African Studies and Ethnography
African Studies and Ethnography is a research topic within Sociology and Political Science. Science Explorer counts 7.7k research works in it since 1951. 11.5% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.
This cluster of papers explores governance, social movements, healthcare, and political dynamics in various African countries. It covers topics such as urban protest, media pluralism, ethnic relations, decentralization, and youth employment. The papers provide insights into the complexities of governance and social dynamics in Africa.
- Africa
- governance
- social movements
- healthcare
- political transition
- ethnicity
- urban protest
- media pluralism
- decentralization
- youth employment
- Research works
- 7.7k fractional, since 1951
- In the world top 10%
- 887 per year above
- Top-10% rate
- 11.5% share of its works in the world top 10%
- Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
- +23% the tick is no change
Which countries lead African Studies and Ethnography research?
By volume, France and Côte d'Ivoire publish the most (742 and 104 works in 2022–2025).
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 France 742 works
- 2 Côte d'Ivoire 104 works
- 3 United States 86 works
- 4 Canada 60 works
- 5 Senegal 53 works
- 6 Burkina Faso 51 works
- 7 Cameroon 48 works
- 8 Democratic Republic of the Congo 47 works
- 9 Germany 43 works
- 10 ?? 42 works
How concentrated that is
The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.
Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.
Which institutions lead African Studies and Ethnography research?
By volume in 2022–2025, Université Alassane Ouattara publishes the most African Studies and Ethnography research, followed by Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 Université Alassane Ouattara Côte d'Ivoire 43 works
- 2 Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny Côte d'Ivoire 33 works
- 3 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique France 28 works
- 4 Cheikh Anta Diop University Senegal 27 works
- 5 Forests and Societies France 23 works
- 6 Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy Germany 21 works
- 7 University of Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo 19 works
- 8 Les Afriques dans le Monde France 17 works
- 9 Institut des Mondes Africains France 17 works
- 10 École des hautes études en sciences sociales France 16 works
Who are the leading researchers in African Studies and Ethnography?
The most-cited researchers publishing on African Studies and Ethnography include Barry Turner.
- 1 Barry Turner 638 citations
Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.
Where is African Studies and Ethnography research done?
The largest centres of African Studies and Ethnography research in 2022–2025 are Paris (France), Montpellier (France), Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) and Bouaké (Côte d'Ivoire). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Bouaké, Kinshasa and Ouagadougou.
Largest cities, 2022–2025
- 1 Paris France 271 works
- 2 Montpellier France 49 works
- 3 Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire 45 works
- 4 Bouaké Côte d'Ivoire 43 works
- 5 Ouagadougou Burkina Faso 37 works
- 6 Dakar Senegal 35 works
- 7 Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo 33 works
- 8 Lyon France 30 works
- 9 Toulouse France 27 works
- 10 Marseille France 26 works
Where it is the local speciality
- BouakéCI · 43.2 works626×
- KinshasaCD · 33.1 works148×
- OuagadougouBF · 36.8 works143×
- AbidjanCI · 44.7 works131×
- DakarSN · 34.7 works113×
Location quotient: how much more of its research is in African Studies and Ethnography than the world average.
Where is the best place to study African Studies and Ethnography?
Among universities, judged by research, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Université Alassane Ouattara and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.
One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.
| # | University | Score | Top 10% | Specialisation | Works | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheikh Anta Diop University Senegal | 78.5 | 8.1% | 153.9× | 27 | +80.0% |
| 2 | Université Alassane Ouattara Côte d'Ivoire | 70.1 | 1.4% | 628.8× | 43 | +290.3% |
| 3 | Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne France | 61.9 | 8.6% | 31.8× | 8 | +23.9% |
| 4 | Université Gaston Berger Senegal | 60.9 | 4.8% | 196.9× | 8 | +234.7% |
| 5 | Université Paris Nanterre France | 57.4 | 6.1% | 34.4× | 12 | +44.0% |
| 6 | Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny Côte d'Ivoire | 56.2 | 2.8% | 218.3× | 33 | -7.0% |
| 7 | Université Paris 8 France | 55.0 | 6.9% | 40.2× | 8 | +17.0% |
| 8 | University of Douala Cameroon | 54.7 | 4.8% | 63.9× | 8 | +104.7% |
| 9 | Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo Burkina Faso | 53.3 | 3.5% | 149.6× | 14 | +41.6% |
| 10 | University of Lomé Togo | 51.2 | 3.9% | 121.1× | 11 | +22.3% |
Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.
Is African Studies and Ethnography research growing?
Output in 2018–2022 was 23% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are African Studies and Ethnography.
The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.
Which topics inside it are moving
Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.