African Studies faces significant challenges and opportunities. Africa-based scholars question the value of external study, while African studies in Africa remains under-resourced. Conventional approaches struggle to capture the rapid changes in African lives and practices. Methodological models involving foreign scholars in unequal partnerships are challenged by new data access issues and African scholars’ reluctance to have their research agendas set by Western institutions. In response, Africanist scholars are developing innovative, interdisciplinary methods to address the continent’s opportunities and risks, creating new models of cooperation that challenge established boundaries.
Dr. Todd Leedy
tleedy@ufl.edu