Conversation with Novelist and poet Ben Okri, March 3, 2022

 

New Book on El Anatsui by Okwui Enwezor and Chika Okeke-Agulu

Details: 

Publisher: Damiani, spring 2022

Pages: 360

Illustrations: 319 color

Binding: Hard Cover

Price: $70.00

 

The Independent Newspaper (London) on Elgin Marbles and Benin Bronzes, Jan. 17, 2022

 

Postdoctoral Fellowship in African Studies @ Princeton

 Application for Postdoctoral Research Associate

The Program in African Studies (PAS) at the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS) at Princeton University invites applications for Postdoctoral Research Associate or more senior research positions for the 2022-2023 academic year.  Up to two postdoctoral appointments will be made to exceptional recent PhDs in the humanities, social sciences, interdisciplinary environmental science or engineering, with a focus on African thought, art, media, population, activism, conservation, economics, urban and rural communities, post-colonialism, and other research related to the African continent and its diaspora.  Appointments will be for one year with the possibility of renewal for a second year based on performance and availability of funding.  Applicants must have already demonstrated outstanding scholarly achievement and excellence in teaching.  This position is open only to scholars who earned a PhD after September 30, 2016 and who do not currently hold a tenure-track or permanent academic position.

Responsibilities include teaching (one semester-long course each year) and actively participating in research, discussions, and scholarly collaborations within PAS and PIIRS.  In addition, the successful candidate may have the opportunity to advise students in their area of expertise or related areas.  When teaching, the successful candidate will carry a secondary teaching rank.  Any teaching role is contingent on sufficient course enrollment and prior approval from the Dean of the Faculty. 

Appointments will be made through the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS).  In addition to salary and benefits, the program will provide a research fund in the amount of $3,000 per year and office space.  The start date of the position is anticipated to be for the fall 2022 or spring 2023 semester. 

Applicants must apply online at https://www.princeton.edu/acad-positions/position/24221. The following application items are required and should be uploaded by the applicant: 

* Cover letter

* Curriculum vitae

* Dissertation abstract

* Writing sample: one chapter of the dissertation or one published article related to the dissertation topic

* Research proposal

* Two course syllabi

* Details of prior courses taught and evaluation results if available

* Names and email addresses for three references

For fullest consideration applicants should apply by March 1, 2022. Due to the anticipated volume of applications, only final candidates will be contacted. Further information about The Program in African Studies can be found at: http://piirs.princeton.edu/afs.

Questions about the application process for this position may be directed to Tim Waldron at twaldron@princeton.edu. 

The position is subject to the University's background check policy.

EJIL (European Journal of International Law) Podcast: "Loot"

Recently, I participated in a conversation with Dan Hicks (Oxford University) and Evelien Campfens (Leiden University) on the place of law in the discourse and practices of restitution of objects looted by Europeans in the age of empire. This, I think, is one of the most substantive discussions I have been privileged to take part in. We engaged questions like: How does international law respond to calls for restitution? Does the law even matter; if so which kind? Who resists return, and why? What might restitution mean today? The podcast was moderated by Megan Donaldson (UCL, London) and Surabhi Ranganathan (Cambridge) for the European Journal of International Law Podcast series.

The Podcast is 51 minutes long. If you have the time (you ought to!), click here to LISTEN:

Axios Podcast on the Afterlives of the Black Lives Matter Movement

It’s been 566 days since George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer. His death spurred millions of people across the globe to protest in support of Black lives. We examine the impact in three locations: United Kingdom, Mexico and Nigeria.

Guests: Aba Amoah, co-founder of Justice for Black Lives; Alice Krozer, professor at the Center for Sociological Research at the College of Mexico; and Chika Okeke-Agulu, director of the African studies program at Princeton University and professor of art and archeology

Credits: "Axios Today" is brought to you by Axios and Pushkin Industries. This episode was produced by Nuria Marquez Martinez and edited by Alexandra Botti. Alex Sugiura is our sound engineer. Julia Redpath is our executive producer. Special thanks to editor-in-chief Sara Kehaulani Goo.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE:

CBC News feature on Museums and looted objects

This statue of the goddess Annapurna was stolen in 1913 from a Hindu temple in India by Regina lawyer Norman MacKenzie. 

Last night, Dec. 2, I discussed, with Kelda Yuen of the Canadian news network, CBC News, the matter of stolen artifacts in museum collections. This was in response to news that McKenzie Art Gallery in Regina, Saskatchewan Province, Canada, is reviewing over 2,000 pieces following the return of an Indian statue originally stolen from its owners by a Canadian collector Norman MacKenzie, who later gifted his hoard to the museum that bears his name today.

Here's a clip of the news segment