By reassessing the development of pest control research in the tropical world between c. 1880 and 1930, Tomás will examine the interlocking of agricultural economics in processes of multispecies territorialization and imperial capitalism. During this period, the propagation of insect pests beyond imperial and state borders challenged the cost-effective exploitation of tropical raw materials.A branch […]

How have African medical knowledge and medicinals been exported and marketed outside of Africa? How have herbal home remedies been developed into pharmaceutical products? What are the historical contours and current prospects of global interaction and co-operation in these undertakings? Despite the potential of harnessing African genetic resources for medicinal plant and pharmaceutical trade, the […]

This lecture will explore the evolution of memory politics in post-colonial Africa over the last two decades. Societies take different paths when coming to terms with violent pasts. Some undertake active commemorations (e.g., rituals, memorials, and ceremonies), while others elect for silence, forgetting uncomfortable memories or remembering privately through vernacular platforms for many reasons. These […]

This talk will explore the multifaceted history of the Congolese religious movement Kitawala, which has roots in the African Watchtower (Jehovah’s Witness) movement.  Drawing on a rich body of original oral, ethnographic, and archival research, Nicole Eggers will consider how the history of Kitawala illuminates the complex relationship between politics, religion, healing, and violence in […]