Call for Contributions

The Congo Research Network (CRN) invites researchers at all levels to contribute to the “Field Notes” section of its website. We are seeking a series of four blog posts (maximum 1000 words each, in English or French) recounting your fieldwork experiences in Congo. These posts will be published online weekly throughout an entire month.

This opportunity is open to researchers who wish to share their insights and demystify the experience of conducting research in and on Congo. If you are interested, please contact Katrien Pype (katrien.pype@kuleuven.be). To streamline the online publication process, a single submission containing all four blog posts is required. For any inquiries, feel free to reach out to Cai Chen (cai.chen@ulb.be).

Appel à contributions

Le Congo Research Network (CRN) invite les chercheurs de tous niveaux à contribuer à la section « Field Notes » de son site web. Nous recherchons une série de quatre billets (maximum 1000 mots chacun, en anglais ou français) relatant vos expériences de travail de terrain au Congo. Ces billets seront publiés en ligne chaque semaine pendant un mois entier.

Cette opportunité est ouverte aux chercheurs qui souhaitent partager leurs enseignements et démystifier l’expérience de la recherche au Congo et sur le Congo. Si vous êtes intéressé.e, veuillez contacter Katrien Pype (katrien.pype@kuleuven.be). Afin de simplifier le processus de publication en ligne, une seule soumission contenant tous les quatre billets est requise. Pour toute question, n’hésitez pas à contacter Cai Chen (cai.chen@ulb.be).

• 
  Luxembourgish Traces in Kinshasa – Part 4July 25, 2025
  Kevin Goergen is a doctoral researcher at the University of Luxembourg, currently working on Luxembourg’s colonial entanglements from the 1880s to the 1970s. His research primarily focuses on the historical connections … Continue reading →
• 
  Luxembourgish Traces in Kinshasa – Part 3July 18, 2025
  Kevin Goergen is a doctoral researcher at the University of Luxembourg, currently working on Luxembourg’s colonial entanglements from the 1880s to the 1970s. His research primarily focuses on the historical connections … Continue reading →
• 
  Luxembourgish Traces in Kinshasa – Part 2July 11, 2025
  Kevin Goergen is a doctoral researcher at the University of Luxembourg, currently working on Luxembourg’s colonial entanglements from the 1880s to the 1970s. His research primarily focuses on the historical connections … Continue reading →
• 
  Luxembourgish Traces in Kinshasa – Part 1July 4, 2025
  Kevin Goergen is a doctoral researcher at the University of Luxembourg, currently working on Luxembourg’s colonial entanglements from the 1880s to the 1970s. His research primarily focuses on the historical … Continue reading →
• 
  Catholic Sisters in Postcolonial Kikwit – Part 4May 22, 2024
  Mick Feyaerts is a doctoral researcher at the research group History of Modernity and Society (MoSa) at KU Leuven. In four blog posts, she will be sharing some reflexive notes … Continue reading →
• 
  Catholic Sisters in Postcolonial Kikwit – Part 3May 15, 2024
  Mick Feyaerts is a doctoral researcher at the research group History of Modernity and Society (MoSa) at KU Leuven. In four blog posts, she will be sharing some reflexive notes … Continue reading →
• 
  Catholic Sisters in Postcolonial Kikwit – Part 2May 8, 2024
  Mick Feyaerts is a doctoral researcher at the research group History of Modernity and Society (MoSa) at KU Leuven. In four blog posts, she will be sharing some reflexive notes … Continue reading →
• 
  Catholic Sisters in Postcolonial Kikwit – Part 1May 1, 2024
  Mick Feyaerts is a doctoral researcher at the research group History of Modernity and Society (MoSa) at KU Leuven. In four blog posts, she will be sharing some reflexive notes … Continue reading →
• 
  Call for Contributions: CRN Field Notes SeriesFebruary 29, 2024
  [Version française en-dessous] Call for Contributions The Congo Research Network (CRN) invites researchers at all levels to contribute to the “Field Notes” section of its website. We are seeking a … Continue reading →
• 
  A Chinese Ethnographer in DR Congo – Part 4February 22, 2024
  Why would a Chinese PhD student choose to conduct anthropological research in Congo? How did he secure access to the field? Do Chinese-Congolese couples exist, considering the “self-segregation” of the … Continue reading →
• 
  A Chinese Ethnographer in DR Congo – Part 3February 15, 2024
  Why would a Chinese PhD student choose to conduct anthropological research in Congo? How did he secure access to the field? Do Chinese-Congolese couples exist, considering the “self-segregation” of the … Continue reading →
• 
  A Chinese Ethnographer in DR Congo – Part 2February 8, 2024
  Why would a Chinese PhD student choose to conduct anthropological research in Congo? How did he secure access to the field? Do Chinese-Congolese couples exist, considering the “self-segregation” of the … Continue reading →
• 
  A Chinese Ethnographer in DR Congo – Part 1February 1, 2024
  Why would a Chinese PhD student choose to conduct anthropological research in Congo? How did he secure access to the field? Do Chinese-Congolese couples exist, considering the “self-segregation” of the … Continue reading →
• A Congo Journey 1958 – Part FourMay 17, 2019
  Catherine Hoskyns is currently Professor Emerita in International Relations at Coventry University, UK. In 1965 she published The Congo since Independence Jan 1960 – Dec 1961, a study of the breakdown … Continue reading →
• A Congo Journey 1958 – Part ThreeMay 10, 2019
  Catherine Hoskyns is currently Professor Emerita in International Relations at Coventry University, UK. In 1965 she published The Congo since Independence Jan 1960 – Dec 1961, a study of the breakdown … Continue reading →
• A Congo Journey 1958 – Part twoMay 3, 2019
  Catherine Hoskyns is currently Professor Emerita in International Relations at Coventry University, UK. In 1965 she published The Congo since Independence Jan 1960 – Dec 1961, a study of the breakdown … Continue reading →
• A Congo Journey 1958April 26, 2019
  Catherine Hoskyns is currently Professor Emerita in International Relations at Coventry University, UK. In 1965 she published The Congo since Independence Jan 1960 – Dec 1961. a study of the … Continue reading →
• 
  « Au-dessous du volcan », rencontres littéraires de Goma, 14-16 juin 2018. Deuxième partieFebruary 22, 2019
  Par Parfait Nzeyimana et Charly Mathekis Trente minutes que nous voguons sur le lac Kivu. Si le temps était élastique, on serait toujours là, devant la vue de l’eau formant … Continue reading →
• 
  « Au-dessous du volcan », rencontres littéraires de Goma, 14-16 juin 2018. 1ière partieFebruary 15, 2019
    Maëline le Lay (CNRS/IFRA-Nairobi): Clin d’œil à Malcolm Lowry, hommage aux Grands Lacs viale volcan Nyiragongo qui surplombe le lac Kivu entre Congo et Rwanda, la première édition des … Continue reading →
• Researching energy in Katanga – part 4February 23, 2018
  During the following four weeks (Feb 2-24 2018) Nick Rahier, a doctoral researcher at the Institute for Anthropological Research in Africa (IARA) at KU Leuven University (Belgium), will be sharing some reflective notes about his field … Continue reading →
• Researching energy in Katanga – part 3February 16, 2018
  During the following four weeks (Feb 2-24 2018) Nick Rahier, a doctoral researcher at the Institute for Anthropological Research in Africa (IARA) at KU Leuven University (Belgium), will be sharing some reflective notes about his field … Continue reading →
• Researching energy in Katanga – part 2February 9, 2018
  During the following four weeks (Feb 2-24 2018) Nick Rahier, a doctoral researcher at the Institute for Anthropological Research in Africa (IARA) at KU Leuven University (Belgium), will be sharing some reflective notes about his field … Continue reading →
• Researching energy in Katanga – Part 1February 2, 2018
  During the following four weeks (Feb 2-24 2018) Nick Rahier, a doctoral researcher at the Institute for Anthropological Research in Africa (IARA) at KU Leuven University (Belgium), will be sharing some reflective notes about his field … Continue reading →
• « Polisi Siku Kwa Siku », everyday policing in the DRC (English and French versions) – Part 2.December 20, 2017
  Kukufa mu gratuité (to die for nothing): Making a living in Bukavu’s police by Michel Thill   This is the second installment of a three-blog series written by Robert Njangala, … Continue reading →
• « Polisi Siku Kwa Siku », everyday policing in the DRC (English and French versions) – Part 1.December 13, 2017
  This is the first installment of a three-blog series written by Robert Njangala, Josaphat Musamba and Michel Thil, in the framework of the Dutch-funded pilot project “Polisi Siku Kwa Siku” … Continue reading →
• Medical technologies in postcolonial Kikwit – Part 4.March 10, 2017
  During the following four weeks (Feb 19-March 12 2017) Trisha Phippard, a doctoral researcher at the Institute for Anthropological Research in Africa (IARA) at KU Leuven University (Belgium), will be sharing … Continue reading →
• Medical technologies in postcolonial Kikwit – Part 3.March 3, 2017
  During the following four weeks (Feb 19-March 12 2017) Trisha Phippard, a doctoral researcher at the Institute for Anthropological Research in Africa (IARA) at KU Leuven University (Belgium), will be sharing … Continue reading →
• Medical technologies in postcolonial Kikwit – Part 2.February 24, 2017
  During the following four weeks (Feb 19-March 12 2017) Trisha Phippard, a doctoral researcher at the Institute for Anthropological Research in Africa (IARA) at KU Leuven University (Belgium), will be sharing … Continue reading →
• Medical technologies in postcolonial Kikwit – Part 1.February 19, 2017
  During the following four weeks (Feb 19-March 12 2017) Trisha Phippard, a doctoral researcher at the Institute for Anthropological Research in Africa (IARA) at KU Leuven University (Belgium), will be sharing … Continue reading →
• Research in and around Inga – Part 4.February 13, 2017
  During the following four weeks (Jan 20-Feb 13 2017) Barbara Carbon, a doctoral researcher at the Institute for Anthropological Research in Africa (IARA) at KU Leuven University (Belgium), will be sharing some … Continue reading →
• Research in and around Inga – Part 3.February 6, 2017
  During the following four weeks (Jan 20-Feb 10 2017) Barbara Carbon, a doctoral researcher at the Institute for Anthropological Research in Africa (IARA) at KU Leuven University (Belgium), will be sharing some … Continue reading →
• Research in and around Inga – Part 2.January 27, 2017
  During the following four weeks (Jan 20-Feb 10 2017) Barbara Carbon, a doctoral researcher at the Institute for Anthropological Research in Africa (IARA) at KU Leuven University (Belgium), will be sharing some … Continue reading →
• Research in and around Inga – Part 1January 20, 2017
  During the following four weeks (Jan 20-Feb 10 2017) Barbara Carbon, a doctoral researcher at the Institute for Anthropological Research in Africa (IARA) at KU Leuven University (Belgium), will be sharing some … Continue reading →
• Old Age in Kinshasa – Part 4.October 5, 2016
  PHOTOGRAPHING THE BANA LEO SHOWS By Katrien Pype, research professor at IARA (KU Leuven, Belgium) and Fellow at DASA (University of Birmingham) – blog September 2016. This is the final … Continue reading →
• Old age in Kinshasa – Part 3.September 30, 2016
  PAPA WEMBA AND THE CONFUSION OF GENERATIONS By Katrien Pype, research professor at IARA (KU Leuven, Belgium) and Fellow at DASA (University of Birmingham) – blog September 2016. This is … Continue reading →
• Old age in Kinshasa – Part 2.September 21, 2016
  By Katrien Pype, research professor at IARA (KU Leuven, Belgium) and Fellow at DASA (University of Birmingham) – blog September 2016. This is a 2nd of four blogposts that are … Continue reading →
• Old age in Kinshasa. – Part 1September 14, 2016
    by Katrien Pype, research professor at IARA (KU Leuven, Belgium) and Fellow at DASA (University of Birmingham) – September 2016. This is a series of four blogposts that are … Continue reading →
• Third post by Charlotte MertensDecember 2, 2013
  Colonial Memories, Sexual Violence and Current Humanitarianism Conducting archival work in the Africa Museum of Tervuren, I am amazed by the many expressions of genuine concern on the part of … Continue reading →
• 2nd blog post by Charlotte MertensSeptember 6, 2013
  Dear all,    please read the 2nd blog post by Charlotte Mertens on her research on sexual violence in eastern DRC:   https://congoresearchnetwork.com/2013/09/04/2nd-blog-post-by-charlotte-mertens/   also, some corrections have been made … Continue reading →
• 2nd blog post by Charlotte MertensSeptember 4, 2013
  Researching sexual violence in the armed conflict of eastern DRC October 2012. Lake Kivu. The boat takes us from Bukavu to Goma. Lively Congolese rumba music comes from ‘la boîte/disco’ … Continue reading →
• First Blog Post by Charlotte MertensAugust 26, 2013
  Researching sexual violence in the armed conflict of eastern DRC September 2012. My Congolese friend Marie-Noël, who runs a small, community-based NGO, welcomes us in Ruzizi, a border town between … Continue reading →
• 3rd blogpost by Catherine PorterMay 3, 2013
  ‘Change of Plans’ – Blog 3 Identities are prevalent in any society, as a political entity or a loosely grouped community of people.  These identities constitute part of the fibre … Continue reading →
• 2nd blog post by Catherine PorterApril 24, 2013
  ‘Change of Plans – Part 2’ Generally one of the most striking things about the Katangan secession of 1960-1963 was the imagery and iconography created to develop a personal nationalism … Continue reading →
• 1st Blog Post by Catherine PorterApril 16, 2013
  ‘Changes to the Plan’ I’m not entirely sure how the fieldwork for my dissertation suddenly came to life.  As a historian, it isn’t something you would typically expect to happen … Continue reading →
• 4th and final blog post by Judith VerweijenMarch 19, 2012
  The challenges of researching armed actors in Eastern DRC #4:   flexibly framing “realities” by avoiding  the “civil society trap”, the “car-window syndrome” and “development discourse infection” Our observations of “reality” … Continue reading →
• 3rd blogpost by Judith VerweijenFebruary 25, 2012
  The challenges of researching armed actors in Eastern DRC # 3: dealing with the positionality of the research subject and the verification of fact The universal problem of uncovering the … Continue reading →
• 2nd Blog Post by Judith VerweijenFebruary 10, 2012
  The challenges of researching armed actors in Eastern DRC: #2 Balancing the analysis of discourses and practices In general, human beings tend to justify their own acts, represent reality in … Continue reading →
• 1st Blog Post by Judith VerweijenFebruary 3, 2012
  The challenges of researching armed actors in Eastern DRC:  #1 overcoming sensationalism and exoticism   Certainly, it was the mixture of a deep fascination for the subject matter, an attraction … Continue reading →
• Researchers blogging about their field work in DR CongoOctober 25, 2011
  Read the blog posts written by Congolese and non-Congolese researchers reflecting about their fieldwork experiences in the DRC – go to the category ‘field notes’
• 3ieme post du bloggeur invite Pedro MonavilleSeptember 28, 2011
  Mise en abîme Des hommes surgissent dans un orphelinat isolé au milieu d’une clairière. Lourdement armés, ils sont résolus à s’emparer du groupe d’enfants hébergé par le missionnaire américain qui … Continue reading →
• 1st post by guest blogger Gillian MathysSeptember 21, 2011
  Two weeks ago I was talking to one of my favourite informants, in a village not that far away from Goma. The word ‘informant’ seems weird in this context, as … Continue reading →
• 2ieme post du bloggeur invite Pedro MonavilleSeptember 1, 2011
  Cinéma En marge de mon travail de terrain à Kinshasa, j’ai eu la chance de collaborer avec Cécile Michel, une amie photographe, à la réalisation d’un film documentaire en lien … Continue reading →
• 1st blog by guest blogger Prof. Dr. D. Iyele Katamu (translated from French)August 25, 2011
  THE REALM OF THOUGHT OF ANTOINE KOFFI OLOMIDE During our participation in the 2005 conference of the Institute on childhood and youth of the Council for the development of social … Continue reading →
• 1er post du bloggeur invite Pedro MonavilleAugust 21, 2011
  Sur le terrain kinois Où ancrer ces notes de terrain ? Mon travail sur l’histoire du mouvement étudiant congolais des années 1960 m’a emmené dans de nombreuses villes du Congo, dans … Continue reading →
• 4th entry by guest blogger Prof. Dr. Dieudonné Iyeli KatamuJuly 26, 2011
  LES CHANTS DES MILITAIRES CONGOLAIS   L’armée de la République Démocratique du Congo a une histoire riche en événements heureux et malheureux.  Cette armée vit depuis les indépendances les réalités … Continue reading →
• 3rd entry by guest blogger Prof. Dr. Dieudonné Iyeli KatamuJuly 19, 2011
  LA MUSIQUE CHRETIENNE EN REPUBLIQUE DEMOCRATIQUE DU CONGO   Notre recherche en cours porte sur la musique chrétienne en RDC. S’il y a assez d’écrits sur la musique « profane … Continue reading →
• 2nd entry by guest blogger Prof. Dr. Dieudonné Iyeli KatamuJuly 12, 2011
  LE FOLKLORE NTOMBA   Les Ntomba de Bikoro qui se situe à la province de l’Equateur en République Démocratique du Congo, ont été au cours de leur histoire des migrations … Continue reading →
• 3ieme et dernier rapport par bloggeur invite Peter Lambertz (traduction)July 12, 2011
      Kinshasa, 07/03/’11 Je réfléchis déjà à comment commencer cette troisième et dernière entrée. Je vois que je ne sais pas par où commencer, quoi dire et comment présenter … Continue reading →
• 1st entry by guest blogger Prof. Dr. Dieudonné Iyeli KatamuJuly 5, 2011
                                          LA PENSEE D’ANTOINE KOFFI OLOMIDE   Lors de notre participation aux … Continue reading →
• 2ieme rapport par bloggeur invite Peter Lambertz (traduction française)July 5, 2011
  Kingabwa, 20 Juin 2011 Mardi, sept heures. Il n’y a pas d’électricité. Ce qui signifie pas de café. La session de prière du matin d’à côté est terminée. J’ai maintenant … Continue reading →
• 1iere rapport par bloggeur invite Peter Lambertz (traduction française)July 5, 2011
  Dimanche 17 heures, Kingabwa, à table à l’extérieur de notre parcelle. Il n’y a personne autour, une situation bizarre. J’entends les oiseaux, les enfants jouent, quelqu’un répare une table à … Continue reading →
• 3rd and final post by guest blogger Peter LambertzJuly 5, 2011
  Kinshasa, 03.07.11 I am thinking about how to start this third and already last entry. I see the fact that I don’t know where to start, what to tell and … Continue reading →
• 2nd guest blogger Prof. Dr. Dieudonné Iyeli KatamuJuly 4, 2011
  Dieudonné IYELI KATAMU est né le 09 février 1971 à Bikoro en République Démocratique du Congo. Il a fait ses études primaires respectivement à l’Ecole primaire Upoto et à l’Ecole … Continue reading →
• 2nd entry by guest blogger Peter LambertzJune 22, 2011
  Kingabwa, 20. Juni 2011 Tuesday, seven o’clock. No electricity means no coffee. The morning prayer session from next door is over. And I am 30 now! Friday last week was … Continue reading →
• 1st entry by guest blogger Peter LambertzJune 13, 2011
  Sunday 5pm, Kingabwa, at a table outside on our compound. Noone around, a rare situation. I hear birds, children playing, someone repairing a table next door with a hammer and … Continue reading →
• 1st guest blogger Peter LambertzJune 13, 2011
  Peter Lambertz (*1981) Biography Born and raised in Eupen, Belgium, I studied History in Louvain-la-Neuve and Brussels (mémoire de licence on 13th century history of thought), then added an MA … Continue reading →
• Call for guest bloggersJune 10, 2011
  We want to include reports from researchers ‘in the field’. Therefore, we invite researchers to blog during one month about their ongoing research activities, both in DR Congo and elsewhere, … Continue reading →