Africa Thesis Award ceremony

Rachel Dubale, winner of the Africa Thesis Award 2023, will be handed over her award during a ceremony on 21 November, which you can follow as part of the ASCL Seminar on Urban Transitions in the Global South.

Rachel wrote the thesis “They think we can eat the condominium”: Chronicles of Economic, Social and Political Practices in Addis Ababa’s Condominiums (pdf) for the Research Master African Studies at Leiden University. The jury of the Africa Thesis Award committee wrote in its report: 'In this impressive and well-crafted thesis, Ms Dubale investigates the impact of inner-city renewal in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. By focusing on the population relocated from urban slums to newly built condominium units, she explores how this transition shapes economic, social and political practices intrinsic to Ethiopian culture. Her research makes evident just how impactful such social mobility practices are: life-sustaining social networks of the slums are lost, while economic practices become contained and unworkable in the new condominium context leading to class and ethnic tensions. The jury was struck by Dubale’s exceptional scholarly contribution to a discussion on a phenomenon increasingly observed in the African urban context yet hardly investigated until now.'

The award consists of a prize of 500 euros and publication of the thesis in the ASCL’s African Studies Collection. Rachel will give a presentation about her thesis before receiving the prize from the jury.

More information about the Africa Thesis Award.

The award ceremony follows after the ASCL Seminar Urban Transitions in the Global South - Harnessing opportunities and expanding possibilities by Prof. Shuaib Lwasa. Please note that this seminar starts at 16.00. Please register for the Thesis Award Ceremony via the seminar link.