Center for Indian Studies in Africa (CISA)

The University of Witwatersrand recently founded this intriguing new initiative and I look forward to reading some of their most recent contributions to the field of Indian Ocean and African Studies. A center like this only reinforces that Africa as a continent has never existed 'unto itself' but has participated in a global conversation for thousands of years, with India being an integral part of that history. Unfortunately as with many things in academia, the roster of academics represented is far too white. It looks like it also primarily focused on South Africa (no surprise). Nevertheless, its worth the time to check out some of their initiatives. Their research framework is:
* Comparisons between India and South Africa on historical and current issues and challenges
* Connections between India and South Africa and the rest of Africa
* Cosmopolitanism, or the formation of a transnational public sphere encompassing the Indian Ocean
* Collaborations in applied research supporting policy and innovation for development

Sounds promising...

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Content Ideas: The Azanian Sea

Interested in Writing For Us? Here are some of the topics we're interested in. Don't find your's listed? Email nmathews@azaniansea.com with your idea:

Content Areas:

Politics: country profiles, elections, young people organizing, emerging trends, maritime security, regional cooperation, revolution and Islam, Is democracy the best form of government?, the African diaspora in the Arab world

Business, Technology, and Development: appropriate technology, development, infrastructure, cell phones, wireless internet, challenges of the 2/3rds world, pitfalls of tourism, Islamic banking

Music, Art, and Culture: ngoma, bongo flava, taarab, Islam, hip hop, globalization of American youth style, hybrid musical forms, artist profiles, record reviews, religious art, interreligious cooperation, educational policy, emerging trends in teaching Kiswahili, the Arabic origins of Kiswahili, youth culture in the Indian Ocean

History: emerging historical trends, historiography of the Indian Ocean, scholarly resources, slavery, race, maritime empires, colonialism, pre-colonial Africa, cultural mixing, origins of humankind, the impact of global hegemony on the Western academy

Environment: fishing resources and Somali pirates, deforestation, water conservation in the desert, oil and natural gas, landfills and waste removal, power crises in Africa, the politics of land usage

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