Saint-Louis, 2025
Junior Reseachers' Institute 2025
Regenerating Democracy: Capabilities • Commons • Care
The 2025 edition of the Junior Researchers' Institute—organized by Global Africa, the Foundation for Innovation in Democracy, and the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie—is anchored in a major intellectual ambition: to rethink democracy from African archives, territories, knowledge systems, and lived experiences.
Held in Saint-Louis, Senegal, the School brings together sixteen emerging scholars from across the continent for an intensive week of training, writing, field inquiry, critical reflection, and collective learning around a central question:
How can democracy be regenerated in a world shaped by intertwined ecological, social, political, and ethical crises?
The Junior Researchers' Institute aims to:
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strengthen methodological skills in fieldwork and qualitative inquiry;
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support scientific writing, including articles destined for Global Africa and other peer-reviewed journals;
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equip participants for public-facing scholarship (media, outreach, digital communication);
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provide a collaborative intellectual space to engage with contemporary democratic challenges.
It is conceived as a training incubator, a mentoring community, and a laboratory for new theoretical and empirical perspectives.
Saint-Louis, 2025
Regenerating Democracy :
Capabilities, Commons, Care
To confront today's interconnected crises, the 2025 session is structured around three key concepts:
• Capabilities
To think about real freedoms—what individuals are effectively able to be and do.
• Commons
To foreground cooperation, collective responsibility, and shared governance of resources.
• Care
To place the ethics and practices of care—towards people, institutions, and the living world—at the heart of political renewal.
Together, these notions offer powerful entry points for imagining substantive democracy rooted in African realities and capable of addressing pressing issues: social justice, ecological transitions, youth inclusion, and collective resilience.
APPLICATIONS by email
redaction@globalafricasciences.org
Application Requirements
Submit your application to communication@laspad.org with:
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A 10-page minimum manuscript outlining the research theme, key literature, main questions, and methods.
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A supervisor’s recommendation letter.
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Proof of PhD registration (or research-creation doctoral programme).
Schedule
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Submission deadline: 25 October 2025 (midnight UTC)
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Results: 5 November 2025
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Program dates: 1–6 December 2025
Practical Information
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Costs covered: Foundation for Innovation in Democracy, Global Africa & AUF
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Working languages: English & French
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Eligibility: Scholars based in Africa; priority to advanced PhD candidates and early-career researchers
Welcome to the Global Africa
Junior Researchers’ Institute
Saint-Louis 2025!
The Junior Researchers' Institute offers an immersive environment for early-career researchers exploring new pathways for Africa’s democratic transformation. Grounded in the theme “Regenerating Democracy: Capabilities, Commons, Care,” this edition encouraged participants to question existing political models and to envision forms of democracy rooted in African histories, solidarities, ecological responsibilities, and collective agency.
Watch our short video capturing the vibrant moments from Saint-Louis 2025, hosted at the University Gaston Berger, showcasing the energy, debates, and inspiration shared among participants committed to reimagining Africa’s democratic futures through capabilities, commons, and care.
#GlobalAfrica #JuniorResearchersIstitute #SaintLouis2025 #RegeneratingDemocracy #CapabilitiesCommonsCare #AfricanStudies
“Join us! Be part of building the future of research in Africa.”