CALL FOR PAPERS - International Conference on Post-Graduate Students’ Research on Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Southern and Eastern Africa: 20-21 November 2015

The Department of Science and Technology-National Research Foundation Centre in  Indigenous Knowledge Systems at the University of  KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) in collaboration with the IKS Working Group at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Africa Programme of the UN University for Peace (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) and the University of Rwanda (Rwanda), invites abstracts for papers to be presented at the postgraduate student conference under the theme: “Positioning African Ways of Knowing and Knowledge Production in the Global Conjectures: The Perspectives of African Emerging Researchers.

This is part of the partner institutions initiatives to develop and promote alternative paradigms of looking at Africa from African perspectives of knowledge production and value systems. In this context emphasis is on inter- and trans- disciplinary approach to research, i.e. one which combines different fields of life and which cuts across the disciplinary formations and conventions of the contemporary world as we currently experience them. In addition, the organizers of the conference call on paper contributions which historicise issues and put them into diverse cultural contexts in the African experience.

The post-colonial/post-independence Africa scholarship puts emphasis on the formation of an alternative view of Africa, which must be groomed from within the continent. This implies that the empirical and theoretical perspectives must be grounded on the differentiated and concrete realities of the African historical and socio-cultural formations.

It is argued that the most foundational categories in the post-colonial state, particularly the “nation-state” and “liberal democracy”, have been taken for granted. This has led to limited critical interrogation of the legacy of colonialism, neo-colononialism and other forms of imperialism. While researchers in Africa are grappling with the changes of the African realities, the existing culture of disciplinary methods limit their efforts.

The mismatch between the dynamic realities on one hand and sluggish research process on the other hand, leaves a demand for further scholastic efforts to define these realities through refined African indigenous methodologies and knowledge production procedures.

Indigenous knowledge  systems (IKS)  in the context of this  conference refers to community-based  bodies  of  knowledge, skills, innovations  and  belief systems produced  locally and usually transmitted orally from one  generation to the  next.

1. Aims of the Conference

The aim of the conference which targets young African post graduate students is to:

1. Create an African cadre within the Southern and Eastern Africa region conversant with Indigenous Knowledge Systems including value systems connected with Africa.
2. Create a network or platform of post-graduate students in the Region who pursue pertinent issues of African sustainable development in the context of Indigenous Knowledge Systems
3. Create a critical mass of academics and researchers who focus on the development of the people rather than consumerism.
4. Inculcate in the young generation of African scholars and researchers a culture of interrogating and historicising the experiences of African people in their struggles against colonialism, and other forms of domination.

2. Highlights of the Conference Presentations

The conference is specifically interested in papers that will highlight the following issues:

• How do emerging researchers in Africa approach and apply the issue of interfacing knowledge systems to meet the challenges of globalization and 21^st Century?
• What is the role of African Indigenous Knowledge Systems in addressing security issues facing the continent, especially at grassroots/community levels, i.e. how can African Indigenous Knowledge Systems influence approaches and strategies to global security issues?
• How does the current commoditization of knowledge systems impact on African Indigenous Knowledge Systems in relation to the agrarian question and food security at local community levels in Africa?
• How can African Indigenous Knowledge Systems contribute to effective and sustainable efforts in addressing international security concerns /issues such as piracy, terrorism, money laundering, human trafficking, etc.?
• To what extent can African Indigenous Knowledge Systems contribute to the attainment of Millennium Development Goals in Africa on issues of water, sanitation, and environmental sustainability?

Postgraduate students interested in participating at the Conference will be required to prepare abstracts and develop papers for presentation on any of the following topics:

• Epistemology and Methodologies in the context of AIKS
• Human Rights and Ethics
• Environmental Governance and Management
• Agrarian Questions
• Security issues related to land, water and energy
• Climate Change adaptation
• Food Security
• African indigenous languages within the context of AIKS
• ICT and communication of AIKS
• Information Systems and AIKS
• AIKS and Intellectual Property Rights

3. Who Should Attend?

The conference focuses on  post graduate students enrolled in  Masters and PhD programmes in Universities in Southern and Eastern Africa, in any discipline whose interest is in mainstreaming African Indigenous Knowledge Systems into research from an inter- and transdisciplinary approach. Proof of student registration is mandatory. Female postgraduate students and researchers will be given preference. However, to enrich the students’ research experience other stakeholders from academia, research institutions, private sector, civic organizations, indigenous knowledge holders and practitioners, are also encouraged to attend.

4. Submission Dates

• Submission of Abstracts : Friday, 28 August 2015
• Notification  of  selected papers: Tuesday, 15 September 2015
• Submission of final papers by: Friday, 09 October, 2015

5. Abstract Submission Guidelines

Abstract – 150-200 words.

A brief overview of the paper, its theme, and purpose. Development of your topic. What are the primary or related issues? Why is this topic important? Include historical or theoretical background or reference current debate, if relevant. Current or proposed solutions. Examples of model practice, ideas, or programs. Practical ideas that can be implemented on other areas are especially helpful.  Conclusions and recommendations to readers.

6. Paper Submission Guidelines

Language

All manuscripts must be written in British English. Manuscripts submitted in American English will be edited for consistency.

Length

Finished manuscripts should be between 6.000-7.000 words, including references. This will be somewhere between 20-25 single-sided, double-spaced manuscript pages. Papers exceeding 7.000 words will be edited to length.

Style

For notes and references, use the short-title system (not the author-date system) as per Butcher’s Copy-editing: The Cambridge Handbook for editors, Copy-editors and proof readers, 4th edn (2006).

Example:

• Atiyah, PS, The Damages Lottery (Oxford, Hart Publishing, 1997)
• Atiyah, PS, ‘Personal Injuries in the Twenty-First Century: Thinking the Unthinkable’ in P Birks (ed), Wrongs and Remedies in the Twenty-First Century (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1996) 5–38

Suggested Paper Outline

While the content and purpose of the chapter will ultimately dictate the arrangement of the material, we offer the following paper structure as a starting place. Keep this and any specific requests from the conference organizers in mind as you draft the paper.

Introduction and paper “map.” A brief overview of the paper, its theme, and purpose.

Development of your topic. What are the primary or related issues? Why is this topic important? Include historical or theoretical background or reference current debate, if relevant.

Current or proposed solutions. Examples of model practice, ideas, or programs. Practical ideas that can be implemented on other areas are especially helpful.

Conclusions and recommendations to readers.

Tables, Figures, Appendices

In some cases, you may find that tables, figures, or appendices are needed to fully develop a topic or make it more accessible to the reader. However the use of tables and figures should be limited. All tables, figures, and appendices should be appropriately referenced in the text and submitted with the manuscript for editorial review. While tables and figures may be embedded in the text, they should also be sent as separate files in the program in which they were created (e.g., Excel) so that they can be reformatted, if necessary, during the final production process.

Quotes and Extracts

All material taken from previously published sources—whether quoted directly or paraphrased—should be appropriately cited in the text and be accompanied by a corresponding citation in the reference list. Quotes of more than 40 words are treated as blocks. Extracts of 300 words or more require the permission of the copyright holder to be included.

Similarly, figures or tables that are reprinted from previously published work require the permission of the copyright holder to be included. You are responsible for securing the necessary permissions for such material.

Authorship

Authors should include full names, brief biography (with institutional affiliation, and contact details, including mailing address and telephone number. The editors reserve the right to alter all manuscripts to conform to the guidelines to improve accuracy, eliminate mistakes and ambiguity, and to bring the manuscript in line with the tenets of plain English language.

7. Contact:

For submissions and any clarifications please refer to the following contact persons:

Dr M Chinsamy – University of KwaZulu-Natal:  chinsamym@ukzn.ac.za

P/Bag X 54001, Durban 4000, SOUTH AFRICA

Tel: +27-031 260-8588       Fax: +27- 031 260-8925

8. Registration  Details:

Conference Registration Fees

Kindly indicate the following details as your reference for us to allocate the payment to your name RX23_YOUR_SURNAME_RegistrationFee

Banking Details

International Delegates:

South African Delegates:

On-Site Registration Details

Delegates making payment on-site on the first day of conference are required to pay a Registration fee of ZAR 1000 (South African Rand).  Please note: Cash is only accepted form of payment for onsite registration.  Payment to be made in South African Rand (ZAR) only.

Proof of Payment

Kindly forward a copy of your deposit slip/ proof of payment to the following email address: Ngcobobn@ukzn.ac.za