Ken Barlow, Senior Commissioning Editor, Zed Books, Ken.Barlow@zedbooks.net
Stephanie Kitchen, Managing Editor, International African Institute, sk111@soas.ac.uk
This session, organised by the International African Institute and Zed Books, is designed to provide both practical information and wider discussion around this successful book series and blog. The purpose is to serve as an outreach initiative for the book series and blog: to encourage new authors to consider submitting here, and to reflect on our recent and current publishing practices and books.
The aim of the African Arguments book series is to engage writing and research on topical African issues both within and beyond the academy. It publishes (in paperback and online) research and long-format journalism that engages with policy work, activism and the public at large. Recent books have been published on themes such as: Boko Haram; ebola; the environment, natural resources and oil; economic debates; and popular politics and protests. Country studies making wider empirical and theoretical contributions are also welcome in the series and some recent books cover the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and the Sudans.
The associated blogsite, africanarguments.org hosted by the Royal African Society, is highly successful in popularising academic or specialist knowledge on the African continent, recording some 100,000 hits monthly. The blog has grown out of and beyond the book series and publishes weekly articles on African political and cultural issues, as well as articles linked to the book series and reviews.
Editors involved in the series and blog, and recent authors, will lead a round-table style discussion that all are welcome to attend and participate in.