The Politics of the Past in Zimbabwe, co-edited by Astrid Rasch, Minna Joahnna Niemi and Amanda Hammar, no. 35 in the AEGIS-Brill Series. The anthology addresses the many ways pasts are experienced, remembered, claimed, denied or contested by differently positioned actors, and how this in turn shapes the politics of the present.The Politics of the Past in Zimbabwe features twelve chapters that examine how the past is put to political use in Zimbabwe: how different pasts are remembered, silenced, and contested by differently positioned actors, and how this in turn shapes the politics of the present. It explores how this is expressed through literature, art, and the media; through exhumations and reburials; in state apology and political myth making; and in both traditional cultural heritage sites and the making of new national symbols. Click here for more details (web).
The contributors include a range of Zimbabwean and Zimbabweanist scholars including: Jocelyn Alexander, Elleke Boehmer, Shadreck Chirikure, Simbarashe Shadreck Chitima, Lena Englund, Shari Eppel, Petina Gappah, Amanda Hammar, Pedzisai Maedza, Owen Maseko, Mphathisi Ndlovu, Minna Johanna Niemi, Astrid Rasch, Timothy Scarnecchia, Thomas Thondhlana, and Katja Uusihakala.
The Ghent Africa Platform (GAP) at Ghent University is pleased to announce its 18th Annual Symposium (GAPSYM18), taking place on December 4, 2025, at in Ghent, Belgium. This year’s theme, Resources in Africa, explores the complex and multidimensional role of resources in shaping Africa’s socio-economic, environmental, and political landscapes.The symposium provides an interdisciplinary platform for scholars, researchers, and practitioners working on African studies to engage in discussions on sustainability, development, and governance. Key topics include extractivism and natural resources, the race for critical raw materials, contested resource politics, land rights, renewable energy, climate change impacts, cross-border resource management, and Indigenous knowledge as a resource. Participants are encouraged to present innovative, cross-disciplinary research addressing these themes.The conference invites contributions in the form of papers, round tables, panels, writeshops, or workshops. Abstracts should not exceed 500 words and must be submitted in English or French by June 1, 2025.Click here (pdf) for further information.