Editing International African Institute

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The '''International African Institute''' ('''IAI''') was founded (as the '''International Institute of African Languages and Cultures''' - '''IIALC''') in 1926 in [[London]] for the study of [[Languages of Africa|African languages]]. [[Frederick Lugard]] was the first chairman (1926 to his death in 1945); [[Diedrich Hermann Westermann]] (1926 to 1939) and [[Maurice Delafosse]] (1926) were the initial co-directors.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ludwig|first1=Frieder|last2=Adogame|first2=Afe|author3=Ulrich Berner |author4=Christoph Bochinger |author-link4=:de:Christoph Bochinger |title=European traditions in the study of religion in Africa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z8Ef3NpQKyUC&dq=International+Institute+of+African+Languages+and+Cultures&pg=PA171|access-date=17 June 2013|year=2004|publisher=[[Otto Harrassowitz Verlag]]|isbn=3447050020|page=9}}</ref>

Since 1928, the IAI has published a quarterly journal, ''[[Africa (journal)|Africa]]''. For some years during the 1950s and 1960s, the assistant editor was the novelist [[Barbara Pym]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/2015/05/barbara-pym-a-woman-scorned/|title=Barbara Pym: a woman scorned|date=23 May 2014|first=D. J.|last= Taylor|website=[[The Spectator]]|access-date=4 November 2019}}</ref>

The IAI's mission is "to promote the education of the public in the [[study of Africa]] and its languages and cultures". Its operations includes seminars, journals, monographs, edited volumes and stimulating scholarship within Africa.

== Publications ==
The IAI has been involved in scholarly publishing since 1927. Scholars whose work has been published by the institute include [[Emmanuel K. Akyeampong]], [[Samir Amin]], [[Karin Barber]], [[Alex de Waal]], [[Patrick Chabal]], [[Mary Douglas]], [[E. E. Evans-Pritchard]], [[Jack Goody]], [[Jane Guyer]], Monica Hunter, [[Bronislaw Malinowski]], [[Z. K. Matthews]], D. A. Masolo, [[Achille Mbembe]], [[Thomas Mofolo]], [[John Francis Marchment Middleton|John Middleton]], Simon Ottenberg, [[J. D. Y. Peel]], [[Mamphela Ramphele]], [[Isaac Schapera]], [[Monica Wilson]] and [[V. Y. Mudimbe]].<ref name="Publishing">{{cite web | url=http://www.internationalafricaninstitute.org/publishing.html | title=Publishing | publisher=IAI | date=May 17, 2016 | access-date=November 24, 2016}}</ref>

IAI publications fall into a number of series, notably '''International African Library''' and '''International African Seminars'''.<ref name="Publishing"/> The International African Library is published from volume 41 (2011) by [[Cambridge University Press]];<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/series/international-african-library/DF7E979839B03B5F3EA0B085B77BF76E | title=The International African Library | publisher=OUP | access-date=November 24, 2016}}</ref> Volumes 7–40 are available from [[Edinburgh University Press]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/series-international-african-library.html | title=International African Library | publisher=Edinburgh University Press | access-date=November 24, 2016}}</ref> {{as of|November 2016}}, there are 49 volumes.<ref name="IAL">{{cite web | url=http://www.internationalafricaninstitute.org/publishing/library.html | title=The International African Library | publisher=IAI | date=May 17, 2016 | access-date=November 24, 2016}}</ref>

==Archives==
The archives of the International African Institute are held at the [http://www.lse.ac.uk/library/archive/Default.htm Archives Division] of the [[Library of the London School of Economics]]. An [http://archives.lse.ac.uk/TreeBrowse.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&field=RefNo&key=IAI online catalogue] of these papers is available.

==History==

===Africa alphabet===

In 1928, the IAI (then IIALC) published an "[[Africa Alphabet]]" to facilitate standardization of Latin-based writing systems for African languages.

===Prize for African-language literature, 1929–50===

From April 1929 to 1950, the IAI offered prizes for works of literature in [[African languages]].<ref>Sow, Alfa I., and Mohamed H. Abdulaziz, "Language and Social Change," Ch. 18 in [[Ali A. Mazrui]] (ed.), ''Africa Since 1935'' (UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. 8). University of California Press, 1993, pp. 526–7.</ref>

===List of chairmen===
{{incomplete list|date=May 2019}}

* 1926–1945: [[Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard]]; first chairman
* 1945–1949: [[Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell]]
* 1949–1957: [[Sir John Waddington]]

==Notes==
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==External links==
*[http://internationalafricaninstitute.org/index.html IAI website].
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[[Category:International organisations based in London]]
[[Category:Languages of Africa]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1926]]


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