Established in 2019, the ASR Best Africa-Based Dissertation Prize was made possible by generous support from Cambridge University Press. The prize recognizes an Africa-based doctoral student who has successfully defended their PhD dissertation/doctoral thesis that demonstrates a scholarly or intellectual interest in Africa and/or African Studies, at an African institution during the previous calendar year.
The prize includes $500 and a plaque presented at the ASR Distinguished Lecture annually. The winner will also be invited to submit an article based on the dissertation to the African Studies Review for expedited peer review.
Eligibility
All scholars enrolled in doctoral programs at Africa-based institutions of higher education who successfully defended their dissertation/doctoral thesis on any aspect of African studies during the previous calendar year (defended between January 1-December 31) are eligible.
Nomination
Nomination details must be submitted via the form below including (1) author details, (2) contact information, (3) examination committee chair details, (4) defense date (5) title and abstract, (6) the best or most representative dissertation chapter (50 page maximum), and (7) table of contents. The doctoral advisor must email a letter of support directly to managingeditor@africanstudiesreview.org before the deadline with the subject line: ASR Dissertation Prize Submission.
Nominations open January and close March 15 annually.
Selection
Three finalists will be invited to submit their full dissertations by May 15 for final consideration.
2025 Committee
Christian Alvarado (University of California, Davis), Chair
Jeremiah Arowosegbe (University of Leeds)
Liz Timbs (University of North Carolina, Wilmington)
Submit to the ASR Best Africa-Based Dissertation Award Here
ASR Best Africa-Based Dissertation Award Nomination
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Past Winners
2025: “Valerie Desmore’s Refusal(s): Art Practice as Biomythography,” by Nontobeko Ntombela Akoi-Jackson in Fine Art at University of Cape Town.
2024: “Beyond #NotTooYoungToRun: Party Candidacy, Political Representation and Legislative Effectiveness of Young Politicians in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic,” by Ọmọ́máyọ̀wá Ọláwálé Àbàtì in Comparative Politics at Stellenbosch University.
2023: “Procession, Pilgrimage and Protest: A Historical Study of the Qadiriyya-Nasiriyya and Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Public Religiosity in Northern Nigeria, 1952–2021,” by Abdul Shehu in History at Stellenbosch University.
2022: “A Contextual Analysis of Sufi Saint Paintings in Kano, Nigeria,” by Abdulhadi Nadir Nasidi in Fine Arts at Amadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
2021: “Littérature, Bande Dessinée et Cinéma en Côte d’Ivoire: Histoire, Adaptation et Réception. Un Essai de Sociologie du Public,” by Atta Kobenan Yao Nicaise in Modern Literature at Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny.
2020: “Evoked emotional responses in the performances of selected Yorùbá dùndún ensembles,” by Cecilia Durojaye in Ethnomusicology at the University of Cape Town.