Inaugural Research Network Meeting in
Africa
The inaugural meeting of the "Civil Society Researchers in Africa" was historic as it was the
first time that researchers working in this field from throughout the continent of Africa joined
together in a collaborative effort. This network was established to promote research on the civil
society, NGO, and voluntary sector in Africa. The main purpose of the workshop which took place
in Johannesburg, South Africa on December 6-7, 1997 was to bring together researchers and
practitioners currently working on civil society issues.
The South African National NGO Coalition (SANGOCO) served as the local coordinating committee and organized a most successful two day workshop Aloe Ridge approximately 45 kilometers outside of Johannesburg. Funding was provided by Ford Foundation South Africa, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation South Africa, and ISTR. The 25 participants attended from Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, South Africa, Sudan, and Uganda. ISTR was well represented by Antonin Wagner, president (Switzerland), Emmanuel Laryea, board member (Ghana), and Jeremy Kendall, Voluntas editor (United Kingdom).
Mahmood Mamdani, a Ugandan who now heads the Centre for African Studies at the University of Cape Town, served as a guest speaker. Mr. Mamdani's most recent publication, "Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism" (London: James Currey) addresses the various themes of the workshop.
Participants were invited to take a critical look at the role of civil society in Africa within the context of globalization, development and democracy. Each participant was required to submit a 5-6 page paper addressing their current research and to present their work during the two day session. The goal of these presentations was to allow participants to gain the necessary perspective of research currently under way in Africa.
Workshop sessions included Civil Society (Steven Friedman, Centre for Policy Studies, South Africa); Globalization and its Impact on Civil Society (Mamo Muchie, African Centre for Technology Studies, Nairobi, Kenya); Household and Community Responses to Globalization and their Implications for Policy (George Mukamba, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda); and Focus on Gender (Shafieka Issacs, Trade Union Research Project, University of Natal, South Africa).
These sessions led to the development of a research agenda which includes:
- Democratic governance;
- Effect of globalization;
- Effect of neo-liberalism & fragmentation, and marginalization within it;
- Retreat of the State; and
- Role of civil society in the pursuit of democratic governance and socio-economic development.
This agenda led to a working research question: Globalization, marginalization, and the retreat of the State: the role of civil society in the pursuit of democratic governance and socio-economic development.
In addition, a suggested methodology was also developed which will be comparative, preferably participatory and community based. There was also agreement that advocacy research should be flexible to allow researchers to pursue projects within their own context. A broad framework and multidisciplinary approach will also be stressed.
The workshop concluded with SANGOCO accepting the temporary leadership of the Africa Chapter of ISTR with the following regional divisions: East Africa and Horn of Africa (Kenya); West Africa (Ghana); North Africa (Egypt); South Africa (SANGOCO); and Island Group (Mauritius). Future plans include holding a second workshop in Africa in 1999.
An "ISTR Report" on the research presented at this meeting has been authored by Devan Pillay (National Union of Mineworkers, South Africa), one of the key organizers of this meeting.
To order a set of the 10 papers from this conference, send a check
for $20 US dollars, drawn on
a US bank, to the ISTR Secretariat, along with a note requesting the copies of the papers.