🆕 How did Ghana frame diaspora engagement during the Year of Return? Kutor, Oklikah, Saaka, and Arku examine how Ghanaian media framed the initiative through tourism, investment, branding, and emotional connection with diaspora communities. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/00020397261448904 @giga-hamburg.de

🆕 Can women’s land ownership strengthen climate adaptation and food security? Wegenast, Hänze, and Haer show that joint land ownership in Tanzania improves food security and diet diversity among households facing extreme weather events. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/00020397261450226 @giga-hamburg.de

🆕 How does prolonged displacement shape identity and belonging? Rudolf and Tufa examine the Amiche in Ethiopia, showing how protracted exclusion and displacement produced a distinct identity shaped by stable liminality and permanent in-betweenness. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/00020397261446238

🆕 How is legitimacy negotiated in contested land governance systems? Awoh examines land governance in Kom and Bali, Cameroon, showing how traditional authorities use hybrid strategies to maintain legitimacy and mediate land conflicts. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/00020397261446002 @giga-hamburg.de

🆕 How do telecom companies shape humanitarian response in Somalia? Chonka examines how Somali telecom firms use CSR narratives around connectivity, empowerment, nationalism, and piety amid conflict and humanitarian crises. 🔗doi.org/10.1177/00020397261443322 #specialissue @giga-hamburg.de

🆕 How do corporations and communities negotiate access on resource frontiers? Yang examines Chinese bauxite mining in Guinea, showing how corporate strategies and community repertoires interact to renegotiate access, compensation, and rights claims. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/00020397261443317

🆕How has France’s image shifted in Malian media? Zhuang analyses 822 Maliweb articles (2017–2024), showing how anti-French narratives gained prominence after the 2020 political rupture, reshaping public discourse and highlighting African media agency. 🔗 journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

➡️ Here is her editorial pick: Struggles over Resource Access in Rural Tanzania, by Mathew Bukhi Mabele & Ulrike Müller-Böker 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... 🔔 We’ll be sharing more reflections from our editors in the coming weeks. @giga-hamburg.de @maxinerubin.com @marthacj.bsky.social

🆕 How do communities organise aid during crisis? Mohamed, @naujakleist.bsky.social, and Kanyinga examine how Somali WhatsApp groups function as spaces for coordinating drought relief, extending kinship-based support into digital humanitarian action. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... @giga-hamburg.de

Here is one of the articles that I selected for the Editors' Picks series that we're doing as part of our celebration of Africa Spectrum's 60th anniversary!

I was so happy to see Martha picked this article! It stood out to me too - it was very interesting and, as Martha says, a bit outside of what we usually receive. We were happy to publish this excellent scholarly work.

➡️ Here is her editorial pick: “West African Pidgin: World Language Against the Grain”, by Kofi Yakpo. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... CC: @giga-hamburg.de @sagepub.com @maxinerubin.com @miasa-ug.bsky.social

Interested in reviewing one? Please email our Book Review Editor, Seulgie Lim. ➡️Access the full list & submission details in our new newsletter: bit.ly/4ur8rXt CC: @maxinerubin.com @miasa-ug.bsky.social @grauvogelj.bsky.social

Celebrating Africa Spectrum at 60 🎉 Former Editor-in-Chief Leonardo Arriola (2019–2023) highlights three articles from his tenure that stood out to him for their conceptual clarity, empirical strength, and timely contributions to key debates in #Africanstudies. Thread 🧵 CC: @giga-hamburg.de

Celebrating Africa Spectrum at 60🎉 @maxinerubin.com & @marthacj.bsky.social reflect on the journal's presence over six decades. They highlight efforts to decolonise knowledge production, expand African-based scholarship & map the road ahead. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... @giga-hamburg.de @sagepub.com

🆕Lotfi Sour analyses Russia’s multi-layered strategy in the Sahel through the “Matryoshka” model. The author argues that Russia’s engagement in Sahelian states is not only opportunistic but a deliberate effort to reshape regional power dynamics. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... CC: @giga-hamburg.de

🆕 @edle100.bsky.social, @peteralalbrecht.bsky.social & Karuti Kanyinga examine Somali diaspora humanitarianism in Nairobi's Eastleigh & Mogadishu. They argue 'altruistic' acts of giving reinforce hierarchies, reciprocal obligations & claims to legitimacy. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... @giga-hamburg.de

📕Ada Johnson-Kanu reviews Nicholas Kerr's "Electoral Commissions and Democratization in Africa", praising it for challenging single-dimensional approaches to studying electoral administration. It also shows how minor administrative failures can threaten democratic legitimacy. 🔗 bit.ly/4cNEQRF

Another set of exciting picks from our past Editor-in-Chief, Julia Grauvogel! I am fortunate to work with @grauvogelj.bsky.social at the @giga-hamburg.de. Drawing on her experience as Editor-in-Chief of Africa Spectrum, she’s always generous with advice and ideas.

Here's the first of our "Past Editors' Picks" posts 👏 🤓 ⬇️ We are also fortunate to still benefit from the support of @he-mel.bsky.social and @mehler.bsky.social who readily provide advice when we ask and generously act as peer reviewers when asked despite their busy schedules! 🌟

Celebrating Africa Spectrum at 60🎉 To mark the anniversary, our former & current Editors-in-Chief have chosen articles from their tenures that stood out to them. We'll be sharing their reasons for the selection later. For now, explore the full list 👉 bit.ly/4tFNacs @giga-hamburg.de @sagepub.com

It is exciting to announce that this year is Africa Spectrum's 60th anniversary! We've had a lot of fun planning some things to celebrate the journal's 60th year, so keep an eye on our socials to stay up to date!

👏 We’re pleased to welcome our former Associate Editor, Dr. Kendra Dupuy, in her new role as Co-Editor-in-Chief. She is an Assistant Professor at Western Washington University, researching energy, natural resources, environmental management & climate change in sub-Saharan Africa. @giga-hamburg.de

📢Calling past authors! Want to publish with The Conversation (@africa.theconversation.com) & reach broader, non-academic audiences? ➡️ Explore @sagepub.com's tips on writing high-impact submissions that link research to public debate through clarity, evidence, & relevance. Link in the comments👇

🆕 Suzanne Francis, Michael Francis & Andrew Okem examine how the ≠Khomani San Living Museum in South Africa resists development logics, reclaims and reconnects with the past & centers reparative justice beyond imposed “traditional/modern” binaries. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... CC: @giga-hamburg.de

🆕Daniel Kwame Blija et al. analyse migrant housing pathways in #Ghana, showing how translocal migrants in Kumasi rely on ethnic networks, arguing for housing policies that recognise migrants’ dual lives shaped by home ties & urban housing markets. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... CC: @giga-hamburg.de

🆕 Eria Serwajja & Muhamed Lunyago examine how "informal" land demarcation systems in post-war northern #Uganda's Acholi subregion help de-escalate land conflicts, showing how community-led initiatives foster peaceful coexistence & conflict resolution. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... @giga-hamburg.de

🆕Valentine Opanga & Detlef Müller-Mahn examine land cartels in #Nairobi’s largest informal settlements, showing how they sustain authority & shape urban development through performative politics that mask systemic failures. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... CC: @giga-hamburg.de @sagepub.com

🆕Yusra Abdullahi examines how Somali-Ugandans in #Uganda navigated the COVID-19 crisis through mutual aid grounded in Soomaaliniimo, highlighting the prominent role played by religious leaders & women-led initiatives when state infrastructure fell short. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... @giga-hamburg.de

It was such a pleasant surprise to see that my GIGA Global Focus was the second most read Focus last year. I highly recommend reading the others insightful pieces from my colleagues - all linked in this thread!

Did you see our latest tip (below) for submitting to Africa Spectrum?

📢Our new Issue is out! Issue 60(3) tackles a diverse range of topics, featuring new scholarship on #protest memory, #gendered #identities, #labour dynamics, #refugee support, political power, #constitutional engineering, & more. 🔗 journals.sagepub.com/toc/afra/60/3 🧵Thread 👇 CC:@maxinerubin.com

▶️Do you have a draft article that you're intending to submit to an African studies journal? ▶️Does your manuscript explore a theme within sustainability - broadly defined? ▶️Are you a scholar from Africa? ✅If yes, consider applying for the MIASA publishing workshop 👇

🆕Julien Durand de Sanctis & Jean-Noël Ferrié analyse shifting Morocco–France relations. They juxtapose France's decreasing presence in Africa with Morocco’s renewed African engagement to explore both countries’ foreign policies in Africa. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... CC: @giga-hamburg.de @sagepub.com

Highly relevant 🆕 article by Erick Sourna Loumtouang looking at Cameroon's President Biya just published by @africaspectrum.bsky.social Details below ⬇️ access is free, as always

Keep an eye on our socials - we're posting tips for prospective authors based on common desk rejection reasons. We hope this will help authors finetune their submissions and assist with demystifying the publication process 🔮

I wrote a post for Justice in Conflict! The piece calls on the German government to uphold its commitments to the International Criminal Court at a time when dedication to a rules-based international order is dire. See the link below

🆕Kevin Anthony Oduor, Martin Ouma & Edwin Abuya analyse how faith-based organisations in Kakuma Refugee Camp, #Kenya, ease the refugee burden on host states & communities by supplementing service delivery to refugees & fostering peaceful coexistence. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... CC: @giga-hamburg.de

🆕Taofik Oyewo Hussain examines #USAID's aid suspension in #Nigeria & #China's growing role, showing how Chinese infrastructure fills gaps but can't replace USAID's social sector support & recommends a balanced donor strategy to ensure sustainability. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... CC: @giga-hamburg.de

📕Book Review: Christopher Amos appraises Dineo Skosana's "No Last Place to Rest: Coal Mining and Dispossession in South Africa", highlighting its 'essential contribution' to studies on mining, land politics, environmental justice, & resistance in Africa. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... @giga-hamburg.de

I was invited to appear live on Al Jazeera English yesterday to briefly reflect on the withdrawals from the ICC by Mali, Niger, and Bukrina Faso, which were announced on Monday. See link below

📕Martial Fanga Agbor reviews "Press Freedom and the (Crooked) Path Toward Democracy: Lessons from Journalists in East Africa" by @msobelcohen.bsky.social & Karen McIntyre Hopkinson, describing it as a compelling examination of the media landscapes in Rwanda, Uganda & Kenya. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002...

🆕 Eyo Mensah et al. explore how heterosexual Igbo women in Southeastern #Nigeria use praise names to navigate gender boundaries - sometimes reinforcing, other times resisting patriarchy - while shaping self-worth, visibility, and social identity. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... CC: @giga-hamburg.de

➡️Did you know? We have a Book Review Newsletter webpage, where you can easily browse past editions!🤓 💻Check it out here: journals.sagepub.com/page/afr/boo... CC: @giga-hamburg.de @sagepub.com @maxinerubin.com @marthacj.bsky.social

🆕Augustine Gyan explores the land disputes that arise as community members in Ghana work to protect their interests against mining companies, revealing why land digitalisation is unlikely to fix land governance challenges. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... CC: @giga-hamburg.de @unibayreuth.bsky.social

Check out Africa Spectrum's latest issue! Everything is open access, which means you can read it for free and (hopefully) share widely 😉📩

🆕Silas Udenze reflects on #Nigeria's #EndSARS protest on its anniversaries across 2021–2023, demonstrating how these carry distinct meanings that blend collective memory, unresolved challenges, and future aspirations for change and social justice. 📘 doi.org/10.1177/0002... CC: @giga-hamburg.de

🆕 Romanus Aboh & Isaac Ishamali explore how young #Nigeria’s hip-hop artists use music as a tool of resistance to critique power, injustice, & systemic failure while voicing youth demands for social justice and change in the post-1999 democratic era. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... CC: @giga-hamburg.de

🆕 Kwame Adovor Tsikudo explores labour agency by examining how Ghanaian workers engage with their Chinese employers at #BuiDam as well as how history, socio-politics, and institutional dynamics influence a more balanced partnership. 📘 doi.org/10.1177/0002... CC: @giga-hamburg.de @sagepub.com

Today is the Day of International Criminal Justice and 27 yrs since the Rome Statute was adopted. I’m resharing my recent policy brief on the International Criminal Court, Netanyahu, and Berlin’s foreign policy dilemma. 📄 www.giga-hamburg.de/en/publicati... #ICC #IntlJustice @giga-hamburg.de