Drawing on personal experiences since 2016 in teaching the course ‘Law and Governance in Africa’ at Leiden University, the Netherlands, this paper aims to enter into a critical yet constructive dialogue about the future of African studies in European university curricula.
Contribution long abstract:
Since 2016 I have been teaching a course titled ‘Law and Governance in Africa’ at the Leiden Law School, Leiden University to bachelor students with backgrounds in law and social sciences. It is a course that is close to my heart and in which I can make use of many examples from concrete research experience that I have gained. I notice however that over the years I feel increasingly uncomfortable about this course, and ask myself to what extent I am in the position to teach this course as a Dutch women. Over the years, I have made a number of changes to the set up of the course, the reading material, and the emphases I place. The aim of this paper is to share experiences and lessons learnt and to enter in a critical yet constructive dialogue about the topic. Is there a future for African studies in the curricula of European universities? And if there is, what will it look like? What are the do’s and don’ts? And which advice can we teach from experiences at universities in Africa?