Associate Professor Monika Baumanová from KBS launched the first field season of the project from the British Museum this year

Project associate professor Bauman's EMKP ( Endangered Material Knowledge Programme British Museum) (“Building Stone Houses on the Swahili Coast”) began fieldwork last month. It documents the building technologies and material knowledge associated with centuries-old traditions of building with fossil coral and lime. The project is being carried out in the Lamu Archipelago and involves the involvement of masons and knowledge bearers, with a view to how pre-colonial building technologies are maintained. It also explores knowledge associated with construction, such as limestone quarrying, lime production and the links between stone and clay construction or carpentry.
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Associate Professor Jan Záhořík and his research in Africa: Ethnic Federalism, Migration and Postcolonial Challenges

The Department of Middle Eastern and African Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen has a long-standing research programme focusing on ethnicity and nationalism in Africa, with a particular focus on Ethiopia, Nigeria and other sub-Saharan countries.

Combining historical, anthropological and political science approaches, this research focuses on the relationships between ethnic identity, state structure and security challenges in a post-colonial context. Jan Zahorik has completed over 25 research fellowships in Ethiopia, collaborating with academic institutions such as Jimma University, the University of Gondar, the University of Lagos and the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, and the University of Rwanda. His research covers topics such as ethnic federalism, migration, security threats and political transformations in post-colonial Africa. His major publications include the article 'Competing-Isms in the Horn of Africa: The Rise and Fall of Pan-Ethiopianism and Pan-Somalism', published in the journal Nationalism and Ethnic Politics. This article analyses the rivalry between different nationalist ideologies in the Horn of Africa region. He is also the co-author of 'Multiple Layers of Pan-Africanism and Pan-Ethiopianism in Current Debates on Nationalism and Ethnicity in Ethiopia', published in Nationalities Papers. This article examines current discourses of Pan-Africanism and Pan-Ethiopianism in Ethiopian politics, and their impact on ethnic identity and state cohesion.

Jan Záhořík has also published the monograph 'Inequalities and Conflicts in Modern and Contemporary African History'. This work deepens our understanding of the dynamics of ethnicity, nationalism, and state formation in Africa, as well as their impact on contemporary political and security challenges.