Securing access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food for sub-Saharan Africa’s (SSA) growing population requires re-thinking and de-centering the concept of ‘food systems’ and ‘food security innovations’, beyond traditional questions of productivity and closing the yield gap, towards questions of sovereignty, inclusiveness and fairness. International and donor-supported food policies and interventions in SSA try to reach smallholder farmers with expert-led innovations (e.g., new seeds, technology, ICT services) to increase production and include them in value chain development to capitalize on market opportunities. However, there is little evidence that this has contributed significantly to food security or income in rural areas or cities in SSA, and there are increasing doubts among donors such as the Dutch government whether food security policies reach low-income farmers. Meanwhile, citizen-led innovations in Africa such as farmer-led development of irrigation, horticulture cultivation and marketing receive scant attention in food security research-policy debates, or worse, they are negatively presented in these debates and media reports.       

We observe that the current thinking on food security innovations seems to produce a ‘development trap’ for African farmers and consumers. We suspect that this ‘trap’ is produced by contradictory stereotypes and frames of communication that underlie ‘Western-centred’ neo-liberal food security policies. On the one hand, African farmers appear to be framed as potential entrepreneurs, creating the prospect of building a sustainable future of African food security on their shoulders, but on the other hand, food security policies appear to undermine this prospect by structurally framing their innovations as falling short of potential in comparison to ‘modern’ expert-led innovations. 

This project aims to critically unpack the stereotypes and frames of representation that underlie contemporary research-policy debates on food systems and food security innovations in SSA. It is these stereotypes and frames that define our perception of the problems and solutions, of those with decision-making power: policymakers, donors, investors and businesses. We will look at concepts and language used in policy documents, promotion material and media representations of food systems and food innovations. Taking inspiration from emerging research on farmer-led innovations in irrigation development in SSA, we hypothesize that persistent ‘colonial’ stereotypes of ‘African farmers’ and ‘African food systems’ hinder the design and development of (more) inclusive and fair food systems in SSA.

Together with stakeholders from government, private sector and NGOs, we aim to de-colonize the dominant stereotypes and communication frames and develop alternative communication strategies – a new and inclusive ‘language’ – to de-centre and broaden the discussion on food security in Africa. Our research questions are: 1) What stereotypes and frames can be identified in expert-led food security innovations in  Africa; and 2) What alternative communication strategies can be developed to legitimise food security interventions in a sustainable and de-colonial manner?  

• prof. dr. Kei Otsuki
• dr. Guus van Westen
• dr. ir. Janwillem Liebrand
• Cristina Arribas Jimenez MSc

During the past decade, a massive body of audiovisual heritage has become digitally accessible, on websites of archives, through initiatives such as Europeana.eu and EUscreen.eu, and on platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo. The proposed project is the first to research the online circulation and appropriation of audiovisual heritage using an integrated and interdisciplinary approach. It combines state of the art tracing and tracking technologies, critical cultural analysis and ethnographic fieldwork to answer the questions: How do strategies of curation shape the appropriation of digitized heritage? What new perspectives on European history and identity do digital curations and appropriations of audiovisual heritage create? How can audiovisual archives better foster the re-use of Europe’s audiovisual heritage? The project's case studies highlight European History from the Cold War to the Fall of the Berlin Wall and Migration in Europe—both urgent topics within debates about Europe's past, identity and future.

The project brings together interdisciplinary expertise in the curation of digital audiovisual heritage (Utrecht University, The Netherlands), contemporary European history (Institute of Contemporary History, Czech Republic) and Digital Humanities (Umeå University, Sweden). It collaborates with leading stakeholders in the field, as Europeana.eu—and its main audiovisual aggregator EUscreen.eu—as well as the attached 35 audiovisual archives across Europe. To reach out to users of audiovisual heritage, the project will also co-operate with the European Association of History Educators and Historiana.eu.

The project's outcomes will contribute to a better understanding of popular interpretations of European history circulating online. It will foster critical engagement with audiovisual heritage in a participatory media landscape, including the consequences of digital historiography. Based on outcomes, the project will advise heritage institutions about best practices of user-engaging curation. Outcomes will also provide history educators with accessible material to engage students working online with Europe's audiovisual heritage.

Key words: European audiovisual heritage; curation; critical engagement; digital humanities; European identity

• dr. Abby Waysdorf

• prof. dr. Pelle Snickars - Umeå University (SE)
• dr. Adéla Gjuricová - Institute of Contemporary History (USD) of the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic

The Faculty of Humanities and the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance of Utrecht University collaborate in a research into Sport and Integrity. Central question: What integrity issues are addressed in both professional and amateur football, and how do sport administrators, media and individual players react on specific incidents? The researchers will pay special attention to the interaction between media attention and the action by stakeholders.

The research objective is to gain better insight into the way integrity is constructed (or: negotiated) in football organizatons, which will result in recommendations for administrators and policymakers about ways to discuss and handle integrity issues.

• dr. Kim Loyens
• dr. Inge Claringbould
• dr. Pauline van Romondt Vis
• prof. dr. Frank van Eekeren

The international research project SiFTI analyses production cultures in sustainable film and television companies in Norway, Denmark, Great Britain and the Netherlands. The goal is to produce new knowledge about how actors in the film and television industries operate in order to survive in the market place and to improve their competitiveness. The project is based on case studies of companies that have been active for at least five years and have produced popular and/or critically acclaimed films or television programmes. SiFTI has also an historical dimension that studies the growth and fall of influential film companies in Norway on the basis of archival material. The project is funded by the Norwegian Research Council for the period 2013-2016.

• prof. dr. Eva Bakoy; prof. dr. Roel Puijk

EUscreenXL is a three-year project that aggregates a comprehensive amount of professional audiovisual content and makes it accessible through Europeana. The consortium brings together 32 partners from 21 EU member states and has established formal links with external stakeholders including the Europeana Foundation, FIAT/IFTA and IASA. EUscreenXL as the Pan-European aggregator of audiovisual heritage provides Europeana with at least 1.000.000 metadata records linking to online content held by 22 leading audiovisual archives, and 20.000 high quality contextualized programmes for public access and engagement on the EUscreen portal. The project promotes and maximises awareness for a shared Pan-European audiovisual content policy among archives, heritage institutions and broadcasters across Europe – and, in effect, substantially increases the online presence of digitised audiovisual heritage in Europeana. It thus enhances the visibility of the 20th century represented in audiovisual heritage and provides strategies for durable use, raising broader awareness of Europeana content for diverse groups of users. See the project website: htp://www.euscreen.eu

• dr. Willemien Sanders
• prof. dr. Sonja de Leeuw

• Johan Oomen - Beeld & Geluid Hilversum
• dr. Berber Hagedoorn - RUG
• dr. Dana Mustata - RUG

• prof. dr. Berteke Waaldijk