Activities in 2026
Presenting "Islam's Peripheries" in the "Digital History in/of Central Asia and the South Caucasus" Seminar
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.
Volkswagen Foundation · Digital Humanities · AI · Large Language Models · +6
AI through History, History through AI
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).
Digital Humanities · Digital History · AI · Large Language Models · +6
Launch of the Africa Multiple Interactive Research Atlas (AMIRA)
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.
Digital Humanities · African Studies · Africa Multiple · University of Bayreuth · +3
Dormant Digital Collections, AI Triage: Lessons from the Islam West Africa Collection and Beyond
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.
Digital Humanities · AI · IWAC · Talk · +5
Blog post: Charting New Territory – Digital Humanities and AI in African Studies
Blog post co-authored with Vincent Hiribarren for Digital History Bielefeld, reflecting on the Hannover workshop on Digital Humanities and AI in African Studies.
Digital Humanities · AI · African Studies · Workshop · +2
Call for Papers: Digital Humanities and Artificial Intelligence in African Studies: Towards Sustainable and Equitable Practices
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.
Digital Humanities · AI · African Studies · Call for Papers · +2
Publication of 'Repenser la catégorisation religieuse à partir du Bénin, terre du Vodun'
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.
Publication · Benin · Religion · West Africa
Presenting "Islam's Peripheries" at the VolkswagenStiftung "Open Up" Kick-Off Event
Aksana Ismailbekova and I presented our project "Islam's 'Peripheries'" at the VolkswagenStiftung "Open Up" kick-off event at Herrenhausen Palace in Hannover.
Volkswagen Foundation · Digital Humanities · AI · West Africa · +5
Charting New Territory: Digital Humanities and AI in African Studies Workshop, Hannover
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.
Digital Humanities · AI · African Studies · Workshop · +1
K.D. Thompson's review of 'Religious Activism on Campuses in Togo and Benin'
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'.
Book Review · Religious Activism · Togo · Benin · +3
Macodou Fall's review of 'Religious Activism on Campuses in Togo and Benin'
Grateful that my book Religious Activism on Campuses in Togo and Benin has been reviewed by Macodou Fall in Research Africa Reviews.
Book Review · Religious Activism · Togo · Benin · +3