Vol. 34 No. 2 (2025): NJAS Special Issue: Negotiating Consent in African Studies
Special issue: Negotiating Consent in African Studies

Postscript: To Know Africa Without Knowing Africa(ns) – Denmark’s Bumpy Road to Consent About Africa-Related Knowledge Production and Capacity Building

PDF
Stig Jensen
Centre of African Studies (CAS), University of Copenhagen
Bio

Published 2025-06-23

Keywords

  • Africa,
  • knowledge production,
  • capacity building,
  • Denmark,
  • Centre of African Studies,
  • University of Copenhagen
    • ...More
    Less

Copyright (c) 2025 Stig Jensen

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Postscript: To Know Africa Without Knowing Africa(ns) – Denmark’s Bumpy Road to Consent About Africa-Related Knowledge Production and Capacity Building. (2025). Nordic Journal of African Studies, 34(2), 175–192. https://doi.org/10.53228/1aa48794

Abstract

Based on my professional journey in the Danish Africanist landscape, I analyse the history of Denmark's Africa-related knowledge production and capacity building. Throughout the article, I highlight major changes in the Danish approach to Africa-related research, starting from the establishment of the Centre of African Studies at the University of Copenhagen. Along the way, there have been changes in Danish society's approach to Africa. I argue that we are currently at a crossroads, with several major changes, both internally in Denmark, including political priorities related to the educational landscape, and externally, related to geopolitical changes. These entail paradigmatic changes to the foundations for both relations with Africa and the production and capacity of Africa-related knowledge in Denmark. The Danish Africa bubble has changed and seems ready for even more changes; these require the ability to listen and adapt, while we rethink perceptions, interests, and investments as agenda-setters. The grassroots, in the form of students and researchers at the Centre of African Studies, are already both promoting and adapting to these new realities. 

PDF

References

  1. Adriansen, Hanne Kirstine, Lene Møller Madsen, and Stig Jensen. 2015. Higher Education and Capacity Building in Africa. Routledge.
  2. Chambers, Robert. 1983. Rural Development: Putting the Last First. Pearson Education Limited.
  3. Frandsen, Kasper. 2014. ”Danmarks udviklingsbistand voksede i 2013.” Altinget, April 8, 2014.
  4. Government of Denmark. 2024. Africa’s Century – Strategy for Strengthened Danish Engagement with African Countries. Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  5. Gran, Guy. 1983. Development by People: Citizen Construction of a Just World. Praeger.
  6. Hansen, Christian Pilegaard, Rikke Skovgaard Andersen, and Helen Rasmussen, eds. 2011. Building Stronger Universities in Developing Countries – Partnerships for Change. Danish Universities.
  7. Holm, Hans-Henrik. 1982. ”Hvad Danmark gør… en analyse af dansk U-Landspolitik.” Politica. Aarhus Universitet.
  8. Jensen, Stig. 2015. ”Paradokser udfordrer verdens bedste bistand: Er rettigheder og danske arbejdspladser vigtigere end fattigdomsbekæmpelse i dansk udviklingspolitik?” Økonomi og Politik 2: 3–21.
  9. Kristeligt Dagblad. 2024. ”Løkke: Danmark skal lære af Kinas fremgang i Afrika.” Kristeligt Dagblad, March 11, 2024.
  10. Lancaster, Carol. 2008. Foreign Aid: Diplomacy, Development, Domestic Politics. University of Chicago Press.
  11. Larsen, Jessica. 2020. A Small State Addressing Big Problems – Perspectives on Recent Danish Foreign and Security Strategy. DIIS Report 2020: 2. Danish Institute for International Studies.
  12. Marcussen, Martin. 2019. ”Verden er i forandring - Det bør den danske udenrigstjeneste også være.” Udenrigs 2: 38–50.
  13. Martens, B. 2005. “Why Do Aid Agencies Exist?” Development Policy Review 23 (6): 643–663.
  14. Pieterse, Jan Nederveen. 2010. Development Theory. Sage.
  15. Stokke, Olav. 2019. “Denmark: The Pragmatic Frontrunner.” In International Development Assistance: Policy Drivers and Performance, edited by Olav Stokke, 71–120. EADI Global Development Series. Palgrave Macmillan.