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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250711
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250713
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SUMMARY:July 2025 APN and Next Gen Research Proposal Development Workshop: Ébène\, Mauritius
DESCRIPTION:The Social Science Research Council’s (SSRC) African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation (Next Gen) Social Sciences in Africa Program\, in collaboration with the University of Mauritius\, held a Regional Proposal Development (RPD) Workshop from July 11 to July 12\, 2025. Over a dozen participants from universities in Mauritius and neighboring Madagascar attended the two-day workshop\, which was designed to provide opportunities for producing high-quality\, internationally competitive research proposals and improve their chances of winning grants and fellowship award\, while expanding opportunities for professional development through mentorship by highly experienced mentors from different parts of the world. \nMrs. Christina Chan Meetoo\, Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication at the University of Mauritius and Chair of the University of Mauritius Local Organizing Committee (LOC)\, joined by Dr. Nicolas Ragodoo\, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities and a workshop session facilitator\, delivered the opening remarks. They expressed gratitude to Professor Françoise Driver\, SSR Chair of African Studies\, Dr. Vidushi Neergheen\, Director of the Doctoral School at the University of Mauritius\, representatives from the Mauritius Higher Education Commission\, the workshop’s mentors\, and the members of the SSRC team. They also commended the diversity and quality of the research proposals submitted by workshop participants. The proposals covered critical themes such as peacebuilding\, climate resilience\, digital innovation\, and gender justice\, reflecting the dynamism of African scholarship. \nDr. Cyril Obi\, Program Director of the APN and Next Gen Program\, followed with welcoming remarks\, firstly acknowledging the distinguished guests\, the University of Mauritius\, and local partners for hosting the workshop and welcoming scholars from Mauritius and Madagascar. He introduced the SSRC’s century-long mission of promoting interdisciplinary social research globally and highlighted its long-standing commitment to African scholarship and research excellence through initiatives like the APN and Next Gen program. He likened a research proposal to a personal statement of intent\, iterating the goals of the Research Proposal Development Workshop: to guide scholars in the process of refining and strengthening their research proposals\, making them more compelling and internationally competitive. Mauritius\, he noted\, presents a unique opportunity for the SSRC to bridge connections between mainland and island Africa\, while offering important lessons in conflict prevention and social cohesion. He concluded by encouraging participants to use the workshop as a space for professional growth\, collaboration\, networking and deeper engagement with mentors and peers. \nDr. Neergheen expressed deep appreciation to the program and workshop organizers for their commitment towards nurturing the next generation of African scholars\, deeply resonant with the mission of the University of Mauritius Doctoral School. She noted the timeliness of the workshop as the region and the world continue to face issues related to sustainability\, climate change\, and development challenges. Dr. Neergheen affirmed that the time of relegating capacity-building to a non-essential pursuit is over\, asserting that it is of utmost importance to encourage and equip scholars with the tools to take advantage of the wide landscape of academic and research funding. \nSubsequently\, Professor Driver\, SSR Chair of African Studies and co-architect of the Research Proposal Development Workshop\, delivered her keynote address\, “Advancing Interdisciplinary Research Excellence in the Indian Ocean Region: Methods and Strategies”. Professor Driver argued that advancing interdisciplinary research excellence in the Indian Ocean region requires a collective commitment to rigorous\, ethical\, impactful\, and inclusive research. She presented four themes central to advancing this agenda: embedding research excellence through ethics and integrity\, breaking silos to encourage interdisciplinary research\, reclaiming narratives through the decolonization of knowledge production\, and strengthening the research-policy-diplomacy-peace nexus. \nProfessor Driver identified institutional-level investment in international partnerships\, research access and resources\, strong doctoral infrastructure\, and post-doctoral pathways as pivotal to this process. Furthermore\, she argued that institutions must be more invested in creating and sustaining a culture of integrity and responsible stewardship in research\, along with platforms for engagement between scholars\, policymakers\, practitioners\, and civil society for the co-creation of impactful policies. \nThe plenary was followed by three lectures\, each presented by facilitators and mentors of the workshop. Professor Kenneth Omeje from the Management International University\, United Kingdom\, began with a lecture on “Framing research ideas and formulating research questions for producing internationally competitive proposals.” Professor Omeje introduced two fundamental branches of philosophy\, ontology and epistemology\, explaining how they serve as the foundation that guides the process in peacebuilding research\, which is concerned with research ideas in the social world. \nThe lecture further guided scholars on generating innovative research ideas by engaging with current events and formulating research questions that are focused\, conceptually grounded\, and reflective of the researcher’s understanding of knowledge and reality. \nThe second lecture\, “Conducting Literature Reviews and Developing Budgets” was presented by Dr. Henrietta Nyamnjoh from the University of Cape Town\, South Africa. The lecture emphasized the literature review as a critical process where researchers engage with existing scholarship to identify gaps\, challenge dominant narratives\, and position their work. Rather than a summary\, Dr. Nyamnjoh posited that it should be a strategic and reflexive exercise that shapes the research question and methodology. She encouraged instrumental reading\, ethical citation\, and attention to primary sources. \n  \nProfessor Ismail Rashid from Vassar College\, New York\, USA\, presented the final lecture\, entitled “Research Methods and Ethics”\, in which he underscored the importance of ethics in research\, which requires ongoing responsibility\, transparency\, and respect throughout the research process. Professor Rashid highlighted that ethics form the essential foundation of responsible research\, especially when working with vulnerable or less powerful populations. He maintained that researchers must foster reflexivity\, an ethical and accountable mindset\, as well as sensitivity to relationships\, emotions\, and power dynamics in the field. \nFollowing the last lecture\, participants of the workshop joined their respective working group sessions for the remainder of the day to work on the development and refinement of their research proposals. \nThe second and last day of the workshop began with individualized sessions between participants and facilitators\, offering space for tailored feedback\, mentorship\, and in-depth discussion of research proposals. \nAfter the conclusion of the one-on-one sessions\, a feedback session was held\, followed by closing remarks by Dr. Obi. Special thanks were extended to facilitators\, organizers\, the University of Mauritius leadership\, and student assistants for their dedication\, energy\, and support. Dr. Obi highlighted the importance of mentorship\, collaboration\, and inspiring the next generation of scholars. The workshop was lauded as transformative\, bridging Africa’s mainland and island regions and building lasting academic networks\, with the hope expressed that participants leave empowered\, with stronger research skills and renewed commitment to high quality and impactful work. \n \n  \nThe APN and Next Gen program is funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/july-2025-apn-and-next-gen-research-proposal-development-workshop-ebene-mauritius/
CATEGORIES:Africa
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250918
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250920
DTSTAMP:20251020T194354Z
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SUMMARY:September 2025 African University Seminar Series\, South Africa (AUSS-SA)
DESCRIPTION:The African University Seminar Series\, South Africa (AUSS-SA)\, was hosted from September 18 to 19\, 2025\, at the University of the Witwatersrand\, in partnership with the University of Johannesburg. Under the theme “South Africa at the Crossroads: Reflections on Inequality\, Peacebuilding\, Security\, and Development\,” conveners invited current and former APN and Next Gen fellows based in South Africa to showcase their research and collaborate. \nCo-Chairs of the Local Organizing Committee of the AUSS-SA\, Ms. Kgomotso Komane (Next Gen 2024 & 2025) and Dr. Anselmo Matusse (Next Gen 2020)\, welcomed attendees to the inaugural national seminar of the AUSS-SA\, highlighting that the event would be a space “to share knowledge\, sharpen ideas\, and build a community that can pave the way towards conviviality and endurable peacebuilding in the country and beyond.” \n \nRemarks delivered on behalf of Dr. Cyril Obi\, Program Director of the APN and Next Gen\, expressed his expectation that the seminar would be a highly productive exchange of ideas and would shape the future of building an integrated knowledge community in South Africa. \nWelcoming remarks were made by Dr. Ekeminiabasi Eyita-Okon\, representative of the Head of the Wits School of Governance\, University of Witwatersrand\, and Prof. Thulisile Mphambukeli (APN 2018)\, Head of Department and Associate Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Johannesburg\, who spoke on behalf of Prof. Trynos Gumbo\, Head of the School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment at the University of Johannesburg. \nProf. Shose Kessi\, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Professor in the Department of Psychology\, University of Cape Town\, delivered the Day One Keynote Address\, “The Role of African University in Advancing Social Justice.” By considering the post-independence geopolitical landscape within which African communities imagine themselves\, she argued that Pan-African identity is most often defined and shaped by the nation-state and African elite\, rather than by all Africans. She demonstrated how African scholars can utilize participatory action research methods to challenge epistemic violence and mobilize people to contribute to the imagination of the national community. In particular\, she presented her utilization of the photovoice method\, which involves marginalized community members photographing their communities\, discussing their own ideas of unity and solidarity\, and embracing Pan-African ideas; thereby\, participating in shaping their futures. She concluded that contributing to social justice requires multiple approaches\, methodologies\, and contributions to institutional building\, as well as viewing academia as a potential space of resistance and healing. \nPanel 1\, Governance\, Violence\, and the Criminalised State\, was moderated by Dr. Garikai Chaunza (Next Gen 2023). With presentations by Dr. Tapiwa Madimu (APN 2020)\, Dr. Sisanda Mguzulwa (Next Gen 2016 & 2018)\, Ms. Kimberley Usher (Next Gen 2019)\, Mr. Mpumezo Ralo (Next Gen 2019)\, Dr. Carina Bruwer (Next Gen 2017)\, and Prof. Anthony C. Diala (Next Gen 2014 & 2015)\, the panel displayed various gaps within the existing South African government policies related to informal economies in mining and native plant harvesting\, community participation in criminal justice systems\, and legitimacy and uneven development of healthcare\, economies\, and security being experienced at the margins.  Consequently\, these policy and theoretical lapses have furthered the experiences of inequality and precarity for those most vulnerable. \nPanel 2\, Identity\, Belonging\, and the Afterlives of Apartheid\, included presentations from Dr. Sifiso Ndlovu (Next Gen 2015)\, Dr. Tamuka Chekero (Next Gen 2019\, 2020\, & 2021)\, Mr. Bambo Miti (Next Gen 2022)\, and Dr. Keneuoe Thibello-Maphosa (Next Gen 2023)\, and was moderated by Dr. Silindile Mlilo (Next Gen 2024). The panel highlighted diverse experiences of migrant\, racial\, and gendered identities\, their interactions with the state\, and the creation of their own places of belonging within communities\, including the establishment of their own support networks and involvement in religious spaces\, as well as how they contest notions of the state and nationhood in South Africa. \nThe film “Inkululeko: Queering democracy and inequality in the everyday afterlives of apartheid\,” by Prof. Hlengiwe Ndlovu (Next Gen 2016 & 2019 & APN 2025)\, documents her interviews with people in Duncan Village about how they define and conceptualize Democracy. The documentary and interviews revealed the consequences of post-Apartheid uneven development and reconciliation processes that have not involved African ontologies and epistemologies in the governance systems built in the wake of the Apartheid state: “South Africans didn’t fight for democracy\, they fought for Inkululeko\, for freedom.” \nIn Panel 3\, Memory\, Resistance\, and Youth Struggles\, presentations were made by Mr. Kagiso Nko (Next Gen 2024)\, Dr. Stephen Temitope David (Next Gen 2017)\, Dr. Thatshisiwe Ndlovu (Next Gen 2017\, 2021\, & 2023 & APN 2024)\, Ms. Gorata Chengeta (Next Gen 2025)\, and Ms. Medina Moosa (Next Gen 2023 & 2024). Moderated by Prof. Hlengiwe Ndlovu\, the panel focused on recent and historic movements\, including online hashtag movements with lasting impact on the experiences of Black students at historically white South African universities\, the need to reconsider the carceral strategies to address sexual violence with a feminist abolitionist approach\, and the influence of international Mujahadeen movements for their contributions to the South African Apartheid struggle. Additionally\, the everyday resistance of work and hustle culture for survival\, as well as the unfinished business of Apartheid memory. \nTo conclude the activities of Day One\, a discussion was facilitated in which attendees reflected on how this knowledge community should organize moving forward\, as well as on their shared research focus and experiences in academic spaces. While attendees recognized the frustrations and ongoing challenges faced by scholars\, there was also an acknowledgement of the gains that have been made\, as well as what needs to change further. \nResuming on Day Two\, Prof. Cori Wielenga (APN 2013)\, Head of Centre for Mediation in Africa and Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science\, University of Pretoria\, gave the Keynote Address\, “A relational approach to peacebuilding\, security and development in Africa\,” Prof. Wielenga problematized the ongoing and cyclical nature of conflicts addressed through the existing mediation toolkit\, recognizing that individuals and communities are not typically taught to mediate conflicts. She argued for the need to radically rethink peace mediation\, centering on the critical importance of relationships\, to disrupt the current peacebuilding market. To do so\, she advocated for the collective political act of resistance through anti-hegemonic and anti-imperial love\, which fosters radical self-love\, community care\, and a commitment to building ethical relations between people and with the land\, thereby dismantling oppressive systems and affirming a shared\, humanized existence beyond colonial power structures. \nPanel 4\, Peacebuilding\, Traditional Authority\, and Religion\, moderated by Prof. Thulisile Mphambukeli\, included presentations from Mr. Gerald Mandisodza (Next Gen 2023)\, Ms. Kgomotso Komane\, Dr. Tyne Williams (Next Gen 2024)\, Ms. Pretty Abraham (Next Gen 2025)\, Dr. Edmore Chitukutuku (Next Gen 2013 & 2015 & APN 2018)\, and Dr. Garikai Chaunza. The panel of scholars presented cases that highlighted the need for Indigenous knowledge and religion\, traditional authority\, and women’s leadership in peacebuilding processes\, acknowledging where these important facets of African knowledge have been historically excluded from peacebuilding. The panel concluded with an important reflection and a caution to scholars to maintain a “responsibility to understand South African historiography” when conducting work. \nPanel 5\, Environmental Justice\, Space\, and Everyday Violence\, was moderated by Dr. Anselmo Matusse\, with presentations made by Dr. Margaret Monyani (Next Gen 2017\, 2018\, & 2019 & APN 2025)\, Prof. Thulisile Mphambukeli\, Mrs. Safiyya Goga (Next Gen 2017)\, Dr. Samson Faboye (Next Gen 2023)\, and Ms. Tamia Botes (Next Gen 2024). This final panel encompassed diverse everyday interactions within communities\, particularly South African communities in Black townships\, those proximate to national borders\, or within large urban centers\, which take on roles of social ordering and justice from the state by reproducing and contesting migrant communities\, crime\, or foreign identities. Through various processes\, they negotiate the making and remaking of place in the post-Apartheid context of South Africa. \nThe inaugural AUSS-SA event concluded with messages of gratitude for the attendees\, Keynote speakers\, Local Organizing Committee\, and University administrators. The event was supported by the African Peacebuilding Network and Next Generation Social Sciences and Africa (APN and Next Gen)\, with funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY).
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/september-2025-african-university-seminar-series-south-africa-auss-sa/
CATEGORIES:Africa
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