Journal of Southern African Studies: 50 Years of Studying Southern Africa

In 2024 JSAS marks 50 years since its founding. Much has changed in the study and scholarship of Southern Africa. The countries, disciplines and topics we study are far more diverse – as is our authorship and readership. We are sponsoring this stream alongside other events in southern Africa, to celebrate that growth and change, while also providing a moment to look back at significant texts and writers which have shaped our understandings. We invite panels and papers which reflect critically on the study of southern Africa in the fields of history, economics, sociology, demography, social anthropology, geography, development studies, administration, law, political science, political economy, international relations, literature, cultural studies, and the natural sciences in so far as they relate to the human condition.  We welcome inter-disciplinary analysis, strong comparative perspectives and original research that reflects new theoretical or methodological approaches.

Themes and topics might include but are not limited to: the Rise and Fall and Rise of Agrarian Studies in Southern Africa; Liberation movements, resistance, violence, soldiers’ narratives, film and political ephemera; Migration, borders and citizenship; Gender & sexuality, Women’s labour, Youth, Masculinity, Motherhood; Environment, conservation, land degradation, ecology, alien species; Politics, law, legislation, democratization, power and leadership; Urban space, livelihoods, informal economies, and transformation; Health, healing, HIV/AIDs, Covid; Literature, reading cultures, and the production of books; Communication, media and social media.

We particularly welcome proposals from early career scholars, and will have some funding available to assist with attendance by scholars from southern Africa. Please send queries to the JSAS editor Sara Dorman <Sara.Dorman@ed.ac.uk>.