Africa : Connections and Disruptions

The 2018 Summer School will be aligned with the ECAS 8 theme of Africa : Connections and Disruptions. This highlights both long-term continuities as well as moments of rupture across a number of specific domains, from cultural production to environmental change to politics. The Summer School will focus on some of the discontinuous processes of socio-economic transformation. Secondly, the theme points to the many points of connection within, between, and beyond Africa that have helped to shape the specific patterns of continuity and rupture. This, in turn, encourages us to reflect on the epistemic categories that we deploy as scholars within African Studies. The Summer School welcomes contributions that are based on fresh empirical data, but also invites reflections on the knowledge that is produced about Africa and about possible connections that might transcend conventional understandings of temporality, space and causality. The Summer School is intended to serve as a ‘feeder’ for the ECAS conference and it is anticipated that the participants will use their contributions as an opportunity to think about what they contribute as panels and presentations at ECAS 8.

The following are some of the specific sub-themes that the Summer School will address, although this should not be considered as definitive or exhaustive :

1. Critical junctures in African history
2. Changing forms of politics : local and global
3. Borders, mobilities, and globalisation
4. Securitisation and (dis)order
5. Infrastructures and power
6. Value chains, consumption and risk
7. Environmental problems, mobility and migration
8. Representing Africa : culture and critique
9. Connected and disrupted – cybercultures in Africa

EXTENDED DEADLINE 4 FEBRUARY 2018.

For more details, please write to :
Local Organizing Committee : CagliariSummerSchool@gmail.com