries and the specialized history. combining with the practice of contemporary Sino-African relations, it attempts to figure out the special significance of the contacts between China and Africa at the background of world dialogues among civilizations; Fourthly, taking advantage of the research on cultural diversity and biological diversity in Yunnan University, it carries out the research on African indigenous knowledge, ethnic problems, development issues, environmental problems, poverty reduction and so on; At last, as a academic support agency in Yunnan University that is one of the International Education Bases established by the Ministry of Education, it makes great efforts to coordinating with the school about the work of cooperation in the education for Africa.

 

In recent years, the Center of African Studies in Yunnan University has undertaken many research projects at provincial or national level. Moreover, a number of monographs on African Studies have been published and more than 100 papers have been issued, some of them is at the frontier level on African Studies in our country, which have prominent influence in domestic academic circles.

 

In 2007, approved by the China Scholarship Council, the Center of African Studies in Yunnan University became one of the first batch of units that can participate in the program of exchanging scholarship with African countries, because of this, it can send some postgraduates each year to study in Africa for one year. Since the program’s launch, 4 batches of 11 postgraduates have been sent successively to study in some Africa countries, such as Zambia, Tanzania, Nigeria, Kenya and so on. This program is a great achievement of Yunnan University on postgraduates  developing towards internationalization, which will strongly promotes the growth of the younger generation who are familiar with Africa.

 

With the beginning of the second decade of China-Africa Cooperation Forum, both Sino-Africa relations and China-Africa cooperation have been raised to a higher level, at the same time, African instability and crises have obtained more attention all over the world. the research on China-Africa cooperation that involves more than 50 countries and benefits 2 billion people is a cutting-rage research which has academic value and practical significance. Concerning such a situation, our center will seize the great opportunity to make greater contribution to the African Studies in our country.

 

Goals of Development:

 

1.Based on the academic tradition and running advantage of Yunnan University as well as the basic subjects in this school, such as international relations ,world history, the Center of African Studies is committed to making itself be a academic base of African studies, which can achieves sustainable development.

 

2.the Center of African Studies will applies itself to strengthening degree program construction and continuing to send students to study in Africa, in order to improve the level of cooperation with African research institutions and cultivate high-quality talents in African Studies, forming  a excellent academic research team.

 

3.the Center of African Studies shall attaches importance to public service, acting as an advisory body to government and enterprises concerning African affairs; Furthermore, taking the China’s experience of keeping the multi-ethnic areas develop in harmonious as a reference, it attempts to figure out the path and policy of promoting the development of African countries and social progress, extending the scope of African Studies in China.

 

Address: the 9th floor of Wen Yuan Building, Chestwood North Road  NO.2, Kunming.

Postcode: 650091

TEL.: 86-871-5039175

Fax: 86-871-5033776

Website: www.cas.ynu.edu.cn

E-Mail: africansyudies07@gmail.com