Paper short abstract:

Exploring the place of African-based journals that address the multidisciplinary study of Africa within the global knowledge economy and the possibilities of co-publishing.

Paper long abstract:

This paper opens up conversation about the place of African-originated and African-based journals that address the multidisciplinary study of Africa within the global knowledge economy - how they are viewed, valued, accessed, and contributed to. It addresses the irony of Northern journals about Africa more often than not being considered more central to African Studies research than those that emanate from the continent. It also questions why African titles are typically framed as local or regional resources, but not global. The paper will be co-presented by an international publisher and a South African based co-publisher, using reflections and case studies around tailored African co-publishing relationships to discuss ways in which the partnerships have made an impact on publications from the continent while providing learning experiences for all parties. The potential of collaborations will be explored, as well as some challenges, while focusing on the place of the African publisher. Not only, of course, do Africans do research and publish, often against a backdrop of many challenges, but Africans are publishers too.