
The Center for African Studies, part of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, and directed by Pr. Ali Benmakhlouf, is a teaching and a research center dedicated to research related to the African continent. More than just a traditional academic institution, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) is a platform for experimentation, a breeding ground for opportunities, which students refer to as a “School of Life”. Mohammed VI Polytechnic University is an institution oriented towards applied research and innovation with a focus on Africa. The university is engaged in economic and human development and puts research and innovation at the forefront of african development. Um6p is a hub of knowledge dedicated to research, high-level education and innovation to support the development of the continent. our university is also committed to an innovative pedagogical approach which places learning by experimentation and practice at the heart of training and research. Located in benguerir, near marrakech, in the heart of the mohammed vi green city, mohammed vi polytechnic university intends to shine on a national, continental and international scale. We are delighted to welcome new PhD researchers to UM6P – Center for African Studies (CAS) team! Amatou Allah MESBAH holds a Master of Research in Political Science from UM6P – Faculté de Gouvernance, Sciences Economiques et Sociales. Her PhD in Anthropology will focus on a microhistory of the Souss region in Morocco, explored through the work of Al Mokhtar Soussi. We’re thrilled to have Amatou Allah and Zineb join our team and look forward to the fresh perspectives and valuable contributions they will bring to our research community! Professor Ali Benmakhlouf, Director of UM6P – Center for African Studies (CAS) and Co-Director of UM6P – ACPPS, has been elected as a member of the Administrative Council of the International Institute of Philosophy (IIP) during their annual meeting held at the UM6P – University Mohammed VI Polytechnic campus in Benguerir from September 24 to 27. This honor recognizes his outstanding dedication to advancing philosophical thought and his meaningful contributions to the global academic community. We are delighted to welcome Wendell Marsh, Ph.D. as Associate Professor of African Literature and Philosophy at UM6P – Center for African Studies (CAS). He joins us from Rutgers University–Newark, where he taught for seven years in the Department of Africana Studies and helped build initiatives such as the “Islam, the Humanities, and the Human” working group and the exhibition Powers of the Unseen. Trained in intellectual history, comparative literature, and religious studies, his past research has centered on the life and works of the Senegalese Muslim polymath Shaykh Musa Kamara, culminating in his forthcoming book Textual Life: Islam, Africa, and the Fate of the Humanities (Columbia University Press, 2025). His current projects explore African textual traditions, philology, and the intersections of Islam, Africanity, and the humanities, while his future work aims to build digital and collaborative platforms for rethinking African intellectual legacies in global perspective. At UM6P, Professor Marsh will offer interdisciplinary courses in African thought, literature, and philosophy, and he looks forward to developing initiatives in Global Black Studies, digital philology, and cross-regional intellectual exchange between North and West Africa. The Center for African Studies (CAS) at UM6P is Lot 660, Hay Moulay Rachid Ben Guerir, 43150, Morocco +212668916320 CAS@um6p.ma The Center for African Studies -CAS-
Mohammed VI Polytechnic University
Welcome to The Team!
Zineb Yadane holds a Master’s degree in Cultural Studies: Cultures, Identities and Nationhood, and completed the Inspire Program by Cultur.Ed – Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique. Her PhD project will examine Morocco’s socio-cultural transformations through everyday practices and interactions, uncovering how subtle cultural gestures reflect broader postcolonial dynamics. UM6P Stars
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