The Regional Studies Association invites contributions for a special issue of our blog focused on Space and Place Perspectives from Africa. This initiative aims to explore concepts of territory, place, and spatial relations, specifically examining how they are understood from micro, national, or continental perspectives.
The goal of this special issue is to highlight African epistemologies of regional development that share concepts and terminology from regional languages that shape the understanding of community, space, territory, governance, and regional development. We are particularly interested in how these frameworks can inform alternative approaches to regional policy and development practices.
Key Questions
Contributors are encouraged but not limited to address one or more of these nuanced questions:
- How do spatial conceptualizations challenge or complement dominant theoretical frameworks in regional studies?
- What terminology in the national languages expresses regional concepts and the challenges of losing context while translating into languages like English??
- What terminology in the national languages expresses regional concepts, and what challenges arise in translating them into other academic language frameworks?
- In what ways have colonial legacies shaped regional boundaries and governance, and how are communities reclaiming or reimagining these spaces?
- How do oral traditions, customary practices, and indigenous knowledge systems inform contemporary regional development policies and practices?
- What role do traditional authorities play in regional governance alongside formal state institutions?
- How are climate change, resource extraction, and global economic forces being navigated through native/indigenous regional frameworks?
- What can global discourse on regional development learn from African approaches to collective welfare and spatial justice?
Multi-scalar Approach
We welcome perspectives that critically examine regional concepts across multiple scales, including:
- Continental frameworks (e.g., African Union, African Continental Free Trade Area)
- Regional economic communities (e.g., ECOWAS, EAC, SADC)
- Cross-border cultural regions that transcend colonial boundaries
- Indigenous territorial systems and their relationship with modern administrative boundaries
- Rural-urban linkages and peri-urban transformations
- Community-level spatial organizations and their integration with broader governance
structures
Deadline: Submissions are due by 30th June 2025
Find the guidelines here.