Introduction
Africa is deeply impacted by various forms and levels of conflicts. Many African countries have experienced intrastate conflicts stemmed from the absence of good governance and democracy, often with influence from geopolitical and geo-economic interests of the regional and international actors. Similar to the contemporary debate on the conceptualization of post-conflict societies and peacebuilding, the concept transition also remains contentious in terms of timing, sequences, approaches, as well as the framework, process, and outcome of transition. The liberal peace transition classified into its constituent parts: democratization, free-market reform and development, human rights, civil society, and the rule of law. Proponents of the post-liberal peace transition criticized the liberal peace transition, which emphasizes on the liberalization of economy and individualism, for its ‘one size fits all’ approach that ignores the African context and the relevance of non-liberal forces on the transitional process.
Following the changes and ‘wave of democratization’ in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the political system stabilized in most of Africa for about a generation. The 2010s brought in many African countries, not through armed struggle but by the active mobilization and agency of disgruntled urban youth. While in the past, changes had to incubate for years, if not decades and could be institutionalized if the rebel is ‘reformist’ and manages to assume state power. Over the past decade though, the protesting youth were loosely mobilized/organized, centred their political activism at strategic parts of major urban centres and heavily relied on information technologies.
These changes started with the ‘Arab Spring’ of 2011 which swept through Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, with divergent consequences. In the Horn of Africa, the youth protests in Ethiopia forced the resignation of the Prime Minister, ushering in a new era of hope and change in the country as well as the region, primarily with Eritrea. Sudan had a late ‘Arab Spring’ which culminated with deposing long-serving President Al Bashir. Further down in southern Africa, Mugabe was unlucky and had a similar fate to most African despots.
It is now the right time to examine the changes and ‘transitions’ which unfolded in this fateful decade. The conference intends to cover a range of questions: What was the nature of these transitions? What type of peace are we looking for? What constitutes a transition? When does the conflict end, peace transition begins and comes to an end? Is there an African way of transitioning to peace, and what are its characteristics? There is a strong need to clarify the blurred conceptual and practical perspectives regarding peace transitions while investigating the African experience.
The African Research Universities Alliance (AURA)’s Center of Excellence on Post Conflict Societies (CoE) is organizing an annual conference with the aim of critically reflecting, discussing and debating on post-conflict societies’ issues. This makes part of the overall efforts of the CoE in advancing and disseminating research outputs on post-conflict societies. By drawing lessons from past and current transitions, the CoE aims to provide a platform for discussions, debate, and critiques to tease out major issues. The annual conference reflects the various dimensions of transitions in Africa: notably politics and democratization, security and rule of law, economic recovery and development, and justice.
Thematic areas
The conference will be covering, but not be limited to, the following themes:
Election and democratization;
Security and Security Sector Development;
Reconciliation and social rehabilitation/reintegration;
Non-traditional security threats and transitions;
Security Sector Reforms and DDR;
Economic Recovery and Development;
Transitional and Restorative Justice;
State building, rule of law and peace;
Gender and Peace; and
Media and transition to peace
Authors can consider country-level case studies or focus on the sub-region as a whole. Selected manuscripts that fulfil the requirements for scientific research will be published.
3. Timeline
Keep note of the following key dates:
Deadline for submission of abstracts 29th February 2020
Communication of decision on abstracts 10th March 2020
Submission of draft manuscripts 20th April 2020
Conference date 11-12th June 2020
Submission of the final version manuscript 15th July 2020
4. Cost
The CoE will cover costs related to attending the conference, transportation (economy, return flight) and full board accommodation during the period of the conference.