Cooperating countries: Senegal, Austria

Coordinating institution: University of Graz

Project coordinator: Jennifer Brunner, PhD, MA, MA, BA

Partner institutions: Institut Fondamental d’Afrique Noire Cheikh Anta Diop, Centre de Recherche et de Documentation du Sénégal –
Saint-Louis

Project duration: 01.09.2026-31.08.2028

Budget: 32.880,00 €

More than 200 recordings, 250 unidentified objects, and thousands of pages of unpublished manuscripts, letters, and slides make up the heterogeneous legacy of Austrian linguist Walter Pichl. His influential work in West Africa during the 1960s and 1970s remains largely inaccessible – especially to researchers and practitioners in the Global South – and is intertwined with colonial ideologies and broader structures of historical injustice. This project seeks to transform that legacy and reshape research relations between Senegal and Austria. By re-examining and responsibly recontextualizing Pichl’s Senegal-related materials, an international and interdisciplinary team aims to promote a more equitable academic environment and strengthen long-term partnerships in education and research. Opening access to these materials fills major archival gaps in both countries and supports experts working within the education system. Since multilingualism is essential to inclusive and high-quality education, these primary linguistic resources can enrich curricula, inform teaching materials, and help educators engage students in the languages they know and value. The five ethnolinguistic communities highlighted – Noon, Paloor, Laalaa, Ndut, and Safeen – are minority groups with limited visibility, although several of their languages have recently been recognized as national languages. The project will further increase their visibility and support their inclusion in national and development initiatives. The examination of Pichl’s object collection is also highly relevant to heritage and provenance research, the restitution debate, and contemporary Senegalese art. By processing, contextualizing, and returning these materials to the communities and institutions of origin, the project reinforces research networks between Austria and Senegal and deepens collaboration with Senegalese scholars. Four PhD candidates from both countries contribute legal, educational, visual, and archival expertise, ensuring meaningful reintegration of the materials and building a sustainable foundation for future joint research aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals 4, 10, and 17.