Short Abstract

Austerity measures and authoritarian politics have put pressure on African studies. This Roundtable Discussion raises questions on the current attacks on the field. How do we analyse and understand the current attacks on African Studies?

Long Abstract

Austerity measures and authoritarian politics have put pressure on African studies. This Roundtable Discussion raises questions on the current attacks on the field. How do we analyse and understand the current attacks on African Studies? Are they part of the same global crisis, or different phenomena? What are successful examples of resistance against those attacks? What is the role of transnational and transcontinental solidarities? Massive financial cuts, the rise of the Global Far Right, Military coups as well as aggressive warfare in Eastern Europe, in the Middle East and in Sudan, are endangering African Studies as a whole. In the US, programs and scholarship opportunities have been slashed, In the Western Europe, area studies and critical humanities programmes have been axed. In West Africa, military rulers have consolidated power well past their promised transitions, banning outlets, arresting journalists, and dissolving press associations. In Southern Africa, waves of xenophobic vigilantism have targeted foreign nationals, including researchers and students, with courts finding organized incitement and mass displacement. This roundtable discussion brings together five scholars from South Africa, West Africa, the US, the UK and Europe to examine the current situation and stimulate discussion within AEGIS.

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