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History and Politics Section

The History and Politics section of IAS is an interdisciplinary unit that draws on the expertise and skills of outstanding historians and political scientists to undertake social-science research. The section is committed to the production of knowledge for the purposes of promoting a better understanding of past, present and future developments in both continental Africa and its diasporas. Research Fellows in this section contribute to educational training by teaching of several African Studies courses designed to expose undergraduate students to various aspects of the history and politics in Africa. The section is actively involved in the Institute’s graduate (MA, M.Phil. and PhD) programmes.

The section was the host of various major research projects at the University of Ghana including a Ford Foundation funded research on Chieftaincy, Governance and Development; a Norwegian Research Council Fund (NUFU) sponsored collaborative research between the University of Ghana and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim (NTNU); and has been instrumental in research projects that analyzed and documented aspects of traditional forms of governance with emphasis on political transitions among the Asantes in Ghana.

Beyond being consulted regularly by numerous institutions including foreign missions, transnational policy actors, governmental agencies and civil society organizations seeking to better appreciate Africa’s unique history and politics, the section’s Research Fellows are also renewed for their commitment to sharing of knowledge in their areas of expertise in the local and international media. Research Fellows presently affiliated to the History and Politics section are: Dr. Kojo Opoku Aidoo, Dr. Ebenezer Ayesu, Dr. Samuel Ntewusu, Dr. Richard Asante, Dr. Obodai Torto, Dr. Mjiba Frehiwot, Dr. Edem Adotey, and Dr. Michael Kpessa-Whyte. A few of the broad areas where they do research are: Youth and Democracy, Cross Border Communities, China and Africa Relations, Development Aid and Security Interventions, Social Policy and Ageing, Pan-Africanism and the African Diaspora, Social Histories and the Chieftaincy Institution. The section is also home to several visiting scholars from across Africa and beyond.