******************************************************
* http://www.anthropologymatters.com *
* A postgraduate project comprising online journal, *
* online discussions, teaching and research resources *
* and international contacts directory. *
******************************************************
CfP: Panel 03: African Elite Generations.
Convenor: Andrea Behrends
Biennial conference of the German Association for African Studies (VAD),
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 7 - 10 April 2010
Independence from colonial rule starting in the late 1950s opened up new
possibilities for African politicians, intellectuals, lawyers or doctors to
take up positions in the senior civil service, as managers of companies, in
the health system etc. which had formerly been occupied by the colonial
rulers. Labelled as "the fortunate few" (Clignet and Foster 1966) because of
their small number and the comparatively large quantity of newly opened
positions after the departure of the colonizers, they raised expectations
for future economic and social development in African states. However,
subsequent generations not only had to struggle with economic decline, high
corruption and political closure of access to more powerful positions; the
increased numbers of highly educated and motivated candidates aspiring to
fill a diminishing number of vacancies made professional success more
competitive and thereby much harder to achieve than before.
The panel wants to address the pathways of elites in the last fifty years,
their strategies of access to elite status and the possible closure of these
pathways to new aspirants. To widen the perspective, the panel also
encourages papers dealing with successful traders: how did they pass on
their business and how do their successors cope with global economical
changes? - or so-called traditional elites: how do more recent democratic
pathways on the one hand and the consistency of civil war and dictatorship
on the other hand influence traditional elites? In general, have elite
groups been able to maintain their status over generations? And if yes, what
were the (political and socio-economic) conditions for that? In which way
did new elites come into being and how did these elites demonstrate their
outstanding social position? The panel invites papers that look at the
history and the trajectories of elite groups, the strategies of gaining or
maintaining elite membership and the changing dynamics connected to African
elites. The panel will be held in English.
The deadline for the submission of abstracts is 15 May 2009.
Please note: After your *registration*
<http://wp1140687.wp127.webpack.hosteurope.de/index.php/en/component/comprof
iler/registers>
<http://wp1140687.wp127.webpack.hosteurope.de/index.php/en/component/comprof
iler/registers> as a user of the conference website and your log in you are
able to upload a paper proposal in doc, docx, odt, rtf, txt or preferably in
pdf format to the panel, in which you would like to participate. Please do
*NOT* send your proposal to the panel convenor directly but upload it on the
website.
*************************************************************
* Anthropology-Matters Mailing List *
* To join this list or to look at the archived previous *
* messages visit: *
* http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/Anthropology-Matters.HTML *
* If you have ALREADY subscribed: to send a message to all *
* those currently subscribed to the list,just send mail to: *
* [log in to unmask] *
* *
* Enjoyed the mailing list? Why not join the new *
* CONTACTS SECTION @ www.anthropologymatters.com *
* an international directory of anthropology researchers *
***************************************************************
|