Call for Papers: 2015 International Conference on History Education in Africa
Durban, South Africa
8-9 December 2015
The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research (GEI), in cooperation with the International Research Association for History and Social Sciences Education (IRAHSSE), are pleased to announce their International Conference on History Education in Africa on the theme of “Teaching and Learning History in Contemporary Africa: Past, Present and Future”.
History education has long been a subject of debate around the world. In the course of the past few decades, extensive research has been conducted and knowledge consolidated on the teaching and learning of history, especially in the Western world. While more global perspectives have been considered in recent years, African perspectives have been conspicuously absent or, at best, marginalised in current international research and debates on history education.
The Conference, to be held in Durban, South Africa, on 8-9 December 2015, seeks to contribute to filling this gap by stimulating discussion and reflection on the state of history education in Africa and the challenges and opportunities associated with teaching and learning history across the continent. Its aim is to provide a snapshot of extant and emerging knowledge and debates in this field and raise new questions for future research. Further, it seeks to help build a network of scholars and practitioners working in this field, with the aim of maintaining communication and facilitating cooperation into the future.
The organisers invite submissions for papers, panels and round-table discussions on any aspect of history education in Africa. The conference aims to cover a wide range of relevant political and practical issues related to curricula, textbooks, pedagogy and classroom practices, and teacher education at both primary and secondary level, as well as history education in informal settings.
We welcome historical, theoretical and empirical studies, and individual cases and comparative analyses that draw upon a range of contexts, theories and methods to shed new light on questions that include, but are not restricted to, the following topics:
- Historical overviews of history education in African countries
- Actors and processes in curriculum and textbook production and revision
- History curriculum implementation
- Quality, availability and use of history textbooks and other resources (e.g. oral sources, historical sites, museums, films, radio, and multimedia programmes) in the teaching of African history
- Representations in textbooks and curricula of events or figures in African and world history
- Representations in textbooks and curricula of nations and social groups, including minorities and gender, in political, social and cultural history
- Identity and memory politics and their expression through history teaching
- Processes and outcomes of teaching and learning African history, e.g. instructional and assessment approaches
- History teachers’ experiences: controversies, dilemmas and challenges faced by educators in Africa
- Impact of history teaching approaches on learners’ knowledge, skills, attitudes and values
- History teacher education and professional development in Africa
The working language of the conference will be English. A registration fee of 1500 South African Rand or 115 Euro applies. This will cover lunches, teas and one conference dinner. Travel expenses, accommodation and additional meals are to be covered by attendees. We strive to make financial support available for a limited number of participants from African countries.
How to apply
We invite submissions from scholars and postgraduate students, as well as from practitioners and researchers working in government, the NGO sector and other institutions. We are especially keen to host presentations from African scholars.
Prospective participants should submit abstracts of no more than 300 words, with 3 keywords, together with a brief biography of no more than 100 words. Requests for financial support should include a comprehensive CV and a detailed description of the applicant’s motivation for wishing to attend the conference. Applications should be sent as a single document (file name: last name, first name) with the subject line “History Education in Africa” to Prof Johan Wassermann at wassermannj@ukzn.ac.za and Dr Denise Bentrovato at bentrovato@gei.de. The closing date for submissions is 15 June 2015. Successful applicants will be notified by 15 July 2015.
The organisers plan to publish the proceedings of the conference and will invite participants and experts to submit articles for publication based on their presentations.