Dear Colleagues,

The call for papers and panels is now open for the Panel Stream " Addressing Inequality: New Forms of Welfare, Social Protection and Citizenship in Africa" at the African Studies Association-UK Conference, University of Birmingham, 11-13 September 2018. The deadline for submissions is 16th February 2018.

For further details of the stream, please see here (and below): http://www.asauk.net/stream-addressing-inequality-new-forms-of-welfare-social-protection-and-citizenship-in-africa/

Instructions for submission are available here: http://www.asauk.net/call-for-papers-and-panels-asauk-2018-now-open/

Further information is given below.

Best wishes,

Ruth J. Prince


Addressing Inequality: New Forms of Welfare, Social Protection and Citizenship in Africa

After three decades of structural adjustment and amid widening inequality and a growing recognition that poverty-alleviation programmes have largely failed, we are currently witnessing experiments with new forms of welfare and social protection on the African continent. Cash Transfer programmes, Basic Income Grants and Universal Health Coverage are three examples of experiments in welfare that are gaining currency in the Global South, including in Africa. These moves appear to be progressive as they draw on a language of solidarity, inclusion and equity and recognize the role and responsibility of the state towards its citizens, appearing to push against 'the death of the social' that is so often decried in neoliberalism. However, they could also be simply 'sticking plaster' solutions that lack a vision of real social transformation. Current experiments in welfare are being employed within different political ideologies and may be watered down by various political and economic interests. Finally, while recent moves in poverty alleviation have been hailed as "a development revolution from the South", in many cases, moves towards greater social protection are being pushed entirely by powerful global players, bypassing state institutions. The tensions and paradoxes surrounding these schemes make experiments with new forms of poverty alleviation across the African continent an intriguing site for research.

This stream calls for panels that address social protection and poverty alleviation policies and projects, past and present, in African countries. The topic is interdisciplinary; contributors could include anthropologists, historians, sociologists, political scientists, media studies, artists. Possible sub-themes could include:

* Forms of governmentality and imaginations of citizenship in poverty alleviation and social protection in African countries, past and present.
* The role of the state, NGOs, international institutions and global players in new forms of welfare and social protection
* How forms of welfare and social protection interplay with class and inequality.
* Concepts and practices of obligation, care, responsibility and solidarity; local understanding of poverty
* The role of Africa-based social movements, citizen groups, protest and activism in addressing inequality.
* African media coverage of progressive moves towards greater welfare protection; the role of social media.
* How formal welfare/social protection intersect with informal forms of solidarity, for example, rotating credit societies, religious organizations, and ethnic, neighbourhood or work-based welfare societies, both in the past and the present.
* How welfare and social protection programmes play out on the ground; experiences and attitudes of recipients and of those involved in implementation; friction and tensions.

If you have any queries or suggestions please contact Ruth J. Prince, [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
For panel and paper submissions please follow the instructions on the website  http://www.asauk.net/call-for-papers-and-panels-asauk-2018-now-open/

________________________________

Ruth J. Prince,
Associate Professor in Medical Anthropology,
University of Oslo;
& European Research Council Principal Investigator,
"Engaged Universals: Universal Health Coverage and the Public Good in Africa",
(ERC StG 2018-2023)



*************************************************************
*           Anthropology-Matters Mailing List
*  http://www.anthropologymatters.com            *
* A postgraduate project comprising online journal,    *
* online discussions, teaching and research resources  *
* and international contacts directory.               *
* 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
*
* To unsubscribe: please log on to jiscmail.ac.uk, and            *
* go to the 'Subscriber's corner' page.                                  *
*
***************************************************************