UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
MSU Tuesday Bulletin, 09/09/97

MSU Tuesday Bulletin, 09/09/97

T-H-E T-U-E-S-D-A-Y B-U-L-L-E-T-I-N

Issue No. 4 - 1997-98

September 9, 1997

Weekly News from the AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY - 100 INTERNATIONAL CENTER

EAST LANSING MI 48824-1035

For back issues, see archive: http://www.isp.msu.edu/AfricanStudies/

BULLETIN CONTENTS:

AFRICANA EVENTS

CONFERENCES

GRANTS

JOBS

AFRICANA EVENTS

September 11, Thursday

"New Directions at the University of Zimbabwe: the University in a Changing Society,"African Studies Center Brown Bag with Professor Levi M. Nyagura (Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Zimbabwe), 12:00 noon, Room 201, International Center.

"Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Lab," sponsored by the Graduate School, offered once each semester, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m., Gold Rooms A&B, Union Building. Registration starts at 4:15 p.m.--enrollment limited to 100 people.

September 18, Thursday "The Relevance of the 14th Century Sociologist Ibn Khaldun for Contemporary Society and History," African Studies Center Brown Bag with Dr. Aberrahmane Lakhsassi (Professor of Islamic Studies in the Department of Philosophy, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco), 12:00 noon, Room 201, International Center.

New Ethnomusicologist at MSU

The Center welcomes Professor Isaac Kalumbu to the MSU School of Music. Under the leadership of Director James Forger and Professor Michael Largey, the School of Music has brought Prof. Kalumbu to focus on African Ethnomusicology at MSU for the first time in many years. Kalumbu joins Largey, who provides leadership on musicology of the Caribbean. This fall Kalumbu is offering a course called "Black Music of Two Worlds," which traces the musics of Latin America, the Caribbean and North America to their African roots. In the spring, he will offer courses on "Reggae, Rastafari and Dub Poetry" and "Popular Music of Black America since 1945." Kalumbu originates from Zimbabwe and recently completed his Ph.D. at Indiana University. He will offer a Center lecture at noon on September 25 as part of the Brown Bag series.

River Blindness in the News

Charles Mackenzie, Chairperson of MSU's Department of Pathology and faculty member in the African Studies Center, was featured in an ABC News story on August 28, 1997 for his efforts in working to conquer river blindness in the Sudan. His pioneering work on the disease and his perseverance in Sudan has brought honor to MSU. Congratulations to Professor Mackenzie and to Professor Jim Bennett (Pharmacology and Toxicology), Professor Jeff Williams (Micro-biology), and all other members of the MSU team. Previously, NIH officials have praised the project as one of the most effective in both scientific productivity and in building the research capacity among the Sudanese in Khartoum to solve their own medical problems. The story and a picture are on the web at: <http://204.202.137.112/sections/scitech/ dye18/index.html> or enter via <http://www. abcnews.com>. The ABC News web pages on Sudan and other countries can also be accessed from this site.

Study Abroad Program Development Grants

Seed money for study abroad program development is available from MSU's Office of Study Abroad. Program proposals for semester-length programs based at host universities abroad are encouraged to compliment the many short-term programs currently led by faculty. Funds will be disbursed in support of program proposals on a matching basis with the appropriate college or colleges providing the remaining funding. Priority will be given to proposed programs which are designed with the following characteristics: a semester (or more) in length; cost effective (i.e. not more than MSU on-campus room, board, tuition and fees); university-integrated; credited foreign language instruction (unless in an English-speaking country); structured opportunities for students to develop interculturally; and host-university faculty as instructors. Faculty members interested in developing semester-length programs should contact Michael Vande Berg, Director of the Office of Study Abroad, before writing and submitting a proposal. Proposals for other types of study abroad programs will continue to be considered, but they will receive proportionately less development funding than those which meet the conditions mentioned above. The deadline for the first 1997-98 round of competition is September 26, 1997. Two subsequent deadlines for submitting applications for the 1997-98 academic year are November 28, 1997 and February 27, 1998. For more information, contact: Office of Study Abroad, 109 Center for International Programs, MSU. Tel: 353-8920. Fax: 432-2082.

Spring Course Offering

A course on Islam, REL 330, will be offered in the spring through the Department of Religious Studies. For more information, contact the professor, Alford T. Welch, 115 Morrill Hall, MSU. Tel: 432-1460, E-mail: welch@pilot.msu.edu.

New Book on Political Reform

Democratic Experiments in Africa: Regime Transitions in Comparative Perspective is a new book by Michael Bratton (Professor of Political Science, MSU) and Nicolas van de Walle (Associate Professor of Political Science, MSU). The authors analyze the significant political reforms undertaken by some 40 out of 47 sub-Saharan countries in the early 1990s, which included the first competitive elections in a generation. The book is published by Cambridge University Press and the ISBN is 0-521-55612-0.

Recent Gifts at the National Museum of Art

Newly acquired works of classical African art from the 19th and 20th centuries reflecting an interesting cross-section of visual traditions will be on view at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C. from September 17, 1997 through January 4, 1998. The exhibition coincides with the museum's celebration of its 10th anniversary on the National Mall and pays tribute to the donors who have given works of art to the national collection. Included in the exhibition are figurative works in wood, ivory, iron and brass; a mask in metal; a mask and a headdress in wood; objects cast in brass, aluminum and tin; and objects whose functions are couched in elaborate sculptural forms, such as a caryatid stool, an anthropomorphic heddle pulley found on a loom and a figurative spoon. Two objects--a warrior's shield and a richly decorated raffia textile--are woven. Ongoing research at the museum will help to explain the original function, aesthetic qualities and historical importance of each work. Admission to the National Museum of Art is free. Information about the museum is available through the Smithsonian's home page on the world wide web at <http://www.si.edu> The museum's telephone number is (202) 357-2700.

CONFERENCES

Religion, Nationalism and Peace in Sudan

"Religion, Nationalism and Peace in Sudan" is the subject of a U.S. Institute of Peace meeting to be held on September 16-17, 1997 in Washington, D.C. The goal of the conference is to better understand the complex relationship between religious belief, intolerance and conflict in Sudan today, and to investigate the policies and methods suitable for addressing this dimension of the conflict. The program will review the way in which religious attitudes shape individual and communal identity, and how government policies promote or suppress these attitudes. For more information, contact: Scott Hibbard, Tel: (202) 429-3819 or Amina Khaalis, Tel: (202) 429-3824. The Institute's website is <www.usip.org>.

Running, Researching and Reporting Africa

"Running, Researching and Reporting Africa: Learning about Governance across the Commonwealth" is the theme of an international conference sponsored by the Centre of African Studies at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. The conference will be held on October 21-22, 1997 in conjunction with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, also held in Edinburgh on October 24-27, 1997. The conference is designed to provide a platform, two days before the meeting, for a high visibility set of discussions about Africa, set in a context of learning across the Commonwealth. Prominent politicians, clerics, social activists, journalists and distinguished academics from Africa, Europe and North America are scheduled to speak. A series of major NGO Fora will also be held in Edinburgh that week. Many topics including the environment, Government-NGO relations, civic society, sustainable development, micro-enterprise and health will be discussed. For more information, contact: Anne Fernon, Conference Secretary, CSCNWW, New College, Mound Place, Edinburgh EH1 2LX, Scotland. Tel: +44 (0) 131 650 8592. Fax: +44 (0) 131 650 7972. E-mail: fernona@ srv0.div.ed.ac.uk

Shared Lakes and Rivers of Africa

An International Symposium on Interstate Shared Lakes and Rivers of Africa, organized jointly by the University of Nairobi and the Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, is planned for December 1997 in Nairobi, Kenya. The symposium will focus on advances in research, current management experiences and strategies for sustainable development of African inland-water ecosystems that are shared by two or more countries. There will be a post-symposium excursion to Lake Victoria. The deadline for submission of abstracts is September 30, 1997. They should be sent by fax or e-mail to Jacques Moreau, Department of Aquatic Environment and Aquaculture, ENSAT/INP, 145 Avenue de Muret, F 31075, Toulouse Cedex 3, FRANCE. Tel: 33 5 62 13 65 57. Fax: 33 5 61 42 30 29. E-mail: moreau@ ensat.fr

GRANTS

American University in Cairo

The American University in Cairo (AUC) announces the availability of a number of fellowships for outstanding scholars from Africa. Through its African Graduate Fellowship Program, AUC provides a tuition and fees waiver for students from any African country except Egypt. This year AUC expects to offer fellowships to at least ten African Scholars. The fellowship covers all tuition, university fees and a health insurance policy. Students are expected to cover their living expenses and transportation costs to Cairo. For more information, contact: Trey Wainwright, Coordinator of International Graduate Programs, at <aucgrad@uns2.auc.eun.eg> Or, contact: AUC, Office of International Graduate Programs, 113 Sharia Kasr el-Aini, P.O. Box 2511, Cairo 11511, Egypt. Tel: 20-2-357-5530. Fax: 20-2-355-7565.

JOBS

Historian of West Africa - UCLA

The Department of History at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) invites applications for a regular tenure-track or tenured (rank open) appointment in West African history. Scholars working in any period and subfield of West African history are encouraged to apply. The position will remain open until filled; review of applications will begin November 1, 1997. For more information, contact: Prof. Edward A. Alpers at <alpers@ history.ucla.edu> To apply, send a letter of application, C.V., publications or other writing samples, and three letters of recommendation to: Richard von Glahn, Department Chair, UCLA Department of History, 6265 Bunche Hall, Box 951473, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1473.

**** To submit information on Africa-related events or news, send it seven to 10 days in advance of the publication date. Submissions may be brought, faxed, or e-mailed to the African Studies Center, Room 100, Center for International Programs, Telephone: (517) 353-1700; Fax: (517) 432-1209 E-mail: africa@pilot.msu.edu

Message-Id: <3.0.32.19970903150409.00685bac@pilot.msu.edu> Date: Wed, 03 Sep 1997 15:05:29 -0400 From: Lisa Beckum <beckum@pilot.msu.edu> (by way of Lisa Beckum <beckum@pilot.msu.edu>) Subject: MSU-Tuesday Bulletin

Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar

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