Africa Studies coursework resumes at ANU after several decades

When the Development Studies major at was set up at ANU around 1981, regional specialisations included Africa, East Asia and SE Asia. John Ballard taught a course in Post-Colonial Politics in Africa and the Pacific and Ian Hancock taught one in African History. Also Geography and Anthropology courses had substantial African material although Geography later dropped its regional courses. Africa became unviable by the end of the 1980’s, when Ian and John moved to other courses.

POLS3030,  an undergraduate course offered in Second Semester, 2020 by the School of Politics and International Relations, seems to have started quite recently. The Course Convener is Dr Richard Frank.

Conflict and change in sub-Saharan Africa

 ‘This class explores the issues, ideas, and trends that shape the politics of sub-Saharan Africa, across almost 50 countries and a billion people. Unlike what often appears in the press, Africa is not all conflict, famine, and state collapse. This class offers an overview of both successful and unsuccessful cases of political and economic development in this region and seeks to answer a number of questions including: What are the legacies of colonial rule? Why do some African countries suffer political violence more frequently than other countries within Africa or without? Why has democracy been consolidated in certain African countries but regressed or collapsed in others? What accounts for the failures and successes of African countries’ economic development? How have international actors and events affected African politics and society?’

See: https://programsandcourses.anu.edu.au/2020/course/POLS3040

Research on Africa at the Crawford School, aNU

CRAWFORD SCHOOL RESEARCH PROJECTS

The Individual Deprivation Measure (IDM)
Helen Suich of the Crawford School leads the IDM country study in South Africa. Her research focuses on issues of poverty alleviation, examining the impacts of rural development interventions on multidimensional poverty and vulnerability. See
http://individualdeprivationmeasure.org/
An international conference will be held in 2020.
https://www.individualdeprivationmeasure.org/conference2020/

State Fragility
By building on seven in-depth country case studies, three of which are in Africa (Burundi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone ) the other four being Afghanistan, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Papua New Guinea) and recent developments in the field, a 2019 panel discussed dimensions of state fragility and pathways that can help to escape fragility. This event is part of an ongoing research project on state fragility at the Development Policy Centre, Crawford School, ANU.

Livestock, aquaculture and sustainable food security policy
Robyn Alders is a senior consulting fellow with the Chatham House Centre on Global Health Security focusing on policy opportunities to support sustainable livestock and aquaculture strategy implementation and sustainable food and nutrition security. Robyn is also an honorary professor with the Development Policy Centre within the Australian National University. She is currently involved with a Chatham House research project in Nigeria. Also with Chatham House she’s involved with One Health Food Security Policy research. She is also the Chair of the Kyeema Foundation which has a regional office in Mozambique and development projects being implemented in Mozambique and Uganda.

Robyn has recently co-authored ‘The global institutional
landscape of food and agriculture’. Chatham House Discussion Paper 265, https://ecdpm.org/wp-content/uploads/Global-Institutional-Landscape-Food-Agriculture-How-To-Achieve-SDG2-ECDPM-Discussion-Paper-265-With-Chatham-House.pdf

 

Poetry by Ian Iqbal Rashid and Omar Sakr

Date & time

Mon 09 Dec 2019, 5.30pm

Location

SRWB Theatrette, Sir Roland Wilson Building, ANU

 

The Humanities Research Centre and the Freilich Project are honoured to host an evening of poetry and short films exploring the complexities of sexuality, culture, faith and identity. Ian Iqbal Rashid,  born in Tanzania of Indian Muslim background, will be reading selections from his poetry collections as well as new writing, and screening two early short films, Surviving Sabu and Stag, with a response from Omar Sakr, one of Australia’s most prominent young poets, who will also share his poetry.

For more information and see

https://freilich.anu.edu.au/events/ian-iqbal-rashid-and-omar-sakr

 

 

Clive Williams on ‘Poaching and wildlife crime in southern Africa’

Date & time
6–7pm Wednesday 4 December 2019

Venue
Fellows Road Lecture Theatre 2, Building 6, ANU College of Law, 6 Fellows Road, Acton

‘This presentation looks at wildlife crime in southern Africa, with particular focus on South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe – drawing from Professor Williams’ recent research visit to the area. The presentation also looks at why the international illegal trade in wildlife is estimated to be worth US$23 billion a year, who facilitates it, and who benefits.’

For more information see
https://law.anu.edu.au/event/seminar/poaching-and-wildlife-crime-southern-africa