News
/ Forschung, Doktorat
Call: Writing Workshop 'Emerging Scholars & New Research in Southern Africa'
The four-day writing workshop at the University of Namibia (7-10 July 2020) is open to early career scholars with an affiliation to the ZASB.
The University of Namibia, in collaboration with the Journal of Southern African Studies (JSAS, UK) and the Centre for African Studies, University of Basel (ZASB), will host a four-day Early Career Writing Workshop on 7-10 July 2020 at the University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia.
The aim of the workshop is to provide an opportunity for early career scholars to present papers for discussion and eventual publication in JSAS. Participants will bring papers on various aspects of the Southern African region, the Journal’s mandate. The region embraces South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Angola and Mozambique, with some coverage of Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Mauritius.
Papers are welcomed in the disciplines covered by JSAS, that is, history, economics, sociology, demography, social anthropology, geography, development studies, administration, law, political science, political economy, international relations, literature, cultural studies and archaeology, as well as the natural sciences in so far as they relate to the human condition.
Aims of the workshop
The workshop is a key platform for capacity development in the region. It seeks to contribute to the development of a new cadre of scholars who would be actively involved in writing and publishing. It will use a one-on-one mentoring approach through which participants will work with experienced Journal editors to facilitate submission of papers to the Journal of Southern African Studies. The workshop is expected to bring together about 30 participants from Namibia, Angola, the SADC region and Switzerland.
The workshop aims to stimulate new thinking in African Studies and encourage the writing of high-quality academic papers. The selection committee is made up of leading scholars from and on the southern African region, including members of the JSAS Advisory Board based in the region. The committee will seek original research and critical thinking. We do not want policy-oriented papers that only describe the results of small-scale studies. Instead we want papers that show the value of such empirical studies for broader societal issues, including analysis of their political, economic and human consequences. During the workshop, participants may also present their papers alongside established scholars from the JSAS board, where papers will be presented and critiqued in an egalitarian atmosphere that will promote new ways of understanding the problems and opportunities facing southern Africans today. All emerging scholars who aim to publish in JSAS will also receive mentoring after the workshop, up to the point of submitting their papers.
Requirements
The workshop is open to early-career scholars, broadly defined (PhD students, post-doctoral scholars, lecturers, and possibly those who have completed, or nearly completed, an outstanding Masters degree).
Those who have already published two or three articles in international journals, or have had an article accepted for publication in JSAS, are not eligible.
The majority of places are reserved for scholars resident in Namibia, and scholars normally resident in Namibia who are temporarily based elsewhere in southern Africa. Applications from other scholars resident in southern Africa, and scholars with an attachment to the Centre of African Studies, University of Basel (ZASB), will also be considered. For questions regarding eligibility, kindly contact Pascal Schmid (pascal.schmid@clutterunibas.ch) or Dag Henrichsen (dh@clutterbaslerafrika.ch).
Funding
Funding is available only for successful applicants who are based at universities that do not fund workshop attendance. We will not pay travel and accommodation costs for scholars based in Windhoek.
Successful applicants who are members of the Basel Graduate Network African Studies may apply to the ZASB for a financial contribution.
How to apply
Initial applications should be sent by 31 December 2019, followed by a draft article by 30 January 2020.
Initial applications should consist of:
- An abstract of your article
- A CV (2 pages)
- A covering letter, describing your goals for the workshop and, if applicable, your need for funding.
Your draft article forms part of your application, and must be submitted by 30 January 2020.
Please send preliminary applications to:
- Napandulwe Shiweda at nshiweda@unam.na and
- Lyn Schumaker at lynschumaker@yahoo.co.uk
- with a copy to Saara Kamati at skamati@unam.na
by 31 December 2019, and article drafts to the same addresses by 30 January 2020.
Notification of acceptance will take place in March 2020.
Commitment
All successful applicants will be required to work further on their papers, with the help of a JSAS mentor, between April and June 2020, with a second draft to be submitted by 8 June 2020. They will also be required to work on their paper after the workshop, in order to prepare it for publication in JSAS.
Contact
For further information, please contact Saara Kamati at skamati@clutterunam.na
