AFRICA BEFORE COLONIALISM: A New Historical Series Challenges Simplified Narratives About Africa’s Past By Nji jr teneng For generations, African history has often been presented through narrow frameworks centered on colonialism, slavery, poverty, and political instability. Yet long before European conquest, Africa was home to sophisticated systems of governance, powerful kingdoms, legal traditions, commercial networks, and intellectual civilizations that shaped millions of lives across centuries. A new historical book series, Africa Before Colonialism, seeks to revisit that overlooked history with depth, balance, and intellectual seriousness. The series opens with Book 1: Foundations of Power, Law, and Society in Pre-Colonial Africa, written by Cameroonian writer and researcher NJI JR TENENG. The work explores how African societies governed themselves before colonial rule transformed the continent politically and economically. Rather than romanticizing the past, the book examines African civilizations as complex human societies with systems of leadership, justice, trade, diplomacy, warfare, and cultural organization comparable to those found across other regions of the world. “Too many people encounter Africa historically only through colonialism,” the author explains. “But Africa existed politically, economically, and intellectually long before European partition. Understanding that reality changes how people think about the continent today.” #NJIJRTeneng #AfricaBeforeColonialism #BookLaunch #NewBookRelease #MustRead #BookLovers #ReadersOfInstagram #BookCommunity #AfricanHistory #AfricanCivilizations #PreColonialAfrica #AfricanHeritage #ReclaimAfricanHistory #DecolonizeHistory #PanAfricanism #AfricanStudies #HistoryBooks #WorldHistory #NonFictionBooks #PoliticalHistory #CulturalStudies #ResearchMatters #CriticalThinking #AfricanFuture #GlobalSouth #HistoryOfAfrica #AfricanUnity #IndieAuthor #AuthorLife #WritingCommunity

The #LeedsUniversity Centre for #AfricanStudies #LUCAS has an obituary for Professor #WalterNewlyn this makes reference to the setting up of the #African Studies Unit in #Leeds but not #IdiAmin or the need to leave #Uganda? lucas.leeds.ac.uk/article/pr… #Africa jstor.org/stable/159105

See the latest monographs publishing soon in History 📚 cup.org/4okAuFq #globalhistory #worldhistory #africanhistory #africanstudies #europeanhistory #britishhistory #americanhistory #ushistory #19thcentury #atlantichistory

📢 ECPS Commentary 🌍 Communaucratic Populism: Rethinking Identity-Based Electoral Mobilization in Postcolonial Africa ✍️ By Dr. Yves Valéry Obame (@obameyves), Dr. Salomon Essaga Etémé (@salomon_essaga) & Prof. Armand Leka Essomba 🚨 Can existing theories of populism adequately explain electoral politics in postcolonial Africa? In this innovative commentary, the authors introduce communaucratic populism—a new conceptual framework for understanding a form of political mobilization in which elections are structured less by ideological competition than by competing claims of communal belonging to a state conceived as a collective patrimony. 🇨🇲 Drawing on Cameroon’s 2025 presidential election, the authors argue that the dominant ideational, discursive, and strategic approaches to populism capture only fragments of African electoral dynamics. 📌 Key arguments include: 🔹 Elections as contests among communities rather than ideological camps 🔹 The state as a collective resource to be shared, defended, or reclaimed 🔹 A moral economy of intercommunal rotation and political recognition 🔹 The limits of existing theories of populism, ethnic politics, and clientelism 🔹 The emergence of a plural political subject—a “people of peoples” 🔹 A new comparative agenda for studying postcolonial democratic pluralism 💬 Rather than asking who governs, communaucratic populism reframes the democratic question as: “Whose turn is it to govern?” ⚡️ A provocative contribution to contemporary debates on populism, democracy, identity, representation, and postcolonial politics. 📕 Read the commentary: 🔗 populismstudies.org/communau… #ECPS #Populism #AfricanPolitics #Cameroon #PostcolonialPolitics #Democracy #ElectoralPolitics #IdentityPolitics #EthnicPolitics #PoliticalTheory #ComparativePolitics #PoliticalRepresentation #DemocraticPluralism #CommunaucraticPopulism #Governance #AfricanStudies #PoliticalScience #PostcolonialStudies

🏆 Africa Thesis Award 2026 Completed an outstanding Master's thesis on Africa? This is your chance to gain international recognition, get published, and win a cash prize! 📚 Award Benefits • €500 cash prize • Publication in the Afrika-Studiecentrum Series • International academic recognition • Opportunity to present your research 🎓 Eligibility • Master's thesis completed between 31 Aug 2025 – 31 Aug 2026 • Degree awarded by a university in Africa or the Netherlands • Research focused on Africa or the African diaspora • Social Sciences or Humanities disciplines ⏰ Application Deadline • 30 September 2026 Learn more: globalsouthopportunities.com… #AfricaThesisAward #AfricanStudies #ResearchAwards #MastersResearch #AcademicOpportunities #SocialSciences #Humanities #AfricaResearch #GraduateStudents #GlobalSouthOpportunities

📢 Academic Opportunity: Teaching Fellow in Social Anthropology at the University of Birmingham 🇬🇧 The University of Birmingham is inviting applications for a Teaching Fellow position in Social Anthropology for the 2026–2027 academic year. This role is ideal for scholars with expertise in: ✔️ Anthropology of Islam ✔️ Politics & activism ✔️ African Studies ✔️ Heritage & interdisciplinary teaching ✔️ Student engagement and inclusive education 💰 Salary: £36,636 – £46,049 per year 📍 Location: Birmingham, United Kingdom 📅 Deadline: 28 June 2026 A great opportunity to join a globally recognized university and contribute to innovative teaching and research in anthropology. 🔗 Apply: globalsouthopportunities.com… #AcademicJobs #Anthropology #SocialAnthropology #UniversityOfBirmingham #HigherEducation #AfricanStudies #TeachingFellow #UKJobs #ResearchJobs

What does psychological liberation mean in a postcolonial world? My new book explores this through decolonial theory and Pan-African thought. Now available: tidd.ly/436FcNk #PanAfricanism #DecolonialTheory #AfricanStudies

Apply Now! The Richard Rooney Postdoctoral Fellowship in African Studies 2026 📆 Deadline: July 10, 2026 🔗 Apply here: buff.ly/jsAkVbR #AfricanStudies

🎓 Richard Rooney Postdoctoral Fellowship – African Studies (University of Toronto) • University of Toronto is offering a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship in African Studies for 2026 • Hosted by the African Studies Centre within New College, Faculty of Arts & Science • Focuses on innovative, interdisciplinary research on Africa and its diasporas 📚 Research Focus Areas • African Studies (broad interdisciplinary scope) • Social Sciences and Humanities • Creative Arts and cultural studies • Diaspora and migration studies • Decolonial and critical African scholarship • Social justice and public engagement research 💰 Fellowship Benefits • Annual salary: CAD $70,000 benefits • Access to world-class research facilities • Membership in a leading African Studies academic community • Opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration • Professional development and global networking 🎯 Eligibility Criteria • PhD completed or near completion (June 2022 – June 2026) • Strong research excellence and academic potential • Ability to start postdoc by 1 November 2026 • Alignment with African Studies research priorities • Encouraged: EDI commitment, public engagement experience 📅 Application Details • Deadline: 10 July 2026 • Duration: 12 months 🌍 Learn more: globalsouthopportunities.com… #Postdoc #UniversityOfToronto #AfricanStudies #Fellowship #ResearchOpportunities #AcademicJobs #GlobalSouth

“Unlocking Sustainable Solutions for Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship through Indigenous Knowledge in Africa” kicks off in 30 minutes! Join us: carleton-ca.zoom.us/meeting/… #AIKRN #AfricanStudies #YouthEmployment #Entrepreneurship #IndigenousKnowledge #Africa #CarletonUniversity

At the Centre for African Studies, University of Cambridge, I had the profound privilege of delivering a keynote lecture at a conference convened in honour of the distinguished historian, Prof. John Lonsdale. Reflecting on Kenya’s contemporary political dilemmas through the lens of history, my paper explored the enduring tensions between ethnicity, citizenship, democracy and statehood. Engaging with some of the finest Africanist minds from across Britain, Africa and North America was both intellectually enriching and deeply humbling. History, after all, is not merely a record of the past, it is a conversation about the future. #Cambridge #AfricanStudies #JohnLonsdale #Kenya #HistoryMatters

This evening, 21st May 2026, I return to my alma mater, @Cambridge_Uni, for the 2026 Audrey Richards Annual Lecture at 5:00 pm in the Winstanley Lecture Theatre, Trinity College. The distinguished historian John Lonsdale will speak on “Self-Mastery: Jomo Kenyatta and State-Free African Political Thought.” The lecture opens two days of intellectual engagement at the Centre of African Studies, bringing together some of the most distinguished Africanists of our generation. Tomorrow 22nd May, 2026, I'm honoured to give a keynote lecture on "Land, Blood & Belonging : Rethinking the Moral Foundations of Statecraft in Kenya." Among those participating are eminent scholars whose work has profoundly shaped our understanding of Africa and its place in the world, including John Lonsdale himself, Frederick Cooper, Richard Waller, Derek Peterson, David Anderson, Adriaan van Klinken, Carola Lentz, Justin Willis, Joel Cabrita, Emma Hunter, Shane Doyle, Megan Vaughan, Parker Shipton, Inge Brinkman, Frederick Cooper, and a distinguished community of historians, anthropologists, political scientists, literary scholars, and public intellectuals from Africa, Europe, and North America. The conference reminds us that history is not merely an archive of bygone events; it is a compass for navigating the possibilities of the future. Those unable to attend in person may follow the proceedings online here: youtube.com/live/dqObPCHzJF0… #AudreyRichardsLecture #JohnLonsdale #AfricanStudies #UniversityOfCambridge #AfricasPastsAfricasFuture

South meets South. @CODESRIA welcomed Prof. Giorgio Romano (Universidade Federal do ABC) & community organiser Ms. Marilene Sousa Coelho for a rich exchange on geopolitics, critical minerals & Afro-Brazilian and African Studies. Shared histories. Shared futures. #AfricanStudies

Our paper is now published in the African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development (AJTID)! Read here: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.… This paper will be useful for researchers and practitioners working on:   • Geographic bias in algorithmic systems   • Platform visibility and representation   • Digital literacy and user agency   • Algorithmic transparency and accountability   • Equity in content recommendation systems We hope this work contributes to a growing conversation about what equitable technological systems should look like and the intentional design choices needed to get there. Thank you to my co-authors @CompetentPeace, @OkuEssienJr1, and Zaynab B. Yusuf for this collaboration. 🙏 Access the paper here: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.… #AlgorithmicBias #PlatformVisibility #TikTok #DigitalEquity #AfricanStudies #AJTID #ResearchPublication

It was great to speak at the international conference on #IndiaAfrica #partnership organised by @UnivofDelhi Thanks to Prof Yaruingam Head, Department of #AfricanStudies and @DrManishKarmwar #Africa #Digital #GlobalSouth @vifindia @DashSandipani

On Cinco de Mayo this THROWBACK article from 1980 documents the first Africans in Mexico, enslaved people brought over in the first years of Spanish occupation. ow.ly/4wmx50YTTYo #CincoDeMayo #AfricanDiaspora #AfroMexican #HistoryInAfrica #AfricanStudies #MexicanHistory

Inviting submissions! Deadline for Vol. 54 - September 30, 2026 ow.ly/ThMG50YTExM #WestAfrica #EastAfrica #History #CFP #Archives #Africa #AfricanStudies

Will Epasamoto always be there? By Ivo Arrey Mbongaya @ivoarrey at the @AccdPage. Email arreymbongayaivo@gmail.com linkedin.com/pulse/epasamoto… #disaster #riskassessment #naturalhazards #culturalresearch #AfricanStudies #ProjectManagement #ESG #SDGs #Envivo #art #myths

Latest Issue of INSIGHT ON AFRICA (Vol 18, Issue 2; May 2026 )- indexed in SCOPUS; Web of Science & UGC CARE, Scimago Qrtl-1, refereed international academic journal with a global editorial board, published by Sage Publications covering contemporary African affairs and issues of policy relevance. Editor-in-Chief: Prof Ajay K Dubey Editors: Prof. Hussein Solomon Prof. Bijay Pratihari Manuscript invited. Published Thrice a year @PratihariBijay @sushmitarajwar2 @HusseinSol36401 #asaindia #africanstudies #AfricanAffairs #sageindia #insightonafrica

We are pleased to announce the latest issue of Modern Africa: Politics, History and Society, featuring 6 research articles and 1 book review exploring key debates across the continent. Read the full issue: journals.uhk.cz/modernafrica… #AfricanStudies #AcademicResearch #ModernAfrica