Carlos Magnavita
Welcome to ZIAF
ZIAF is the Centre for interdisciplinary African Studies at Goethe University. We represent and coordinate research and activities related to the African continent at the university and its partner institutions. Our members are experts in a wide variety of subjects and academic disciplines, representing nine departments in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.
Stefan Schmid
Network programs
Christian Albrecht
Teaching & Early Career Researchers
Latest News
Lecture series Winter semester 2026/27 -The World and France
The lecture series addresses continuities and postcolonial perspectives in France. Researchers from Germany and France examine the history, present and future of the French Empire from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Afrika-Kollquium, Institut für Ethnologie
All dates and events in the winter semester 2026/27
15.10.26 Book Launch & Talk: What is Restitution?
Book Launch with the Authors Kodzo Gavua and Hans Peter Hahn in the Weltkulturen Museum Frankfurt, 15.10., 19 Uhr, Weltkulturen Labor
Latest Press releases
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Press Release
German-Senegalese Education Week Brings Educational Exchange to Frankfurt
Five teachers from Goethe University’s partner school CEM Keur Baka in eastern Senegal will spend a week visiting schools and the university.
Press Release
“Africa Knowledge”: A Pathway Beyond Stereotypes
German perceptions of Africa continue to be shaped by clichés and stereotypes, some of which have their roots in the colonial era. Contemporary media coverage often contributes more to narrowing than broadening public understanding of the continent. The edited volume “Africa-Wissen” [Africa Knowledge] by Prof. Hans Peter Hahn and Dr. Sylvestre Kouakou takes a closer look at this phenomenon. Through transdisciplinary media analyses, the book demonstrates how particular perspectives continue to be reproduced in public discourse.