Research approaches

The Research Training Group ‘Performing Sustainability. Cultures and Development in West-Africa’ at University of Hildesheim, University of Maiduguri (Nigeria) and University of Cape Coast (Ghana) has set itself the objective of formulating international research approaches in the field of cultural studies on the SDG with a focus on peace and conflict studies to doctoral and master students in West-Africa in the years from 2016 to 2020. Through a structured PhD program, twelve PhD and six master students will be qualified within the first three years.

All students will consistently mediate and disseminate the acquired knowledge throughout the course of their future academic careers. Following the focus on theory-practice relationship of University of Hildesheim, program participants are encouraged to start working on projects in the educational, socio-cultural or cultural policy field to implement the SDG 16 into their society.

By funding two-month guest lecturers for African academics in Germany, a yearly three-month stay of an international researcher at one of the African universities and three-month doctoral research residencies in Germany, the cooperation between all university partners will deepen through exchanging research concepts and teaching methods.

Three short-term scholarships for German postgraduate students in Ghana or Nigeria will be used for collaborative research projects with African students. This collaboration will contribute to mutual quality control of the work and link the cultures of knowledge.

A joint publication of associated researchers will document all joint activities and will direct the academic focus on cultural contributions made to the SDG in West Africa.