African Studies Centre Leiden Africa Thesis Award 2017 for Afro-Centric Masters Thesis( € 500 Prize)

Application Deadline: 9 July 2017

Are you interested in Africa and is your Masters thesis on a related subject? If so, the African Studies Centre Leiden is offering you the chance to win € 500,-. Moreover your thesis will be published in the ASCL’s African Studies Collection. 

The award aims to encourage student research and writing on Africa and to promote the study of African cultures and societies. It is presented annually to a student whose Masters thesis has been completed on the basis of research conducted on Africa. The award consists of a prize of € 500,- and publication of the winning thesis in the ASCL’s African Studies Collection. All theses submitted will be made available fulltext online via the ASCL’s library catalogue.

Requirements:

• Any final-year student who has completed his/her Masters thesis with distinction (80% or higher or a Dutch rating of at least an 8) at a university in Africa or the Netherlands may apply.

The thesis

• The thesis has to be based on independent empirical research related to Africa in one of the subjects listed in the following section and must have been examined in the twelve months prior to the deadline for submitting manuscripts.
• The thesis can be submitted if it is written in English, French or Dutch.
• If the thesis is in Dutch, a five-page English or French summary should also be attached.

Subject of the thesis

• Any thesis thematically related to socio-geographical, economic, political, juridical or anthropological issues or focusing on the humanities, such as history, religion and literature but with the exception of language and/or semiotic studies, can be submitted.
• Its geographical focus should be the continent of Africa or its migrant communities elsewhere in the world.
• The thesis must be socially relevant.

How to submit a thesis

If a student or his/her supervisor feels that his/her Masters thesis merits an award because of its quality and originality, the thesis may be submitted to the ASCL (via email: [email protected]). Every submission must include:

• an electronic version of the thesis (to be sent by email)
• a summary of the thesis (max. 500 words)
• a signed letter of recommendation from the student’s supervisor containing the grade and details of the quality of the thesis and the educational institution from which the student has graduated

Applications that are not complete will not be processed.

Timeline

• The deadline for the submission of theses this year is 9 July 2017 at 24:00.
• A shortlist of three will be drawn up from which the jury will select the winning thesis.
• The winner will present her/his research at an ASCL seminar in November/December 2017.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the African Studies Centre Leiden Africa Thesis Award 2017