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Theme

The first European conference of African Studies, held in 2005 in London, represents a new stage in the development of AEGIS.

AEGIS has never sought to organize events exclusively for the member centres belonging to its network, but rather to open its events widely. These have included such joint activities as workshops, small thematic conferences and summer schools. The 2005 conference is seen as a further step in the process of achieving the organisational resources needed for a European organisation of Africanists.

While the conference was not thematized, its plenary track, considered the broad and contentious theme:
‘Approaching the post-colonial half century in sub-Saharan Africa’.

How to understand the significance of the past half century in Africa, as well as prospects for its future, was discussed with particular – though not exclusive – focus on Africa-Europe relations.

A number of position papers were presented by scholars who were themselves active during the post-colonial half century, as well as by younger scholars looking to the future of African studies.