Objective The eighteenth and nineteenth century history of the central Sahara and Sahel has primarily been written using Europeanor jihadist Arabic sources. This has led to an overwhelming emphasis on religion, politics, and geography as core themesthat shaped social and cultural dynamics in this region. By focusing on sources in African languages—until now largelyforgotten by historians—the project LANGARCHIV aims to enrich and expand this narrative. Hausa and Kanuri materialcollected by Germanophone, British, and French scholars for linguistic study between 1772 and 1913 in West and NorthAfrica, England, and Brazil cries out for collaboration between historians, linguists, and anthropologists. This rich body ofprimary sources remains under-studied, having been rejected as colonial even though the majority were collected beforecolonial occupation. A general reconsideration of this material will enable a major shift in our understanding, toward a‘history from below’ that will make it possible to explore the history of Sahelian societies through the stories that Sahelianstold about themselves. Serving as linguae francae, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Hausa and Kanuri werespoken from Tripoli to Kano and Bahia, and today Hausa remains the most widely spoken language in West Africa, with 50million speakers scattered over more than 6 countriesLANGARCHIV will be the first project to explore materials in African languages as sources for African history. Combiningan epistemological analysis of European scientific interest in African languages with the will to write a social history thatovercomes the jihadist bias, the project aims to bring about a paradigmatic shift in the history of the central Sahara andSahel. It will achieve this goal by revealing a rich body of primary sources and by developing an innovative analyticalframework for using documents generated by early students of African languages and cultures as historical sources. Fields of science humanitieslanguages and literaturelinguisticshumanitieshistory and archaeologyhistoryhumanitiesphilosophy, ethics and religionreligions Keywords History of Africa Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2017-STG - ERC Starting Grant Call for proposal ERC-2017-STG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-STG - Starting Grant Host institution CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS Net EU contribution € 1 037 312,50 Address RUE MICHEL ANGE 3 75794 Paris France See on map Region Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 037 312,50 Beneficiaries (4) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS France Net EU contribution € 1 037 312,50 Address RUE MICHEL ANGE 3 75794 Paris See on map Region Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 037 312,50 UNIVERSITAET LEIPZIG Germany Net EU contribution € 305 000,50 Address RITTERSTRASSE 26 04109 Leipzig See on map Region Sachsen Leipzig Leipzig Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 305 000,50 THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM Participation ended United Kingdom Net EU contribution € 0,00 Address Edgbaston B15 2TT Birmingham See on map Region West Midlands (England) West Midlands Birmingham Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost No data UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON United Kingdom Net EU contribution € 154 855,00 Address GOWER STREET WC1E 6BT London See on map Region London Inner London — West Camden and City of London Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 154 855,00