CEI-Iscte is the spotlight of the latest edition of the In the Spotlight feature, organised by AEGIS (Africa-Europe Group for Interdisciplinary Studies), a European network bringing together research centres dedicated to African studies.

The monthly feature showcases one of the institutions within the network, highlighting its history, main areas of research and key initiatives. In this edition, the profile of CEI-Iscte highlights the centre’s development since its origins in the former Centre for African Studies, founded in 1981, as well as the work carried out in the areas of politics, sustainability, citizenship and security.

The feature also highlights the centre’s academic structure, Iscte’s contribution to African studies through its educational programmes – notably the PhD in African Studies, the only one of its kind in Portugal – as well as the partnerships established with academic and research institutions in various African countries, with particular emphasis on Portuguese-speaking African countries.

Among the initiatives presented are also the organisation of the 11th edition of the European Conference on African Studies (ECAS 2027), which will take place in Lisbon between 30 June and 3 July 2027 under the theme African Prisms; the Central Library for African Studies, the result of a collaboration between four Portuguese research centres; the academic journal Cadernos de Estudos Africanos; and the European Research Council (ERC)-funded project The Afterlives of Development Interventions in Eastern Africa (AfDevLives).

CEI-Iscte’s feature in the ‘In the Spotlight’ section provides an opportunity to raise awareness amongst the international AEGIS community of the research carried out at the centre and its contribution to the advancement of African studies.

The full profile can be viewed on the AEGIS website.

Cover image: Mural of Amílcar Cabral in Bissau by Cazé, Ana Lúcia Sá 2022.