Contributions are sought immediately for a special issue of ALTERNATION focusing on ‘Religion, Governance and Humanitarianism in Africa’. This publication will incorporate presentations from the 2nd Annual CIHA Blog International Conference that took place at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in October 2016. This conference attracted many experienced scholars, leaders of faith-based organisations, and non-governmental organisations, as well as students. The CIHA Blog Team invites participants and all persons interested in this topic to submit their abstracts as soon as possible. Keep reading for more information!
ALTERNATION CALL FOR PAPERS
THEME: Religion, Governance and Humanitarianism in Africa.
In this Special Issue of Alternation, we include religious as well as secular actors and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), along with academics, students, and other observers, to highlight religious contributions and problems in the practice of humanitarianism. Religion is of critical importance on the continent, as much if not more so than elsewhere in the world. From the impact of missionary histories to the multiple forms of religious beliefs and practices in humanitarianism today, there is a fundamental need to engage in critical yet productive discussions about the uncomfortable associations of religious humanitarianism with colonialism, slavery, neo-colonial exploitation, and neo-liberal forms of paternalism, as well as more positive associations with commitments to education, healthcare, and the affirmation of human dignity in humanitarian interventions, especially including the dignity of aid recipients. Religious actors and organizations have been involved in harmful practices as well as engaged in resistance to them; many have also been the primary initiators of emancipatory strategies of thought and action. Their histories and commitments, therefore, need to be analyzed and brought into an inclusive yet critical dialogue.
Further, the next generation of African scholars, religious leaders, NGO representatives, and policymakers are the future leaders of the continent, and they should be able to determine its future needs. Moreover, both they and their non-African peers, should be provided with opportunities for critically informed thinking regarding the problematic legacies as well as the possibilities for more egalitarian collaboration in humanitarian endeavors in Africa as well as other parts of the world.
This Issue will seek to examine the multiple roles of religious leaders in governance, assessing the state of religion and of governance on the continent. It will interrogate the current state of humanitarian governance on the continent and its relationship to domestic as well as transnational religious traditions. This will further assess whether the transnational aid industry continues to bypass governments and/or create parallel governance structures, even as it complains about the lack of strong governance on the continent. Lastly, it will explore the critical genealogies of humanitarianism and religion focusing specifically on how religious leaders, from the colonial times until the present-day Africa, have framed and reframed the uses and misuses of charity and humanitarian aid.
Proposed Themes
- The culture of giving, and/or issues emerging from African religions.
- The concept of being ‘human’ in the humanitarian discourse; how the (historical) African understanding of humanitarianism could be helpful and how it is influenced and/or oppressed by foreign religious actors.
- Critical references to Issues that religious humanitarian organisations in Africa are grappling with:
a) Sexuality
b) Immigration
c) HIV and AIDS
d) The humanitarian industry and economic development
e) Religion and/or political power systems
Timeframe
Title and Abstract Friday 26 October 2018
Vetting feedback Tuesday 6 November 2018
Article Submission Friday 23 November 2018
Review Feedback Friday 21 December 2018
Final article Friday 25 January 2019
Final Editing Friday 22 February 2019
Submission to Press Friday 22 March 2019
Please submit the proposed titles of your articles, as well as a brief abstract of about 150 words, to the guest editors: Prof R. S. Kumalo (kumalor@ukzn.ac.za) and Mr Bangirana Albert Billy (bangiranaa@ukzn.ac.za) by 26 October 2018 for vetting. Contributors of successful abstracts will be requested to submit full articles for the review process by 23 November 2018 (Late submissions may be considered).
Please use the Alternation Guidelines for Contributors, and style format for submissions. Cf. below, and Guidelines for Contributors at: http://alternation.ukzn.ac.za/submissions.aspx
Alternation is a fully accredited, peer-reviewed South African Department of Higher Education and Training journal (DoHET). It is edited by Prof J.A. Smit from the School, School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics, and is published at the University of KwaZulu-Natal on an Open Access platform. All articles are subject to peer-review by at least two independent peer reviewers. All articles that pass the review process, and that are accepted for publication, will be published online, at: http://alternation.ukzn.ac.za/archive.aspx
The Alternation homepage is available at: http://alternation.ukzn.ac.za/Homepage.aspx