Culture & Society
We carry out research on populations from Africa or with African roots, particularly Central Africa.
Our researchers work in various disciplines:
- linguistics
- anthropology
- musicology
- history
- art history.
- Staff
- Array
- Databases and scientific tools
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Linguistics
- Bantu Lexical Reconstructions
With nearly 10,000 entries and counting, Bantu Lexical Reconstructions is the world’s largest lexical database on the Bantu proto-language. Its updates depend directly on developments in comparative linguistics research.
- Comparative Pottery Vocabulary Database
This database offers an extensive collection of pottery vocabulary in the Bantu languages.
- Lexicostatistic study of Bantu languages
Data collected for:
Bastin Y., Coupez A. & Mann M. 1999. Continuity and Divergence in the Bantu languages: perspectives from a lexicostatistic study. Tervuren: Royal Museum for Central Africa.
Musicology
- Musical instruments
Consult our musical instruments. This entire collection was digitised and published online as part of the MIMO (Musical Instrument Museums Online) project.
- Audio recordings
DEKKMMA, database of the museum’s sound archives.
Social anthropology
The regularly updated RMCA Social Sciences and Humanities Documentation Centre (Centre de Documentation en Sciences Humaines et Sociales du MRAC) offers more than 50,000 references to articles and works that have been read and analysed.
Art
- Bantu Lexical Reconstructions
- Academic publications
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- Africana Linguistica
An international peer-reviewed journal.
- Tervuren Series for African Language Documentation and Description
Scientific collection for the dissemination of knowledge on African languages.
- Documents on Social Sciences and Humanities
Works of researchers, inventories and doctoral theses, in open access.
- Africana Linguistica
- External links
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- Stemmen van Afrika
Stemmen van Afrika is a website about African languages, created by a team of linguists and Africa experts. The website is in Dutch.
- Stemmen van Afrika