Welcome to the Institute of African Studies (IAS)

The regional research focus on Africa was established when the University of Bayreuth was founded in 1975. Today, under the name “African Studies”, it comprises the entirety of Africa- and African diaspora-related research and training activities carried out by Bayreuth scholars from forty different subject areas including cultural studies, linguistics, economics, law, geosciences, biosciences, food, health and nutrition, and engineering. All Africa- and African diaspora-related activities at the University of Bayreuth are coordinated by the Institute of African Studies.

The Research Centre Africa (FZA) at the University of Bayreuth is an inter- and transdisciplinary research institution that deals with the major technological and ecological challenges of the 21st century from an African perspective. The aim is to research transformation processes that affect both the future of Africa and the world as a whole: Africa is shaping the globalised world and is at the same time integrated into it.

A key focus of the FZA is cooperation with local, African and other international partners. These partnerships enable an intensive exchange and networking of knowledge, which is essential for research into the complex developments in Africa and the world. The FZA builds on the many years of expertise in African Studies at the University of Bayreuth as well as that of its partners in Germany, Africa and worldwide.

As a central research unit of the University of Bayreuth, the Institute of African Studies (IAS) provides a home for all African scholars and brings together their activities. The Africa Research Centre (FZA) is a unit of the IAS and supports the creation of a forward-looking, sustainable research infrastructure; it positions the University of Bayreuth as a globally significant location for innovative African Studies.