Log · 33 entries · 2024 — 2026

Activities

A running record of talks, workshops, conferences, grants and publications — the working log of a research practice, most recent first.

2026 11 entries
Poster for the seminar series “Digital History in/of Central Asia and the South Caucasus,” advertising the talk “Islam's ‘Peripheries’: Digital Humanities, Algorithmic Analysis, and AI in West Africa and Central Asia” by Dr. Aksana Ismailbekova (Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin) and Dr. Frédérick Madore (University of Bayreuth) on 29 June at 14:00 CET. Portraits of the two speakers appear on the right, with the Max Weber Stiftung and Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) logos along the top.

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

The University of Luxembourg's Belval campus in Esch-sur-Alzette: a dark building bearing a vertical 'Maison du Nombre' sign faces a vivid red building across a paved plaza with a reflecting pool, under a clear blue sky.

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

Screenshot of the Africa Multiple Interactive Research Atlas (AMIRA) homepage

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

Poster for the DGA-Roundtable on Digital Humanities and Artificial Intelligence in regional studies, 6 May 2026 at 17:30, hosted at ZMO Berlin and online via Zoom. Speaker: Dr. Frédérick Madore. Moderation: Dr. Max Kramer.

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

Screenshot of the blog post on Digital History Bielefeld

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

DFG Point Sud programme logo

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

Cover of L'Afrique des religions à l'épreuve des chiffres et des catégorisations

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

Frédérick Madore and Aksana Ismailbekova presenting their project at the VolkswagenStiftung "Open Up" kick-off event at Herrenhausen Palace in Hannover

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