Decolonizing Research Methodologies
The Fieldwork Seminar in Bagamoyo, Tanzania, 3 November 2023.
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DECOLONIZING RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES: A Research School Programme on empirical data collection, fieldwork relations, ethical challenges, and transnational approaches, is funded by the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) 2022-2025.
Project Description
The project aims to support the creation, organization, and the implementation of an interdisciplinary research school that bring together Burkinabe, Malian, Swedish, and Tanzanian researchers and research projects in a common collaborative framework to strengthen conceptual, theoretical, methodological and practical work for decolonizing research methodologies.
It focuses mainly on qualitative research and societal engagement in the humanities and social sciences, and is geared towards data collection, research relations, ethics, and transnational approaches in the organization and implementation of research and research training.
More specifically, the project aims:
- to critically assess and transform the ways in which qualitative research is organized and implemented;
- to strenghten the development of empirically grounded and critical research methodologies;
- to interrogate fieldwork relations and research ethics; and
- to promote transnational approaches.
The project is built around qualitative empirical research, and societal engagement through the development of courses (both in situ/in persona, and online), the organization of summer schools in the collaborating countries, regular online seminar series, joint analytical workshops, and collaborative publications. It seeks to foster a critical, and yet practically oriented and relevant, academic culture among PhD students and faculty.
The Virtual Seminars
The virtual seminars are important venues to build and sustain our joint research environment. Drawing on Uppsala University's Forum for Africa Studies long-term commitment to Global and Virtual Seminars, including the UU/UEM Virtual Seminar in Africa Studies (English), and the Séminaire virtuel du LACET (French), participants of the Research School form part of these series, while the School is developing a bilingual seminar series on Decolonizing Research Methodologies (French and English).
Samarbetsparter
- Uppsala University's Forum for Africa Studies (Coordinator);
- Dept. of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences;
- Dept. of Social Anthropology, Stockholm University
- Laboratoire d'études rurales sur l'environnement et développement économique et social, Université Nazi Boni of Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso;
- Institut des Sciences Humaines, Bamako, Mali;
- Society and Religion Research Centre, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Coordination Team
Professor Sten Hagberg, director for the Uppsala Univeristy's Forum for Africa Studies, is project leader for Decolonizing Reserach Methodologies.
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Dr. Emil Sandström
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Coordinator, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Important Milestones
Launching Seminar 2022
The Fieldwork Seminar launching the programme took place in multiple locations in Sweden, 26 Sept-11 Oct 2022. It aimed to bring together participants from the six partner universities. The Seminar cosisted of 15 days of intense course on decolonization in practice and on fieldwork methodology.
Read more about the activities during the launching.
Fieldwork Seminar 2023
The next Research School gathering took place in Dar es Salaam and Bagamoyo, Tanzania, from 23 Oct.-5 Nov. 2023. This Fieldwork Seminar combined theoretical and methodological reflections in lectures and workshops on campus discussions, and practical joint fieldwork in villages of Bagamoyo District. The theme was Religious Coexistence and Decolonizing Research Methodologies.
Read more about the Seminar.
International Workshop 2024
In February 2024, an International Workshop was hosted at the Université Nazi BONI in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. On the agenda was preparing conference papers and planning the 2025 fieldwork seminar.
Read more about the Coordinator's Meeting.
International Conference 2024
In June 2024, the 12th International Conference on Mande Studies was orgainzed in Bamako, Mali, on "Towards a Decolonization of Knowledges in West Africa: History, actors, and productions." The project, through Prof. Sten Hagberg, and Dr. Baba Coulibaly, played a key role in securing the academic focus of the conference that had 130 papers accepted, and with a total of 700 participants. The project hosted a double-panel on Decolonizing Research Methodologies.
Read more about the International Conference.
Fieldwork Seminar 2025
The Research School on Decolonizing Research Methodologies gathering took place in Uppsala, and Gotland, Sweden, 13 Oct.-24 Oct. 2025. This Fieldwork Seminar combined theoretical and methodological reflections in lectures and workshops on campus discussions, and practical joint fieldwork in four parishes of Gotland. The theme was Rural Resilience and Resistance.
Read more about the Seminar.
Programme Activities
The planned or most recent first, include:
- 28 October 2025, Coordinators Meeting focusing on lessons learned, planned publications, and ideas for future collaborations.
- 13-24 October 2025, the third Fieldwork Seminar on Decolonizing Research Methodologies with 23 participants was organized in Uppsala, and Gotland, Sweden
- 26-29 June 2024, Double-Panel at the International Conference on Towards a Decolonization of Knowledges in West Africa: History, Actors, and Productions pdf, 2 MB., was organized, as part of the 12th International Conference on Mande Studies (MANSA) on Towards a Decolonization of Knowledges in West Africa, Bamako, Mali.
- Between 26 Feb-1 March 2024, an International Workshop pdf, 269 kB. was hosted at Université Nazi BONI, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso to present papers for the panel at the MANSA Conference, and to prepare the upcoming Fieldwork Seminar in Bobo-Dioulasso in early 2025.
- On 5 December 2023, the Institut des Sciences Humaines hosted the Virtual Seminar on Decolonizing Research Methodologies with Gaoussou Dembélé and Philibert Sylla pdf, 237 kB..
- Between 23 October and 4 November 2023, the Fieldwork Seminar on Decolonizing Research Methodologies with 30 participants was organized in Dar es Salaam and Bagamoyo, Tanzania.
- On 19 September 2023, a joint NARN Seminar on how to decolonize in practice with Prof. Sten Hagberg, Dr. Oulia Makkonen, and Dr. Thomas Ndaluka is hosted.
- On 15 September 2023, a Virtual seminar in Decolonizing Research Methodologies with Prof. Paula Uimonen and PhD Student Hussein Masimbi pdf, 247 kB. was organized by Stockholm University.
- On 13 June 2023, a Virtual seminar in Decolonizing Research Methodologies with Dr. Vincent-Paul Sanon about Research on traditional fisheries practices: transition and implications in Burkina Faso, was organized by the Nazi BONI University.
- In March 2023, an exploratory mission composed of Sten Hagberg, Oulia Makkonen, and Patrice Toé traveled to Tanzania, to plan for the upcoming Fieldwork Seminar 23 October-4 November 2023 with the Tanzanian partners under the leadership of Thomas Ndaluka.
- On 24 March 2023 (cancelled), a Virtual seminar in Decolonizing Research Methodologies with Prof. Friederike Lüpke pdf, 144 kB. was planned but postponed .
- Between 5 and 7 December 2022, Sten Hagberg and Oulia Makkonen attended and presented papers focusing on the decolonization at the 14th SANORD Conference at the University of Limpopo, South Africa.
- On 10 Oct 2022, an Open Seminar on Citizen Perspectives on Security and Safety Challenges on Gotland pdf, 316 kB.
- On 28 Sept 2022, a public lecture at Uppsala University on third genders in the Global South pdf, 242 kB.
- On 27 Sept 2022, a round-table at Uppsala University on Rethinking Epistemologies and Research Practices, with the coordination team and Laura Stark from University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
- Between 26 Sept-11 Oct 2022, the First Fieldwork Seminar on Decolonizing Research Methodologies pdf, 2 MB. was launched in Uppsala, and Gotland, Sweden.
- On 30 June 2022, Sten Hagberg gave a talk on Décoloniser les méthodologies de recherche au Laboratoire d'études rurales sur l'environnement et le développement économique et social, Nazi Boni University, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.
- On 16 June 2022, Sten Hagberg and Oulia Makkonen gave a hybrid research seminar presenting the programme at Forum for Africa Studies, Uppsala University, Sweden.
- On 11 May 2022, Sten Hagberg gave a seminar presenting the programme at Dept. of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden.
Contact
- Head of Programme
- Sten Hagberg