Independent journalism - Knowledge sharing - Public learningContact us

Critical African Studies

Research themes

Six connected lenses on African state–society relations. Publications appear in each field they substantively address, linking history, politics, culture and social experience.

State, authority & accountability

Indigenous authority, colonial administration, nationalism, postcolonial institutions, democratisation and citizen participation.

16 publications · Explore this topic

Development, labour & the African city

Modernisation, structural adjustment, land, livelihoods, urbanisation and the distribution of public resources.

6 publications · Explore this topic

Security, borders & Pan-Africanism

Wars, peace processes, military power, border politics, regional institutions and competing meanings of sovereignty and African unity.

6 publications · Explore this topic

History, culture & knowledge

African histories, archives, oral traditions, popular culture, literature, languages and the politics of scholarship.

11 publications · Explore this topic

Gender, inequality & social experience

Gendered authority, social hierarchy, belonging, exclusion and the lived consequences of political and economic change.

8 publications · Explore this topic

International relations & political economy

African agency in relations with China, Europe, Russia, the US and Gulf states; diplomacy, military cooperation, trade, debt, resources and sovereignty.

9 publications · Explore this topic

All publications

19 publications

19 publications

An archival chromolithograph detail shows Menelik II enthroned among religious and political figures. — Menelik II’s coronation: detail from an 1890 chromolithograph after Pio Joris (1843–1921), depicting the 1889 ceremony. Library of Congress, Ethiopian Collection. Digital reproduction date unrecorded.
Pio Joris / Library of Congress, African and Middle Eastern Division · Public domain
Image details
Coronation of Menelik II — archival chromolithograph detail
Historical record: 1890 print depicting 1889 coronation; reproduction date unrecorded.
Converted the source JPEG to WebP with original dimensions and framing preserved. Source is a detail already cropped by the Library of Congress. Original artist died in 1921; 1890 publication. Faithful reproduction of a public-domain visual artwork.
Original image · Rights record

State, authority & accountabilityJournal essay

Adwa: treaty language, defended sovereignty and political memory

History, culture & knowledge International relations & political economy Security, borders & Pan-Africanism

Read full article

18 Oct 20267 sources

A brass plaque shows a centrally placed mounted king with attendants of different sizes. — Plaque with equestrian ọ́bà (king) and attendants, Court of Benin, ca. 1540–70. Ìgùn Ẹ́rọ̀nwwọ̀n guild artists; The Met, 1978.412.309. Historical object; reproduction date unrecorded.
Ìgùn Ẹ́rọ̀nwwọ̀n guild artists / The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0
Image details
Plaque with equestrian ọ́bà (king) and attendants
Historical record: ca. 1540–70 (object); photograph date unrecorded.
Converted the source JPEG to WebP with original dimensions and framing preserved. No crop or content edits; museum image released through its CC0 Open Access programme.
Original image · Rights record

History, culture & knowledgeJournal essay

Benin’s royal art: authority, colonial seizure and the politics of restitution

State, authority & accountability International relations & political economy

Read full article

18 Oct 20266 sources

Kate Foster seated behind the United Kingdom placard while speaking at the UN Security Council. — Kate Foster addresses the UN Security Council on Sudan, New York, 16 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office / Crown copyright
Image details
Kate Foster addresses the Security Council on Sudan, 16 October 2026
Image date: 2026-10-16.
Converted from the original PNG to WebP; dimensions and framing unchanged. No content edits.
Original image · Rights record

Security, borders & Pan-AfricanismNews

Sudan’s mediation tracks approach Geneva with civilian political participation at stake

State, authority & accountability International relations & political economy

Read full article

17 Oct 20268 sources

Participants in a public group photograph at the EAC Children Summit on Climate Change — Participants at the first EAC Children Summit on Climate Change, Parliament, Kampala, 16 October 2026. Parliament of Uganda / APO Group.
Parliament of Uganda / APO Group
Image details
Participants at the first EAC Children Summit on Climate Change, Parliament, Kampala, 16 October 2026
Image date: 2026-10-16.
Full frame preserved, converted to lossless WebP. Individual photographer not supplied by the publisher. Proportionally reduced from 1817 × 1185 to 1600 × 1043 pixels; no cropping or retouching.
Original image · Rights record

Gender, inequality & social experienceNews

Kampala summit puts children’s participation on the regional climate agenda

State, authority & accountability Security, borders & Pan-Africanism

Read full article

17 Oct 20266 sources

Musalia Mudavadi speaking at a lectern at the National Defence College — Musalia Mudavadi addresses the National Defence College in Karen, Nairobi, 14 October 2026. Kenya Ministry of Defence / APO Group.
Ministry of Defence, Kenya / APO Group
Image details
Musalia Mudavadi addresses the National Defence College in Karen, Nairobi, 14 October 2026
Image date: 2026-10-14.
Full frame preserved, converted to lossless WebP. Individual photographer not supplied by the publisher. Visible KDF watermark retained.
Original image · Rights record

Security, borders & Pan-AfricanismNews

Kenya’s defence-college lecture places diplomacy inside the security debate

State, authority & accountability International relations & political economy

Read full article

17 Oct 20266 sources

Wire and stakes extend across a dry landscape along the Namibia–Botswana boundary in 2018. — The Namibia–Botswana boundary fence, photographed 19 October 2018.
Hp.Baumeler · CC BY-SA 4.0
Image details
Border fence Namibia Botswana (2018)
Historical record: 2018-10-19.
Full-frame 1280 × 853 Commons thumbnail converted losslessly to WebP. No additional crop, retouching or generated content.
Original image · Rights record

Security, borders & Pan-AfricanismJournal essay

The OAU’s border settlement: sovereignty, liberation and cooperation

State, authority & accountability International relations & political economy History, culture & knowledge

Read full article

17 Oct 20266 sources

Sandstone east tower of the Union Buildings in Pretoria, photographed in 2017. — The Union Buildings’ east tower, Pretoria, 17 November 2017. The 1956 women’s march brought its demands to this administrative seat.
Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0
Image details
Union Buildings – East tower
Historical record: 2017-11-17.
Full-frame 960 × 1440 Commons thumbnail converted losslessly to WebP. No additional crop, retouching or generated content.
Original image · Rights record

Gender, inequality & social experienceJournal essay

South African women made citizenship a question of work, movement and the home

State, authority & accountability Development, labour & the African city History, culture & knowledge

Read full article

17 Oct 20267 sources

Vice-President Sebastien Pillay speaks at a table with microphones, with the Seychelles flag behind him. — Vice-President Sebastien Pillay at State House, Seychelles, during the 14 October 2026 briefing on public-service digital reform. Photo: State House Seychelles / APO Group.
State House Seychelles / APO Group; individual photographer not named
Image details
Vice-President at the 14 October 2026 public-service briefing
Image date: 2026-10-14.
Full frame converted to lossless WebP; no crop, resize or substantive alteration.
Original image · Rights record

State, authority & accountabilityNews

Seychelles sets a 2027 HR-system transition goal within wider public-service reform

Development, labour & the African city

Read full article

15 Oct 20266 sources

Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth in ceremonial robes among colleagues after a sitting of Uganda’s Parliament. — Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth leaves Uganda’s Parliament after the plenary sitting on 14 October 2026. Photo: Parliament of Uganda / APO Group.
Parliament of the Republic of Uganda / APO Group; individual photographer not named
Image details
Speaker leaves Uganda Parliament after the 14 October 2026 sitting
Image date: 2026-10-14.
Full frame converted to lossless WebP; no crop, resize or substantive alteration.
Original image · Rights record

State, authority & accountabilityNews

Uganda’s Parliament seeks a charcoal-enforcement pause and answers on energy alternatives

Development, labour & the African city Gender, inequality & social experience

Read full article

15 Oct 20266 sources

White-gloved hands use a soft brush to clean an Arabic manuscript page on a conservation work surface. — A manuscript is cleaned at SAVAMA-DCI in Bamako, 8 August 2019. Mark Fischer, “Timbuktu Manuscript”, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Mark Fischer
Image details
Timbuktu Manuscript
Historical record: 2019-08-08.
Original licence and this reproduction: CC BY-SA 2.0, linked in the rights record. Full frame proportionally resized from 4852 × 3235 to 1600 × 1067 and converted to lossless WebP. No crop, retouching or generated elements.
Original image · Rights record

History, culture & knowledgeJournal essay

Timbuktu’s manuscripts: knowledge, social obligations and the work of custodians

Gender, inequality & social experience

Read full article

15 Oct 20267 sources

Sunlight enters the ruined coral-stone mosque interior through pointed arches and roof openings at Kilwa Kisiwani. — Inside the Great Mosque at Kilwa Kisiwani, photographed on 16 July 2016. Janetmpurdy / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Janetmpurdy · CC BY-SA 4.0
Image details
Great Mosque Kilwa Kisiwani Tanzania
Historical record: 2016-07-16.
Full frame preserved at original 1086 × 724 dimensions; converted to lossless WebP. No crop, retouching or generated elements. Image redistribution retains CC BY-SA 4.0.
Original image · Rights record

Development, labour & the African cityJournal essay

Kilwa’s trading cities: how archaeology reveals an African urban history

International relations & political economy History, culture & knowledge

Read full article

15 Oct 20267 sources

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Christian Rogg with their teams beside a Ghana flag — Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and British High Commissioner Christian Rogg with their teams, Ghana, 9 October 2026. Ghana MFA / APO Group.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Ghana / APO Group
Image details
Ghana foreign minister and UK High Commissioner, 9 October 2026
Image date: 2026-10-09.
Converted to lossless WebP without cropping; the full distributed image and visible watermark are preserved. Individual photographer not supplied by the publisher.
Original image · Rights record

International relations & political economyNews

Ghana brings reparatory justice into its 9 October talks with the UK

Security, borders & Pan-Africanism History, culture & knowledge

Read full article

12 Oct 20267 sources

Fuh Calistus Gentry and Maria van der Hoeven standing before an EITI banner — Fuh Calistus Gentry and EITI Board Chair Maria van der Hoeven at their meeting in Brussels, 9 October 2026. MINMIDT / APO Group.
MINMIDT (Cameroon) / APO Group
Image details
Cameroon minister and EITI Board chair, Brussels, 9 October 2026
Image date: 2026-10-09.
Converted to lossless WebP without cropping; the full distributed image and visible watermark are preserved. Individual photographer not supplied by the publisher.
Original image · Rights record

State, authority & accountabilityNews

Cameroon seeks an end to its EITI suspension; civil-society participation remains central

Development, labour & the African city

Read full article

12 Oct 20267 sources

Ibrahim Njoya sits with a pen at a table holding an open book, surrounded by several attendants. — Ibrahim Njoya in his study at Foumban, 25 May 1917. Photograph by Frédéric Gadmer. Médiathèque du patrimoine et de la photographie, AP62T121311, via Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0.
Frédéric Gadmer / Médiathèque du patrimoine et de la photographie (France) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Image details
Njoya in his study, Foumban, 25 May 1917 (AP62T121311)
Historical record: 1917-05-25.
Converted to lossless WebP without cropping or changing the image content. Credit: Ministère de la Culture, Médiathèque du patrimoine et de la photographie, AP62T121311; diffusion GrandPalaisRmn Photo. The image is reused under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Original image · Rights record

History, culture & knowledgeJournal essay

Bamum’s royal archive: writing, authority and the making of historical memory

State, authority & accountability International relations & political economy

Read full article

12 Oct 20267 sources

An aged manuscript page containing Arabic text divided into numbered sections. — First page of Tunisia’s 1861 constitution. Arabic manuscript; National Archives of Tunisia, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.
Beylical administration of Tunis / National Archives of Tunisia · Public domain
Image details
First page of the Tunisian Constitution of 1861
Historical record: 1861 (document; digitisation date unspecified).
Converted to lossless WebP without cropping or changing the image content.
Original image · Rights record

State, authority & accountabilityJournal essay

Tunisia’s 1861 constitution: who could hold power to account?

History, culture & knowledge Gender, inequality & social experience

Read full article

12 Oct 20267 sources

Denys Denya speaking at a lectern at the Africa Credit Rating Agency launch in Mauritius — Denys Denya, Senior Executive Vice President of Afreximbank, addresses the launch of the Africa Credit Rating Agency in Port Louis, Mauritius, 7 October 2026.
Afreximbank via APO Group
Image details
AfCRA launch, Port Louis, 7 October 2026
Image date: 2026-10-07.
Resized and converted to WebP; layout crops may apply. Individual photographer not supplied. Permission covers the image distributed with this release.
Original image · Rights record

International relations & political economyNews

Africa’s new credit-rating agency puts data and independence at the centre of financial sovereignty

State, authority & accountability

Read full article

12 Oct 20266 sources

A conference participant holding a microphone at the Language Diversity Conference in Accra — A participant speaks on the opening day of the Language Diversity Conference in Accra, Ghana, 2 October 2026.
Justice Okai-Allotey · CC BY-SA 4.0
Image details
LDC Day One 105.jpg
Image date: 2026-10-02.
Resized and converted to WebP; layout crops may apply. The resized photograph and display crops retain CC BY-SA 4.0.
Original image · Rights record

History, culture & knowledgeNews

After Accra’s language conference, African communities put knowledge control on the agenda

State, authority & accountability Gender, inequality & social experience

Read full article

12 Oct 20266 sources

An early twentieth-century Senegalese postcard showing a man holding a drum — An early 20th-century Senegalese postcard captioned 'Griot Diola' by photographer François-Edmond Fortier. Historical image; its colonial caption is an attribution by the postcard publisher, not independent confirmation of the sitter's identity.
François-Edmond Fortier (1862–1928) · Public domain
Image details
Sénégal-Griot Diola (AOF).jpg
Historical record: Early 20th century; precise capture date not supplied.
Resized and converted to WebP; layout crops may apply. The precise original capture date and sitter’s identity are not established. The publisher’s historic caption is retained as an attribution.
Original image · Rights record

History, culture & knowledgeJournal essay

Who decides how African knowledge enters the digital world?

State, authority & accountability Gender, inequality & social experience

Read full article

12 Oct 20266 sources

Two handwritten pages of Hendrik Witbooi’s letter journal, with folio numbers 118 and 119 — Pages 118–119 of Hendrik Witbooi's Letter Journal No. 1, dated 20 May 1891. Historic manuscript, reproduced from the Digital Namibian Archive via Wikimedia Commons.
Hendrik Witbooi (1830–1905) · Public domain
Image details
Witbooi-Journal-1-118.png
Historical record: 1891-05-20.
Resized and converted to WebP; layout crops may apply. Manuscript date is 20 May 1891; digital scan uploaded 17 February 2019.
Original image · Rights record

State, authority & accountabilityJournal essay

Land, custom and the postcolonial state: Namibia’s divided authority

Development, labour & the African city Gender, inequality & social experience

Read full article

12 Oct 20268 sources