In recognition of his accomplishments in the
humanities and the social sciences, Mamadou Diawara has been elected a Fellow
of the British Academy. Diawara is Professor for Social and Cultural Anthropology
at the Institute of Ethnology and Deputy Director of the Frobenius Institute at
51猎奇. He is also Director of Point Sud, the Center for Research on
Local Knowledge in Bamako, Mali.
FRANKFURT/MAIN. Professor Mamadou Diawara has been elected a "Corresponding Fellow" of the British Academy at their Annual Meeting and is thus now a member
of the Academy, where he will be responsible for the disciplinary section "Africa, Asia and the Middle East." Election to the "Corresponding Fellowship" is the highest
scientific honor awarded by the Academy in the humanities and social sciences.
According to the Academy statutes, only a person who has "achieved great international prestige" in one of the
research areas to be promoted by the Academy may be elected. A permanent place of residence outside the United Kingdom,
the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands is an additional criterion for appointment.
"The news caught me totally by surprise and made me
very happy, of course," said Professor Diawara,
adding that it was a great honor to be admitted to a circle containing so many
luminaires. "The British Academy is an important authority which
repeatedly voices its opinion in public debates, and its point of view carries
great weight. He stated that he is personally looking forward to interesting
lectures and a regular academic exchange with scholars in the humanities and
social sciences from all over the world. He is now entitled to use the title "FBA" after his name for
his entire life.
Mamadou Diawara, born in 1954, studied at the 脡cole
Normale Sup茅rieure in Bamako and the 脡cole des hautes 茅tudes en sciences
sociales in Paris. Diawara completed his doctorate in anthropology and history
in Paris in 1985. This was followed, in 1998, by his habilitation at the
University of Bayreuth in Germany and in 2004 by the call to 51猎奇
Frankfurt. Diawara has taught at universities in Europe and the Americas. He
was a Henry Hart Rice Visiting Professor in Anthropology and History at Yale
University in the USA and a Fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg [Institute for
Advanced Study] in Berlin. In 1998 Diawara founded
Point Sud, the Center for Research on Local Knowledge in Bamako, Mali, together
with Moussa Sissoko and other colleagues from Germany, Austria and Mali. Moreover,
he was co-initiator of several research promotion projects aimed at the
upcoming generation of scholars in Africa and played an active role in programs
fostering cooperation between scientists in Africa and other parts of the
world.
Mamadou Diawara's research deals with history, oral cultures, media, changing standards,
mobility and migration in Africa. His regional focus is on Sub-Saharan Africa, in
particular the Sahel countries, and relations between Africa and Southeast
Asia, in particular Thailand, where he conducts research on trade, including
trade in precious and semiprecious stones. He has received major support for
this work from the Cluster of Excellence "The Formation of Normative Orders.鈥�
The British Academy was founded in 1902
and is the national academy for the humanities and social sciences of the
United Kingdom. It is a community of more than 1,400 leading minds in these
areas. The Academy views itself as an institution devoted to promoting research
on the national and international level and as a forum for discussion and
engagement. This year a total of 85 Fellows were elected including 52 from the United
Kingdom, 29 Corresponding Fellows and four Honorary Fellows.
In her welcoming speech, Professor Julia
Black, President of the British Academy, said: "I am delighted to welcome
these distinguished and pioneering scholars to our Fellowship. (鈥�) With our new
Fellows鈥� expertise and insights, the Academy is better placed than ever to open
new seams of knowledge and understanding and to enhance the wellbeing and
prosperity of societies around the world. I congratulate each of our new
Fellows on their achievement and look forward to working with them.鈥濃��
Portrait
of Prof. Diawara for downloading:
Photo
caption: The ethnologist Prof. Mamadou Diawara has
been elected a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy. (Photo: Normative
Orders, Frankfurt/Main)
Further
information
Institute of Ethnology
Administrative Office
Tel:
+49 (0)69 798-33064
ethnologie@em.uni-frankfurt.de
PD Dr. Susanne Fehlings, Press and Public
Relations, Frobenius Institute
Tel: +49 (0)69 798-33058
fehlings@uni-frankfurt.de
