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ANU Africa Network
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This website was established in 2013 by David Lucas, and renovated and relaunched in 2020 as part of a project to increase awareness of Africa and African studies in the ANU and the ACT, funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Another outcome of that project was a major research report, published in August 2021, African Studies at the Australian National University and in the Australian Capital Territory, analyzing the past, present and future of the study of Africa at the Australian National University and the wider Australian University sector.
The major innovation on this updated website is the creation of the ACT Africa Expert Directory which lists experts on Africa from institutions around the ACT, primarily the ANU. We will continue to curate this list, offering a key resource for media, government and non-government organizations seeking expert facts and opinions on Africa. Individuals can request to be added to the list by contacting the website managers.
Another notable addition is the expanded directory of PhD theses on Africa produced in the territory’s universities, a solid measure of the vitality of the study of Africa in the city of Canberra.
Reviewing these directories, it is revealing to note that the vast majority of research on Africa is produced by disciplinary experts (environmental scientists, economists, demographers, etc.) rather than area studies experts. This means that the study of Africa is woven into the fabric of the research culture of the ANU and the ACT’s other universities in ways that are not necessarily apparent.
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A public panel discussion, ‘State fragility and how to escape it’,
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A public panel discussion, ‘State fragility and how to escape it’, will be held on Friday 29 November 4:30-6pm, at Molonglo Theatre, Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU
For more details including registration see https://devpolicy.crawford.anu.edu.au/department-news/15492/state-fragility-and-how-escape-it?utm_source=Devpolicy&utm_campaign=eaf9a7f704-Devpolicy+News+Dec+15+2017_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_082b498f84-eaf9a7f704-250032321
‘About half of the world’s poor live in fragile and conflict-affected states. The governments in these countries lack the legitimacy and capacity to provide protection and deliver the jobs, public services, and opportunities their people need. The perils of state fragility are not constrained to national boundaries. It also drives mass migration, trafficking and terrorism. However, despite increasing attention by domestic and international actors, the outcomes of interventions in addressing fragility have been mixed and often counterproductive.’
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, this panel discusses 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 of Public Policy, ANU.
Panellists are:
Dr Nematullah Bizhan, Lecturer at the Development Policy Centre, ANU.
Saku Akmeemana, Principal Specialist for Governance, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Dr Bilal Malaeb, postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Global Affairs at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
The panel will be chaired by Professor Stephen Howes, Professor of Economics and Director of the Development Policy Centre, ANU
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AFSAAP 2019
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AFSAAP Conference 2019
“Africa: Diversity and Development”, 26 – 27 November 2019University of Otago campus
Sessions in the draft program include:
Historical Perspectives, Education, Conservation and Inclusivity, African Migrants in Australia, Politics, Literacy and Language, Livelihoods and Food, Security, Health, Geopolitics, Culture, Art and Literature,
Peace and Conflict, Migration and Health, Mining, Development Issues;
Gender/Sexuality: Violence and Activism, Development, Land Politics,
Tourism.Roundtable Panel: ‘Australian Mining Interests in Africa’.
Workshop: ‘Creating an online
glossary/wiki for terms that reflect African ways of knowing, being and
doing human rights’KEYNOTE LECTURES
Marcelle Dawson: “Some of my Best Friends are White’: Allies and Affinities in African Studies”
Bob Huish: “The Place of “Past Oncologies” in Global Health Today: Chronicles of Cancer in Africa”
Elizabeth Rankin: “Monumental Manipulations: Reshaping Visual Heritage in South Africa’s Public Domain”
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The 2016 Zambian Elections and the Role of the International Community
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African Studies Reading Group, Thursday 21 November 17:00
Lady Wilson Room, Sir Roland Wilson Building, 120 McCoy CircuitTHE 2016 ZAMBIAN ELECTIONS AND THE ROLE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
Zambia had long been hailed as a model in the region so hopes were (naively) high that the 2016 presidential election was going to be undertaken in the true spirit of democracy – but that was not to be. This presentation describes how various actions taken by the ruling party appeared to have been copied directly from a “Dictator’s Handbook” on “how to rig an election”, just as used in other countries, including Uganda and Zimbabwe. A charade was played out, of pretending to follow international standards while at the same time, and often in plain sight, many blatant irregularities and major transgressions against accepted electoral practices occurred. There were also abuses of constitutional processes after the elections. The result was the end of the Rule of Law in Zambia.The role of the international community before, during and after the elections is described and analysed and an attempt is made to explain why observer mission “referees” handed out the equivalent of “yellow” and even “green” cards, in stark contrast to the international commentators who produced “red cards”. It was as if they had officiated at different games.
Margaret O’Callaghan is a Canberra-based independent scholar, former Visiting Fellow at ANU’s Crawford School of Public Policy and a former United Nations Population Fund representative to Zambia.
All welcome. Refreshments provided.