The Africa Institute gives voice to Indian Ocean narratives in forum

The Africa Institute (TAI), Global Studies University (GSU), Sharjah, has concluded its symposium, Intertwined Ecologies and Interconnected Histories: The Indian Ocean Rim (Dec. 6–8). It marked the successful completion of Thinking the Archipelago: Africa’s Indian Ocean islands series, an initiative which explores the ecological, cultural and economic connections across the Indian Ocean region. The final symposium was part of a season convened by leading scholars Jeremy Prestholdt, Professor of History at the University of California, San Diego; Rogaia Mustafa Abusharaf, Professor of Anthropology at Georgetown University in Qatar; and Uday Chandra, Assistant Professor of Government at Georgetown University in Qatar. In addition to their contributions, the symposium featured a cohort of over 15 scholars, environmental policymakers, cultural historians and climate activists.

Supported by the Social Science Research Council’s (SSRC) Transregional Collaboratory on the Indian Ocean, the event’s global participants addressed critical challenges such as climate resilience, environmental adaptation and socio-economic change in the Indian Ocean’s coastal communities. “The country-focused season is a cornerstone of The Africa Institute’s mission to explore Africa’s complex history and engage with contemporary issues that impact its diverse regions,” said Professor Salah M. Hassan, Chancellor of Global Studies University and Dean of The Africa Institute (GSU).

A performance at TAI in 2023.

“This year marks the third edition of Thinking the Archipelago: Africa’s Indian Ocean Islands, which began in 2022,” he added. “Over the past two years, The Africa Institute has hosted four symposia in Sharjah and Zanzibar, bringing together leading scholars, activists, artists and community members, in deep and thought-provoking discussions about the region’s critical role in shaping both Africa and global narratives.” He noted that as part of the season, themes such as circulation, mobility, race and slavery, ecological change and cultural production through the lens of Africa’s islands, were examined and reimagined. “As we gather for the final part of this series, Intertwined Ecologies and Interconnected Histories: The Indian Ocean Rim, we are reminded of the urgency to consider both the historical and contemporary significance of this region in the face of pressing ecological and climate challenges,” he concluded.

The symposium featured a keynote address by Isabel Hofmeyr, Professor Emeritus at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, titled Intertwined Ecologies and Biotic Borders: Plants, Politics, and Print in the Indian Ocean World. Following this, panels followed, which covered a range of topics, including the adaptation strategies of coastal communities to climate change, the impact of human-marine interactions on cultural exchanges and sustainable practices in heritage conservation and environmental planning. Panelists included artists, scholars, musicians, activists, and architects from countries like the USA, Canada, Denmark, Qatar, India, Mozambique, Tanzania and the UAE. The symposium ended with an excursion to the Khor Kalba mangroves in Sharjah, where participants explored the UAE’s oldest mangrove forest, underlining the event’s focus on environmental conservation and sustainable development.

During the visit to Khor Kalba.

Monsoon, an interdisciplinary journal published by TAI in collaboration with Duke University Press, was also released, with the latest issue themed Slavery and its Legacies in the Indian Ocean, being launched during the symposium. Reflecting on the season, co-convenor Professor Jeremy Prestholdt, acknowledged the role of the symposium series and Monsoon journal in raising the profile of Indian Ocean studies. Monsoon publishes original research, analysing cultural, historical and political circumstances that have shaped and affect the littoral societies of the Indian Ocean.

It fills a gap in literature on the Indian Ocean rim, which has often sidelined African and Gulf societies in the region. The journal is co-edited by Rogaia Mustafa Abusharaf and Jeremy Prestholdt. Based in Sharjah, The Africa Institute is a non-profit higher education academic entity dedicated to advancing the study, research, and documentation of Africa and its diaspora, with a focus on the humanities and social sciences. In 2023, it became part of the newly established Global Studies University (GSU), and was integrated into its network of semi-independent and interdisciplinary institutes, with each focusing on different regions in the world.

The delegates at Khor Kalba.

The institutes undertake postgraduate studies, research, and documentation of the histories, cultures and peoples of various global regions. The next entity to be officially established in 2025 is The Asia Institute. Preparations are also underway to launch other institutes focusing on Oceania, Europe and the Americas. Admissions for the Fall 2025 intake of the Master of Arts in Global African Studies programme opened this month. The accredited, two-year interdisciplinary programme, offers specialisation in Museum and Critical Heritage Studies, Diplomacy and Africa’s International Relations and Afro-Arab Relations. Full scholarships are available for eligible students.

The Africa Institute, Global Studies University, is led by Hoor Al Qasimi as President. She was recently named the most influential figure in contemporary art for 2024 by ArtReview magazine’s prestigious Power 100. Al Qasimi has been instrumental in shaping the Global Studies University, building on the foundation of The Africa Institute (established 2018), to foster Afro-Arab cultural and scholarly exchange. The Indian Ocean rim is increasingly at the centre of global attention, as rapid urbanisation and climate change pose critical challenges. One of the fastest-warming ocean on Earth, the Ocean connects diverse regions —from the eastern coast of Africa to the Arabian Gulf, Peninsular India, Southeast Asia, and western Australia. The unique intersection of histories and ecosystems makes the region a key focus for discussions on environmental justice and sustainability among other pressing topics, and the TAI symposia and complementary efforts, is part of this engagement.