About the BAB Publishing House
The BAB Publishing House has been publishing scholarly works on southern Africa, especially Namibia, since 1971. Its thematic emphases are oriented towards the humanities and social sciences. The BAB Publishing House seeks to promote cultural exchange and engagement regarding important contemporary historical issues and, in particular, to provide African scholars with a platform. Our (cultural-)historical, political and anthropological publications are aimed at international academic audiences as well as engaged readers broadly interested in Africa.
BAB was founded by Carl Schlettwein in 1971, and has been under the auspices of the Carl Schlettwein Foundation since 1994. It is an associate member of the University of Basel’s Centre for African Studies (CASB) and regularly offers courses in the Department of History. BAB works closely with the Swiss Society for African Studies (SSAS) and the network of European Librarians in African Studies (ELIAS). It maintains strong ties with archives, libraries and research institutes in southern Africa.
Basler Afrika Bibliographien (BAB) is a centre of documentation and expertise on Namibia and southern Africa, located in Basel, Switzerland. The institution comprises an archive, a specialist library and a publishing house, in addition to offering scholarly, cultural and socio-political events.
Its books and documents on Namibia are of international renown, and are known among experts as the most comprehensive documentation outside of Namibia. Among its holdings is a collection of rare books with volumes on Africa going back to the 16th century, a large collection of African posters and extensive historical archives of images, sound recordings, manuscripts and ephemera. Its collections are complemented by scholarly publication activities.
The archive and library holdings may be searched online and consulted on site. Specific research requests are expertly addressed by a team of scholarly staff. Publishing house titles may be ordered online.
Address and opening hours (2025)
Basler Afrika Bibliographien (BAB)
Klosterberg 23, 4051 Basel, Switzerland
Opening Hours: Mondays closed; Tuesday to Friday, 10-13 and 14-17