« Roots and Horizons: African Dynamics »
Issue coordinator: Pr. Ouiza Galleze - CNRPAH (Algeria)
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Africa is a multi-faceted continent whose social, historical and cultural trajectories continue to shape the contemporary world. Yet its story is often fragmented, misunderstood and even distorted by external representations. There is therefore an urgent need to create spaces where silent voices can be heard, where local knowledge can be shared, and where contemporary issues can meet deep-rooted memories.
Africa review, according to its official identification, ‘‘publishes original articles and book reviews on Africa, using a multidisciplinary approach bringing together philosophy, literature, arts and human and social sciences. It pays particular attention to the critical perspective, the pan-african dimension and the vision centred on the countries of the South. (...) [It] welcomes contributions from african researchers and academics as well as from african immigration, but not only that, it is also open to all contributors interested in african issues around the world.’’
This second issue of Africa review looks at african realities from the perspective of evolution, change or transformation, while remaining attentive to social, cultural, economic and spiritual dynamics. You are invited to explore the changes underway, local resistance, collective imaginations and forms of endogenous innovation that are reconfiguring contemporary african trajectories, while questioning the dominant models and future prospects for the continent.
This cross-disciplinary approach will address the various concerns in the following areas:
Axis 1: Social evolution and contemporary changes
Contemporary Africa is undergoing major social change, marked by rapid urbanisation, demographic transition, diversification of family structures and the emergence of new social classes. Young Africans are taking it upon themselves to redefine civic engagement, while local feminisms are questioning gender norms. Internal and transnational migration is changing economic and cultural dynamics, with diasporas playing an active role. The rural world, faced with climate change and globalisation, is also changing. These multiple developments call for a cross-disciplinary and critical approach to understanding the reshaping of african societies, which is characterised by heritage, resistance and innovation.
Axis 2: Heritage, memory and creation
The tangible and intangible aspects of Africa’s heritage constitute a major cultural asset, although it is often threatened by neglect, marginalisation or exploitation. There is an urgent need to rethink its transmission and promotion through the revitalisation of languages, oral traditions, the arts and ritual practices. Debates on restitution, heritage policies and colonial memory raise issues of justice and sovereignty. At the same time, contemporary african creativity reveals a lively dynamic of cultural reappropriation, combining roots, innovation and diversity of imagination.
Axis 3: African history(ies): plural pasts, critical readings
The history of Africa has long been shaped by exogenous and eurocentric readings. Today, it is essential to promote a critical, decentred historiography based on local sources. This means revisiting pre-colonial societies, resistance to colonisation and independence, as well as african political ideologies such as panafricanism and socialism. Particular attention will also be paid to Africa’s historical relations with other regions of the world and to the memory of recent conflicts. This historiographical renewal aims to restore the complexity of Africa’s past on the basis of the continent itself, its plural voices and its own narratives.
Axis 4: African horizons and prospects
Thinking about contemporary Africa cannot be limited to exploring the past; it is crucial to look ahead to the continent’s possible futures, paying particular attention to the dynamics of innovation, utopian imaginations and ongoing transformations. Economic trajectories, marked by the rise of entrepreneurship, regional integration and the establishment of free trade zones, are redrawing the contours of development. Education, research and health - including both innovation and traditional knowledge - are at the heart of social change. In the face of climatic and technological challenges, new forms of governance are emerging, driven by growing citizen activism. These developments provide food for thought on identity, cultural sovereignty and Africa’s place on the world diplomatic stage.
Addressing the concerns of contemporary African societies means taking into account the dynamics of social change, the cultural mutations underway, the heritages of memory and the creative potential of communities. Through a critical reading of plural pasts, the revaluation of heritage becomes a lever for understanding and action, and african imaginations, nourished by memory, resistance and innovation, sketch out horizons for transformation. They call on us to think of the future not as a reproduction of imposed models, but as a projection rooted in african experiences, bringing with it new forms of solidarity, knowledge and ways of thinking about the world.
In an ever-changing world, thinking about Africa means thinking about the world differently.
In this second biannual issue, Africa review aims to shed light on the Roots, open up to Horizons and define innovative African dynamics.
Contributors are invited to send their articles using the review’s templates (depending on the language in which they are written) before September 15th, 2025 to the following email addresses:
Editorial secretariat