conference

Africa Knows! It is time to decolonise minds

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Panel A04 (1 video; 4 papers, 2 with)

Title of panel:

Convenors:

Marieke van Winden (conference organiser, African Studies Centre Leiden);

Nicholas Mugabi (Makerere University).

Stream:	A: Institutional foundations
Start time:	8 December, 2020 at 10:00 (UTC+1)
Session slots:	1

Long abstract:
Science in Africa is advancing but is under great pressure: a mix of limited resources, increasing expectations, tensions between competition and cooperation, and the need for evidence-based funding is creating major changes in how scientific research is perceived and conducted. At the centre of this 'perfect storm' is the concept 'research excellence' which drives the strategies and careers of many scientists, but also the priorities of research funding agencies. But what exactly is 'excellent' science in Africa? This panel intends to take a critical view of this issue from a practical and managerial point of view: how should we recognize, monitor and assess it? Two recent publications will serve as an analytical framework: Tijssen, R. and Kraemer-Mbula, E. (2018). Research excellence in Africa: policies, perceptions and performance. Science and Public Policy, 45, 392-403, 2018, and Kraemer-Mbula, E., Tijssen, R., Wallace, M. and McLean, R. (2020). Transforming Research Excellence: New Ideas from the Global South, Cape Town: African Minds (open access; ISBN 978-1-9288502-08-e-pub).

4 Accepted papers:
1	Reflexivity and positionality in doing excellent research: fieldwork experience with farmers in central Uganda
2	Research excellence in Africa: assessments of global and local dimensions
3	Language and identity formation: young women resisting negative labelling in Northern Uganda humanitarian setting
4	Decoding reality from perception. Tales from learners regarding sociocultural setup and gender-based violence in schools in Busoga sub-region, Uganda

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