Elísio S. Macamo was born and raised in Xai-Xai, where he also attended primary and secondary school. He graduated in translation and interpretation from the Instituto Médio de Línguas in Maputo and from the University of Salford, England. At the University of North London he also did an MA in sociology and social policies. He received his PhD in general sociology, social anthropology and African literature in English at the University of Bayreuth, Germany, where he also did his aggregation in general sociology and sociology of development. Since 2009 he has been professor of sociology and African studies at the University of Basel, Switzerland, starting as assistant professor, moving to associate professor in 2015 and full professor in 2017. He has been director of the Center for African Studies at the same university and head of the social sciences department. He is currently also co-director of the Pilot Academy for Postgraduate Studies in African Studies at the Point-Sud Institute in Bamako with funding from the German "Gerda Henkel" Foundation. By Ethale Publishing he has released the book Governar e Pensar, in 2021.
