CFP: Academic Freedom in Africa Book

The Quest for Academic Freedom in Africa: The Struggle Rages on

Call for Book Chapter Abstracts

Edited by

Garton Kamchezera1, Asiyati Chiweza2, Yamikani Ndasauka3

1. Faculty of Law, University of Malawi

2. Faculty of Social Science, University of Malawi

3. Faculty of Humanities, University of Malawi

Introduction

Academic freedom is the freedom to teach and research in any area without constraint. In addition, academic freedom seems to require something more; that society provides conditions in which new ideas can be generated, nurtured, and freely exchanged. Currently, fourteen of the fifty-five African countries make specific references or explicitly recognise ‘academic freedom’ in their constitutions. In most of these constitutions, ‘academic freedom’ is linked with freedom of expression and incorporated in the chapter on fundamental rights and freedoms. Although enshrined in the constitutions, academics in most African countries have experienced infringement of these freedoms in practice. As political and other hegemonic powers and classes in Africa attempt to grapple with global and internal politico-economic crises and good governance demands, intellectual freedom often come under serious threats. As they attempt to stifle active citizenry, repressive elements of the state often invoke dictatorial strategies that put academics, research, teaching, and learning at risk.

Academic freedom is essential for unadulterated teaching and research, which informs development as intellectuals are important catalysers for democratic consolidation and dispensation. For instance, in 2021, Africa witnessed the deterioration of democratisation by coups in Niger, Chad, Mali, Guinea and Sudan. In Sudan, the academic community formed a vocal and prominent group as part of civil society protests against the power grab. If left unprotected and unguarded, these intellectual freedoms, especially in Africa, will deteriorate and reverse gains made towards democratisation. Yet scholarship on this critical subject seems stagnant, scanty, and sporadic in Africa. This book project draws from recent and past events that have infringed or promoted academic freedom in Africa. It also seeks to leverage progress and strides in protecting these freedoms in Africa. This book invites scholars from various disciplines interested in the theme of academic freedom.

Themes

1.     Concepts of intellectual freedom and popular protest in Africa.

2.     Academic freedoms and development in Africa.

3.     Popular resistance, rights, and public security.

4.     The active citizenry, civic duty, and academic freedom.

5.     Leadership styles, forms of organisations, and academic freedom

6.     African moral theory and academic freedom.

7.     Academic freedom and growth of democracy in Africa.

8.     Indigenous knowledge systems and academic freedom in Africa.

9.     State practices and barriers to academic freedom.

10.Literature and language associated with academic freedom in Africa.

Submission Procedure

Scholars are invited to submit a 300-word abstract. Authors should also include the title of the proposed chapter, author(s) name(s), affiliation(s) and corresponding author’s email address. All submitted chapters will be double-blind peer-reviewed. Abstracts should be submitted to [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected].

Important Dates

29th July 2022:                  Abstract submission deadline

12th August 2022:              Notification of acceptance of abstracts

30th November 2022:         Draft Chapter Submission

15th March 2023:               Revised Chapter Submission

30th June 2023:                 Final Chapter Submission

30th August 2023:              Publication of Book

About the Editors

Garton Kamchedzera holds a PhD from Cambridge University, an LLM in Law and Development from Warwick University, and an LLB (Hons) from the University of Malawi. As a legal educationist and scholar, he has taught at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels at the Universities of Malawi, Cambridge, Warwick, and Ghent in Child Rights, Family Law, The Law of Trusts, Property Law, Core Legal Competences, Customary Law, Environmental Ethics, Civil Society and Activism, Intellectual Property Law, and Research Methods. He has researched and consulted in Botswana, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia, Finland, Nicaragua, Uganda, Liberia, Rwanda, Iraq, and Afghanistan. His publications include Article 5: The Child’s Right to Appropriate Direction and Guidance (The Hague; Brill International, 2012) and Trust-based Programming for Child Rights (Book due in 2022). He has been guest editor of the East African Law Journal and is the current editor of the Journal of Law and Social Justice.

Asiyati Chiweza is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political and Administrative Studies at the University of Malawi. She holds a PhD in Public Administration from Curtin University, Australia, a Master of Public Administration degree from Dalhousie University, Canada, and a Bachelor of Social Science degree from the University of Malawi. She has served as a co-editor of Beyond Impunity: New Directions for Governance in Malawi. She has also authored several book chapters and journal articles, including African Affairs, the Journal of African and Asian Studies, Journal of Contemporary Management, Malawi Journal of Humanities, Development in Practice and Public Administration and Development Alternatives. Her main research interests and expertise are local governance and development, gender and governance, and public sector ethics and governance.

Yamikani Ndasauka is an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Malawi. His research interests are in philosophy, applied ethics and mental health. He is an active researcher and has published extensively in international journals and contributed book chapters to numerous books. In addition, he has co-edited a book titled Addiction in South and East Africa: Interdisciplinary Approaches. He is the current Editor-In-Chief for the Journal of Humanities at the University of Malawi. Dr Ndasauka holds a Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Science and Technology of China, a Master of Research in Philosophy degree from the University of East Anglia, a Master of Arts in Applied and Professional Ethics degree from the University of Leeds and a Bachelor’s of Arts (Humanities) degree from the University of Malawi.