Lancaster University Ghana and the Richardson Institute of Lancaster University (UK) Joint Conference

CALL FOR PAPERS

Post-Development, Post-Democracy, Post-Colonial Legacies: Evolving Political Landscapes in the African Context

Lancaster University Ghana – ACCRA – Wednesday, May 24th

About conference

Lancaster University Ghana and the Richardson Institute invite proposals for papers that examine current scholarship and debates in all areas of African Studies. We welcome submissions from Africanist professionals and scholars at all stages of their careers. Proposals should focus on the conference theme: “Post-Development, Post-Democracy, Post-Colonial Legacies: Evolving Political Landscapes in the African Context”

Development, democracy and governance are at the core of debates on the role of African states and non-state actors in a rapidly evolving 21st century. How applicable are the models that they imply? How sustainable? This conference will first seek to address discussions on the diversifying investor and ‘donor’ landscape by interrogating how African states and non-state actors react to and appropriate changes in the development sphere including how they respond to the ‘arrival’ of ‘new’ players such as China and other emerging economies on the continent. The (non) traditional discourse on dependency and neo-imperialism requires an assessment in the light of the spread of developmentalism and the use of positive sovereignty by African leaders.

Furthermore, since the return to multi-party democracy across most of the continent in the 1990s, democratic governance has been on the agenda, including many successful and peaceful changes of power from one civilian regime to another. At the same time, many challenges remain: is democratic governance or multi-party elections translating into substantive gains in participatory governance where the electorate beyond the rituals of voting is truly involved in the governance process? Is there a link between democratic governance and socio-economic well-being, inclusive citizenship, equitable allocation of resources? This interdisciplinary international conference will seek to re-think the links between development, human emancipation, democracy and indigenous knowledge, in an attempt to address the challenges facing the African continent.

Conference Chairs:

Alice Judell – Lancaster University Ghana

Simon Mabon – Richardson Institute

Chris May – Lancaster University

Key Dates:

Abstract Submission Deadline – 10 March 2017

Confirmation of Paper Acceptance by Conference Chairs – 29 March 2017

Participant Registration Deadline – 5 April 2017

Full Paper Submission Deadline – 10 May 2017

Requirements for Acceptance

All proposals must be submitted on or before March 10, 2017. Proposals will be provisionally accepted or rejected within 3 weeks by the Conference Committee and notices will be sent out by email on March 29, 2017.

If your proposal is accepted, the conference registration MUST be confirmed by April 5, 2017.

Participation Rules
Each individual may make only one presentation: as a paper presenter.

Submission Procedures
The Conference Committee will review only complete proposals. Incomplete proposals will be automatically rejected. All proposals must be submitted by email at [email protected] Proposals must be submitted in English.

Individual Paper Proposals
The paper abstract should consist of a statement about the topic, the nature and extent of the research on which the paper is based, and a brief summary of the main argument(s) (a maximum of 200 words). The quality of the paper abstract is the main criterion for acceptance. The Conference Committee will create panels from individual submissions with common themes and identify a panel chair and a discussant.

Letters of Invitation
Lancaster University Ghana will provide a letter of invitation to assist individuals in expediting visas and securing funding. A request for a letter of invitation can be made by email at [email protected] If you need a letter of invitation, you should submit a request at the same time you submit your paper.