Axel Fanego Palat Fleisch

Prof. Axel Fanego Palat Fleisch holds the Chair of African Studies at Goethe University Frankfurt since 2018. As Managing Director of the Institute, he focuses on linguistic research with expertise in Bantu languages, migration linguistics, and African cultural studies. His career includes positions at the University of Helsinki (2008–2018), Leipzig, and Berkeley. He completed his PhD (2000) on Lucazi, an Angolan Bantu language, at Cologne University, followed by postdoctoral research in California.

• Research Interests: Language & Identity, Migratory Linguistics, Postcolonial Discourse Analysis
• Regional Specializations: Southern Africa, Portuguese-speaking Africa, Morocco/Kenya/Ethiopia

Current projects include LOEWE-funded minority studies (2020–2023) examining Berber speakers in the Rhine-Main region, and a DAAD-partnered linguistic development initiative with Addis Ababa University. He co-leads the 'Africa makes schools' outreach program and participates in interdisciplinary networks like ZIAF.

Key publications explore conceptual history in Africa, Amazigh linguistic repertoires, and Ndebele language diversity. His work bridges descriptive linguistics with critical social theory, addressing media representations and academic discourses about Africa.