Resources

Collected resources on Africa-related studies, research and associations in Finland and the Nordics.

Public agency focused on research on Africa, based in Uppsala (Sweden). Funded by the governments of Sweden, Finland & Iceland. Has a library, offers scholarship programs, hires researchers to work on research projects, publishes article series & books. Their research projects aim to be relevant to policy decisions. Topics covered in their research & library: economy, education, gender, health, international relations, migration, natural resources & environment, peace, conflict & security, politics, rural areas, society & culture, urban areas.

Research/teaching centre at University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Offers a 2-years Master's in African studies (internationalized and taught in English), PhD/post-doc positions. Has a large library. Produces research mainly on: sovereignty & citizenships; religion & social change; environment, climate & sustainability. Has partnerships with some universities in Africa (Kampala university,...)

Research centre focused on economics in emerging countries at University of Roskilde, Denmark. Focuses on the economies of African countries, although not exclusively.

  • (AEGIS). Network of European study centres about Africa with a focus on social sciences and humanities. Organizes conferences & summer schools; publishes open access books; also includes a network of European librarians in Africa studies (ELIAS).

 

  • (DIANA). Finland-based network to support teaching & research by African diaspora members and collaboration with African universities. NGO. Includes STEM-related activities at least, might be open to any academic discipline.

 

  • . Pilot network that coordinates 11 universities and 15 universities of applied sciences in Finland, and promotes practical case collaborations for education, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship skills development between Finnish and Sub-Saharan African institutes of higher education.

 

  • (FAPI). Network of 26 higher education institutions in Finland, focused on collaboration with African partners to foster innovation. Recently established, so not much activity yet (there was an open call for research cooperation project in law, business & development studies... sustainable development seems like a key concern of this network). Supported by Finland's ministry of Education and Culture.

 

  • . Research forum affiliated with Roskilde university (Denmark).

 

  • . Interdisciplinary research forum about Africa at Uppsala university, Sweden. Disciplines represented in this forum include archeology, cultural anthropology, peace & conflict studies, child & maternal health. Publishes papers on Africa studies, organizes events (mainly at Uppsala but also increasingly at collaborating African universities), involved in various research projects.

 

  • (GINTL). Academic network, with an Africa branch that supports collaboration between Finnish and African universities.

 

  • (NARN). Network aiming to facilitate cooperation between Africanists across Nordic countries, and research/education regarding Africa. Runs Nordic Journal of African Studies.

 

  • (SASUF). Large-scale internationalisation project between researchers, teachers, students,... in Sweden & South Africa. Led to the initiation of 70 collaborative projects. Focus on sustainable development. Also includes a student network.

 

  • (SAFINET). Focused on facilitating collaboration between Finnish and South African research centers and higher education institutions. Connected to SANORD.

 

  • (SANORD). Academic centre promoting collaboration & mobility between universities in Southern African countries and Nordic countries, primarily affiliated with University of Western Cape (South Africa). Offers internships and funds research projects. Any discipline.

University of Helsinki offers a 3-year long bachelor's degree in Languages. This programme offers courses in some languages used in Africa, such as Swahili, Somali, and Arabic. The programme includes the AMY (Aiantuntijuus monikielisissä yhteisöissä) study track; the name stands for Expertises in multilingual societies. This study track includes courses focusing on multilingualism and linguistic variation, and content related to language use in Africa, among other regions. The programme is taught in Finnish.

University of Helsinki offers a 2-year long Master's degree in Languages. There are 10 study tracks available. In the study track KIGY (Kieli ja identiteetti globaaleissa yhteisöissä), which stands for Language and Identity in global societies, one can study Arabic, Hebrew, Swahili, Hindi, Urdu, Somali and Turkish. The study track includes classes on multilingualism and linguistics. The programme is taught in Finnish and Swedish.

Dalarna University offers a Master's programme in African Studies, which covers a mix of cultural and social science studies.

The Centre of African Studies at University of Copenhagen offers a Master's in African studies (taught in English, with possibility to study Kiswahili).

Nordic Africa Institute (in Uppsala) has a large multimedia collection (80k books!), with remote access to some digital resources for students & staff at Nordic universities, and interlibrary loans. Aimed at students and researchers in Nordic countries but open for all. Their collection includes: books, reports, modern fiction in multiple languages, reference literature, journals, official documents, films, pamphlets and maps. The focus of the collection is social sciences.

The Centre for African Studies (in Copenhagen) has collection of some 10k publications, primarily for students & staff at the centre, but items from their collection are open to interlibrary loans.

Non-country specific societies

  • (Suomen Afrikka-Seura Ry). Publishes a periodical, organized the Finnish-African Literature Art project in 2021. Organizes meetings, lectures and events. Culture-related events and business networking. Non-profit.

  • (Africans and African European Association). Registered organization involved in advocacy, organizing cultural events, providing integration/social support services,... primarily for African migrants in Finland.

  • . Organization that promotes participation, representation, diversity & collaboration between African diaspora & Finnish society. Example projects: professional mentoring for immigrants, book club, summer camp,...

  • . Non-profit association that promotes diversity and inclusion, and organizes cultural & entrepeneurship-related events.

Somalia-related societies

  • . Umbrella organization of Finnish-Somali associations, has 46 members organizations in Finland! Engages in advocacy and promotes integration through initiatives like peer support groups and expert seminars.

  • . NGO for Finland-Somalia cooperation, leads development projects concentrating on health and environmental issues in Somalia.

  • . Network to support Finland-Somalia development cooperation and support migrant youth integration. They used to publish an online journal, .

Other country-specific societies

  • . Society that has organized several South Africa-related events in Finland over the years, such as cultural events (concerts among other things), seminars about education in SA,...

  • . They organize gatherings, publish a periodical and are involved in development projects.

  • . They create publications (some periodical), are involved in development projects, and organize some events (celebration of Namibia's independence).