Open Restitution Africa is undertaking a large-scale research project to map past and current restitution undertakings for belongings (material heritage) and human ancestors from the African continent. The intention of this research is to gather and make accessible information on African restitution processes. In so doing, the project seeks to provide transparent, open data on restitution for African restitution practitioners and community representatives.
Researchers undertaking – or intending to undertake – research into specific African restitution cases are invited to contribute to our growing list of case studies , and to be part of a cohort of researchers developing accessible data on restitution processes. The region-focus for our fourth case study researchers cohort are:
● North Africa (Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Algeria)
● Sub Saharan Africa (West, Central and East)
PROJECT STRUCTURE:
10 researchers will take part in a 14-week research process resulting in 10 publicly accessible open-data case studies. The research process includes:
A 1 week-long virtual introductory training session (7 – 11 April 2025);
A 2 hour update meeting per week (13 weeks) ;
Each case study will track and describe a restitution case (cases can be at any stage of development) in one of the aforementioned countries. The case study involves:
- Identifying and documenting the activities that have been undertaken in a particular restitution case;
- Conducting multi-source research. This might include fieldwork, interviews, archival research etc.
- Managing the digital documentation of all the sources that were used to inform the development of data for a particular restitution case study.
Writing a concise profile on the case study;
Inputting data onto Open Restitution Africa’s data platform (training and data entry support will be provided by the ORA Team).
QUALIFICATIONS / EXPERIENCE:
Essential:
- Prior knowledge of an ongoing or “completed” restitution case study in Africa;
- A working knowledge of African-centred restitution discourse and debates;
- Access to restitution stakeholders in your region;
- Experience in research data gathering and reporting;
- Preference is given to researchers from the African continent and its diaspora;
- Reliable and stable internet connection;
- Minimum intermediate proficiency in English.
Desirable:
- Data journalists, community activists and heritage/museum practitioners are encouraged to apply.
- Experience of working with digital content management systems is an advantage.
REMUNERATION AND SUPPORT:
● A total remuneration of USD 660 is allocated to each researcher for the full delivery of their case research and attendance of all required meetings.
● Budget support for research activities will be provided by ORA, and will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
● Researchers will receive training on oral history, ORA research methodology and ethos, digital management tools and data input onto ORA’s data platform.
TO APPLY:
Interested candidates should send their application to info@openrestitution.africa with the following:
- Subject: CASE STUDY RESEARCHER – COHORT FOUR [COUNTRY OF YOUR CASE STUDY]:
- CV that includes any prior research experience and/or community activist experience relevant to the context.
- Motivation letter that includes your motivation for undertaking this research, and a brief summary of your proposed case study (any existing relationships or connections with the community of origin will be an advantage).
- Writing sample.
- Reference letter, with two reference contacts.
- Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a questionnaire, and may be invited to meet with the Open Restitution Africa research team.
