# Activities

News and notes from Frédérick Madore's work: publications, grants, talks, workshops and visits, newest first: 37 entries. This is the complete log; the [web page](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities) shows it a page at a time, with filters. Each title links to the entry's Markdown record, with its full text. The same records are available as JSON at https://www.frederickmadore.com/api/activities.json.

## 2026

- [Matthew Swagler's review of 'Religious Activism on Campuses in Togo and Benin'](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/religious-activism-campuses-review-swagler-2026.md) · Publication, 8 October 2026
  Matthew Swagler reviewed my book Religious Activism on Campuses in Togo and Benin in The American Historical Review, and raises a question worth pursuing: what did the 'good life' mean to the students themselves?
- [Heading to Stellenbosch for the workshop on digital humanities and AI in African studies](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/stias-dh-ai-workshop-2026.md) · Workshop, 18 September 2026
  The workshop "Digital Humanities and Artificial Intelligence in African Studies: Towards Sustainable and Equitable Practices" runs at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study from 21 to 24 September 2026. Presentations are streamed live on Teams with simultaneous French–English translation.
- [Panel on African history at the AI and Africa Symposium](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/ai-africa-symposium-kansas-2026.md) · Lecture, 16 September 2026
  Taking part in Panel I: African History at the University of Kansas AI and Africa Symposium, held on Zoom on 17 September 2026.
- [New publication: For Whom and For What Purpose? A Position Paper on Digital Humanities and AI in African Studies](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/for-whom-for-what-purpose-publication-2026.md) · Publication, 9 September 2026
  Our collective position paper on digital humanities and AI in African Studies is now freely available in the ZMO Programmatic Texts series.
- [Presenting "Islam's Peripheries" in the "Digital History in/of Central Asia and the South Caucasus" Seminar](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/islams-peripheries-erlangen-seminar-2026.md) · Lecture, 29 June 2026
  Aksana Ismailbekova and I introduced our VolkswagenStiftung-funded project on AI and Islamic archives in West Africa and Central Asia in the "Digital History in/of Central Asia and the South Caucasus" seminar series at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
- [AI through History, History through AI](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/dh-digital-history-luxembourg-2026.md) · Conference, 17 June 2026
  Reflections on the Eighth Conference on Digital Humanities and Digital History in Luxembourg, where I presented the MCP server I built for the Islam West Africa Collection (IWAC).
- [Launch of the Africa Multiple Interactive Research Atlas (AMIRA)](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/amira-launch-2026.md) · News, 11 June 2026
  The Africa Multiple Interactive Research Atlas (AMIRA) is now live. A major project I have worked on as Data Curator at the University of Bayreuth, it offers a central platform for exploring and visualising research data from the Cluster of Excellence Africa Multiple.
- [Dormant Digital Collections, AI Triage: Lessons from the Islam West Africa Collection and Beyond](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/dga-roundtable-dormant-digital-collections-2026.md) · Lecture, 6 May 2026
  Invited talk for the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Asienforschung (DGA) roundtable on Digital Humanities and AI in regional studies, exploring how AI can turn scholars' dormant scan collections into active research instruments.
- [Blog post: Charting New Territory – Digital Humanities and AI in African Studies](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/charting-new-territory-blogpost-2026.md) · Publication, 31 March 2026
  Blog post co-authored with Vincent Hiribarren for Digital History Bielefeld, reflecting on the Hannover workshop on Digital Humanities and AI in African Studies.
- [Call for Papers: Digital Humanities and Artificial Intelligence in African Studies: Towards Sustainable and Equitable Practices](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/dh-ai-african-studies-stias-workshop.md) · Workshop, 24 March 2026
  Call for papers for a four-day workshop at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) in South Africa, 21–24 September 2026, co-organised with Vincent Hiribarren, Emmanuel Ngué Um, and Menno van Zaanen, and funded by the DFG Point Sud programme.
- [Publication of 'Repenser la catégorisation religieuse à partir du Bénin, terre du Vodun'](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/repenser-categorisation-religieuse-benin-publication.md) · Publication, 10 March 2026
  Publication of the edited volume L'Afrique des religions à l'épreuve des chiffres et des catégorisations, featuring a chapter co-authored with Fiacre Anato on the limits of religious categorisations in Beninese censuses and surveys.
- [Presenting "Islam's Peripheries" at the VolkswagenStiftung "Open Up" Kick-Off Event](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/volkswagenstiftung-open-up-kickoff-2026.md) · Presentation, 5 March 2026
  Aksana Ismailbekova and I presented our project "Islam's 'Peripheries'" at the VolkswagenStiftung "Open Up" kick-off event at Herrenhausen Palace in Hannover.
- [Charting New Territory: Digital Humanities and AI in African Studies Workshop, Hannover](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/charting-new-territory-workshop-hannover.md) · Workshop, 16 February 2026
  Three-day workshop in Hannover bringing together 25 researchers from 16 countries to explore digital humanities and AI in African Studies, co-organised with Vincent Hiribarren and funded by the VolkswagenStiftung.
- [K.D. Thompson's review of 'Religious Activism on Campuses in Togo and Benin'](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/religious-activism-campuses-review-thompson-2026.md) · Publication, 28 January 2026
  K.D. Thompson reviewed my book Religious Activism on Campuses in Togo and Benin in The Journal of Modern African Studies, describing it as 'a vital contribution to our understanding of West African faith-based student associations'.
- [Macodou Fall's review of 'Religious Activism on Campuses in Togo and Benin'](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/religious-activism-campuses-review-fall-2025.md) · Publication, 14 January 2026
  Grateful that my book Religious Activism on Campuses in Togo and Benin has been reviewed by Macodou Fall in Research Africa Reviews.

## 2025

- [Farewell to ZMO and New Beginnings at the University of Bayreuth](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/zmo-farewell-bayreuth-2025.md) · Career, 18 December 2025
  After five years at ZMO, I am moving to the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bayreuth as a data curator.
- [VolkswagenStiftung grant: Islam's 'Peripheries': Digital Humanities, Algorithmic Analysis, and AI in West Africa and Central Asia](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/volkswagen-foundation-grant-islams-peripheries.md) · Research grant, 10 December 2025
  Awarded a grant under the Volkswagen Foundation's "Open Up" programme for a collaboration with Aksana Ismailbekova on AI-driven comparative history of Islamic archives in West Africa and Central Asia.
- [Building AI Pipelines for African Digital Collections: Lessons from the Islam West Africa Collection](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/building-ai-pipelines-african-digital-collections.md) · Lecture, 5 December 2025
  Presentation to the ALMEDA team on AI pipelines for managing large-scale African digital collections.
- [ZMO Kitchen Talks Podcast Recording](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/zmo-kitchen-talks-podcast-2025.md) · Podcast, 21 November 2025
  Joined Elisa Nobel-Dilaty on the ZMO "Kitchen Talks" podcast to discuss the Islam in West Africa Collection and potential and pitfalls of AI in African and Islamic studies.
- [Présentation-discussion de l'ouvrage "Religious Activism on Campuses in Togo and Benin"](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/ciram-book-discussion-religious-activism-2025.md) · Lecture, 3 November 2025
  Book discussion hosted by the Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche sur l'Afrique et le Moyen-Orient (CIRAM), Université Laval.
- [Call for Chapters: Digital Humanities and AI in African Studies](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/dh-ai-african-studies-edited-volume.md) · Publication, 30 October 2025
  Call for chapter proposals for an edited volume on Digital Humanities and Artificial Intelligence in African Studies, to be published by Bielefeld University Press.
- [Humanités numériques (DH) et IA dans les études africaines - REAF 2026](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/humanites-numeriques-ia-etudes-africaines-reaf-2026.md) · Conference, 29 September 2025
  Call for papers for the panel "Humanités numériques (DH) et IA dans les études africaines" at the 9th Rencontre des Études Africaines en France (REAF) 2026.
- [Anaïs Wion reviews the Islam West Africa Collection in The Digital Orientalist](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/digital-orientalist-review-2025.md) · Publication, 23 September 2025
  Anaïs Wion's review of the Islam West Africa Collection published in The Digital Orientalist.
- [From Archives to Algorithms: Uncovering Transregional Islamic Connections through the Islam West Africa Collection (IWAC)](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/archives-algorithms-iwac-2025.md) · Conference, 11 September 2025
  Paper presented at the Eighth European Congress on World and Global History
- [When AI Meets the Archive: Transforming the Islam West Africa Collection with Large Language Models](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/when-ai-meets-the-archive-sadilar-2025.md) · Lecture, 20 August 2025
  Invited lecture at the SADiLaR Digital Humanities colloquia exploring how large language models can transform vast archival collections into more navigable resources.
- [VolkswagenStiftung grant for “Charting New Territory: Digital Humanities and AI in African Studies”](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/volkswagenstiftung-dh-ai-african-studies-workshop-2026.md) · Research grant, 11 August 2025
  With Vincent Hiribarren, I received funding from the VolkswagenStiftung to organise a scoping workshop (18-20 Feb 2026, Herrenhausen Palace, Hanover) on DH and AI in African Studies.
- [Digital Humanities and AI in African Studies: Insights from ECAS 2025](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/ecas-panel-report.md) · Conference, 26 June 2025
  Summary report of the ECAS 2025 panel on Digital Humanities and AI in African Studies.
- [Visit to the École nationale des chartes](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/ecole-nationale-des-chartes-visit-2025.md) · Lecture, 22 May 2025
  Visited École nationale des chartes in Paris on the invitation of Vincent Jolivet.
- [Lecture Series at EHESS, Paris](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/ehess-paris-lecture-series-2025.md) · Lecture, 12 May 2025
  A series of four public talks at EHESS, Paris, in May 2025, exploring the histories of Islam and religious pluralism in francophone West Africa using digital humanities methods.
- [Humanistica Conference 2025 - Dakar](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/humanistica-conference-2025-dakar.md) · Conference, 21 April 2025
  Attending and presenting at the Humanistica 2025 conference in Dakar, focusing on Digital Humanities and AI.
- [Religious Activism on Campuses in Togo and Benin: Christian and Muslim Students Navigating Authoritarianism and Laïcité, 1970-2023](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/religious-activism-on-campuses-in-togo-and-benin.md) · Publication, 21 March 2025
  New book publication based on research conducted at Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient since 2021.
- [Établir une faîtière islamique à l'échelle nationale: le cas de 4 pays d'Afrique de l'Ouest francophone](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/etablir-une-faitiere-islamique.md) · Workshop, 4 March 2025
  Comparative analysis of national Islamic umbrella organisations in four West African countries.

## 2024

- [Author Meets Critic: Religious Activism on Campuses in Togo and Benin](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/author-meets-critic-faith-based-student-activism.md) · Conference, 12 December 2024
  Panel discussion at the 67th Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association (ASA).
- [Repenser la catégorisation religieuse à partir du Bénin, terre du vodun](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/repenser-categorisation-religieuse-benin.md) · Workshop, 5 December 2024
  Presented a paper with Fiacre Anato at the workshop L'Afrique des religions à l'épreuve des chiffres et des catégorisations at the Université Paris Cité. Examined religious categorisation dynamics in Benin, highlighting the tension between Vodun's statistical decline and its cultural vitality.
- [Tracing Islamic Knowledge Production in Francophone West African Newspapers (1990-Present)](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/tracing-islamic-knowledge-production.md) · Workshop, 2 December 2024
  Presented findings on Islamic knowledge production in Francophone West Africa at the ZMO workshop "Perspectives in Motion: Conceptual Fields from the Global South". Examined how Muslim intellectuals navigate multiple epistemologies using a corpus of 1,500 Islamic periodicals.
- [“Religiosity on University Campuses in Africa: Trends and Experiences” now in open-access](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/religiosity-africa-campuses-oa.md) · Publication, 12 November 2024
  The edited volume 'Religiosity on University Campuses in Africa: Trends and Experiences', co-edited with Abdoulaye Sounaye, is now available in open access.
- [Digital Humanities (DH) and AI in African Studies: Opportunities, Challenges, and Decolonial Perspectives](https://www.frederickmadore.com/activities/dh-ai-african-studies-ecas-panel.md) · Conference, 14 October 2024
  Announcing the acceptance of the panel proposal 'Digital Humanities (DH) and AI in African Studies: Opportunities, Challenges, and Decolonial Perspectives' for ECAS 2025 in Prague.