Announcing the Creation of an Africa Special Interest Group (ASIG)

Rationale
Research on African issues is at the forefront of modern day academic pursuits. There is a lot of great work being done as part of these efforts and as more work continues to be done, there is a need for a forum where African and Africanist scholars can come together and discuss their research.

During the CIES conference at Stanford, a group of CIES members agreed that there was a need to establish a forum were Research on Africa can be properly vetted and contextualized within the right framework. There is a prevailing trend of misuse and mis-representation of data hence, data analysis are either overly pessimistic or conclusions are over simplified. We hope that such a SIG will pave the way for the easy integration of information and knowledge-sharing systems and provide a forum where research on Africa can be examined, critiqued and analyzed.

Target Population of Africa SIG
1. African and Africanist Scholars
2. Those interested in African Research
3. Other interested persons

Purpose
The Africa Special Interest Group (SIG) comprises a group of active CIES members with similar interests in Education and Africa. The purpose of this SIG is to bring individuals together to discuss and debate current topics, network with others in the field, share, inform, and educate, while providing a forum for a focused voice.
A forum of like-minded scholars will provide the necessary impetus in the sharing of information and best practices. And also in challenging entrenched research biases that are imbedded within the academy.

Desirable Outcomes
1. Paving a way for authentic voices to be heard.
2. An opportunity during CIES conferences to engage in discourse on Africa research.
4. Peer support and review of research.
5. The launch of a discussion forum for critical issues relating to Africa and Education.


If you are interested in being a part of this SIG or want more information, please contact JoanOviawe: CIESAFRICASIG@yahoo.com