The inventory of the Stephen Ellis Archive: A rich resource now available online

The African Studies Centre Leiden is proud to announce that the inventory of the Stephen Ellis Archive is now accessible online. This invaluable collection provides a comprehensive glimpse into the personal research archive of Stephen Ellis, a distinguished scholar whose work has significantly shaped our understanding of Africa.

An extensive archive covering a remarkable career 
Stephen Ellis's archive is a repository of his entire professional life, spanning from his PhD research at the University of Oxford in the late 1970s to his tenure as a senior researcher at the ASCL until his untimely death in 2015. Ellis’s scholarly journey is meticulously documented across 91 archival boxes and 614 folders, making this collection an extraordinary resource for researchers, historians, and anyone interested in African Studies.

The archive encompasses a wide array of materials that reflect the depth and breadth of Ellis’s research. It includes his notes, correspondence, photographs, video material, drafts, newspaper articles, archival sources, book reviews, and publications. Additionally, there is a variety of miscellaneous materials that further enrich this collection. Together, these documents offer an unparalleled look into the academic pursuits and intellectual contributions of Stephen Ellis.

Ellis’s research interests were as diverse as they were profound, covering the majority of the African continent. The archive contains items about maffia bosses, the role of the late Prince Bernhard in Africa, diamond smuggle, Charles Taylor and Nelson Mandela. In terms of geographical focus, Ellis was particularly interested in Liberia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and South Africa.

The generous donation and legacy of collaboration
In 2018, the archive was generously donated to the ASCL by Gerrie ter Haar, Professor of Religion and Development at the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University in Rotterdam, also the spouse of Stephen Ellis. Ter Haar and Ellis were long-time collaborators and had published numerous works together, making this donation a testament to their shared commitment to advancing the field of African Studies.

The meticulous task of cataloguing the archive was undertaken by Tycho van der Hoog between 2018 and 2023, with the indispensable assistance of several others, including Jos Damen, Fierke Koolen, Ursula Oberst, Mart van Duijn, and Marleen Dekker.

Exploring the Stephen Ellis Archive 
The online inventory of the Stephen Ellis Archive offers scholars and the general public unprecedented access to this rich resource. By making this collection available online, the ASCL aims to facilitate and inspire new research, encouraging a deeper understanding of Africa’s complex histories and contemporary issues.

We invite students, researchers, and anyone with an interest in African Studies to delve into the extensive notes and correspondence to trace the development of Ellis's ideas and methodologies. The photographs and video materials provide visual documentation of the regions he studied, offering a more intimate connection to his fieldwork. Meanwhile, the drafts and publications reveal the meticulous process behind his influential works.

Posted on 19 December 2024, last modified on 19 December 2024