Panel organised by Daniele Cantini (University of Halle), Amal Abdrabo (Alexandria University), Bouchra Sidi Hida (Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), and David Mills (Oxford University) at the 17th EASA conference, Belfast, 26-29 July 2022

 

This panel asks how the pandemic has transformed anthropological practice in Africa and its global interconnectedness. The practice of anthropology in Africa continues to face processes of extraversion and marginalization, with geographical dependencies that are being challenged but also reworked in new ways.

One theme is on how the pandemic has affected Africa-based anthropologists, their access to networks and resources, and the very possibility of doing research and teach? How does it limit African researchers’ opportunities for global networking, and is online communication replacing face-to-face networking? Are African universities supporting digital conference attendance, and how does this reshape knowledge production?

The making of anthropology on Africa from elsewhere is also changing, not only as a consequence of travel restrictions, but also through a disciplinary re-orientation that critiques extractivism and prioritises collaboration and equity. In which ways are international research projects, conferences and publication projects adapting to these transformations? And what is the impact of increased quantification of research outputs and impact?

The pandemic is showing how societies across the continent (and beyond) are creatively coping with the unprecedented emergency. This panel welcomes papers exploring how anthropologists working in and on the continent are coping creatively and negotiating existing institutional and disciplinary hegemonies.

To propose a paper, click here.