Call for Applications: MIASA Publishing Workshop

The MIASA Publishing Workshop for African scholars, jointly organised by Africa Spectrum (published by the GIGA Institute for African Affairs) and the Contemporary Journal of African Studies (published by the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana), will take place on 14 and 15 December 2023 at the University of Ghana in Accra.

Objectives and Workshop Programme

The publishing workshop is designed to provide African scholars with in-depth feedback on advanced research papers with the aim of facilitating their submission to Africa Spectrum, the Contemporary Journal of African Studies, or possibly another suitable journal that centres on the study of Africa, without any obligation to publish. Workshop mentoring will be provided by experienced editors and associate editors of Africa Spectrum and the Contemporary Journal of African Studies.

The editors will share their insights into editorial work to demystify the submission and review processes of both journals and discuss publication strategies with the participants. The workshop will also enable participants to reflect on, discuss, and rethink imbalances in academic knowledge production on Africa. The two-day programme will combine reflections and plenary discussions with one-on-one feedback and mentoring.

To facilitate participation in the publishing workshop, successful applicants can be reimbursed for travel costs, accommodation, and – if applicable – visa costs (meals will be provided in the hotel and during the conference, we cannot pay per diem).

Deadline and Eligibility

The application deadline is 21 September 2023. Successful applicants will be notified in mid-October. Applicants should have an advanced research paper already composed. We invite applications from early-career researchers currently pursuing their PhD or up to six years after completion of their PhD who are studying or employed at a recognised university or research institute in Africa, and whose paper meets the following criteria:

• it offers original research on questions of sustainable governance, broadly conceived, related to the politics, societies, economics, and natural environments of Africa;

• it provides important, theoretically relevant, and methodologically rigorous research that promotes knowledge from an African-centred perspective.

No version of the paper can currently be submitted to or under review at another journal. All papers must be submitted in English, and successful applicants must be fluent in written and spoken English as there will be no translation during the workshop.

Application Documents

The application must include the following:

• a 150-word abstract of the research paper;

• a 3-page summary outlining the research question, its relationship to current debates, theoretical approaches, methods, and results of the research paper; and

• the applicant’s CV, with a maximum length of 5 pages.

Scholars can apply via this link. We encourage applicants not to submit their applications on deadline day to avoid potential technical difficulties. Inquiries should be directed to: [email protected].