Gabriel André wins the Foundation for the Memory of Slavery’s Thesis Prize 2026

The School of Research warmly congratulates Gabriel André, PhD in Political Science, who has been awarded the 2026 Thesis Prize by the Foundation for the Memory of Slavery (FME) for his research on the contemporary legacies of slavery in Fouta-Djallon, Guinea.

A former student of the École normale supérieure (ENS Ulm), Gabriel André defended his doctoral thesis in September 2025 following four years of research at the Centre for International Research (CERI) at Sciences Po, under the supervision of Richard Banégas.

His thesis, Historicités de l’esclavage, prestige politique et légitimité islamique au Fouta-Djallon (Guinée), explores the links between post-slavery, political Islam, historical imaginaries and claims to identity in this region of Guinea.

To carry out this research, Gabriel André drew on a long-term field study, involving five research stays between 2021 and 2024, totalling nearly six months in the field. His work demonstrates, in particular, how the legacies of slavery continue to shape contemporary social and political relations between the descendants of slaves and the descendants of slave-owners.

Since September 2024, Gabriel André has also been a full-time Temporary Teaching and Research Assistant (ATER) at Sciences Po Lille, where he teaches the sociology of international relations, comparative politics and social science methods.

The FME Thesis Prize, which each year recognises research in the humanities and social sciences on the history of the slave trade, slavery and abolition, or their contemporary consequences, thus honours the originality and quality of this work.

Our warmest congratulations to Gabriel André on this honour!

Find out more:

• About Gabriel André
• The PhD in Political Science
• The Centre for International Research (CERI)
• Announcement of the winners of the 2026 FME Thesis Prize