Dr Cyrielle Maingraud-Martinaud

Researcher & Deputy Director, IFRA-Nigeria

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A doctor in political science from Sciences Po Bordeaux (2018) and the deputy director of IFRA-Nigeria since 2019, my research interest lie at the intersection of identity politics and the methodological and epistemological challenges of digital humanities.

My PhD research was conducted between 2013 and 2018 in Tanzania. I’ve analyzed the ways in which the liberalization of the 1980s and the return to multipartism in 1990s have been articulated to a reconfiguration of identity politics in a semi-competitive context. By means of an ethnographic-type qualitative survey, as well as semi-structured interviews carried out in four districts of mainland Tanzania, my focus has been on the dynamics of identity politics (religion and ethnicity) in contemporary Tanzanian politics. 

As a researcher at IFRA-Nigeria, I started reflecting on the various methodological and epistemological challenges of the digital humanities projects I was involved in. I followed a training at the University of Geneva in 2021 in order to reinforce my understanding and capabilities to conduct and interrogate DH projects, especially the relational power dynamics that undergird the making of digital archiving projects as well their long term challenges. 

My current project aims at using digital tools to map out, research and analyse the rich history and diverse aesthetics of religious sites in Ibadan. I am coordinating a team of a dozen researchers and we have been using ArcGIS to work on an interactive map that will be released for public use late 2023 or early 2024. We are also working with photo and videographers to document this rich heritage, make it accessible and analyzable for future generations of artists, academics and citizens. 

In the meantime, as the deputy director of IFRA Nigeria, I am taking part to the administration of the Institute, along with the organisation of academic events such as guest lectures, book launches, conferences, etc. Finally, I participate actively in the training activities of IFRA, by organizing and teaching within methodological workshops and masterclasses.