Midwest Group in African Political Economy (MGAPE)
Founded in 2011, the Midwest Group in African Political Economy (MGAPE) brings together junior faculty and advanced graduate students in Political Science, Economics, and Public Policy who combine rich research experience in Africa with training in political economy methods. MGAPE is a sister group to WGAPE on the West Coast. The group meets to discuss works-in-progress of its regular members and invited guests.
MGAPE meetings begin with a dinner on Friday and end after a full day of discussion on Saturday. Meetings are built around in-depth discussions of six to eight papers (see archive of past MGAPE papers). The emphasis is on discussion rather than presentation, and members are encouraged to present work on which they would like feedback from the group.
For more information please contact Rachel Riedl, Department of Political Science.
African Hip Hop Working Group
The African Hip Hop Working Group is entering its 2nd year as a funded entity under the Program of African Studies. Last year, the Working Group sponsored several talks from scholars doing fieldwork on hip hop in Africa, culminating in a Hip-Hop "Teach-In" May 7-10, 2011 called "Remixing the Art of Social Change." The teach-in featured workshops, performances, and panel discussions on hip-hop's connections to Africa and the diaspora. In 2011-2012, the Working Group will continue the work of exploring the theory and practice of hip-hop in African cultural contexts, including the role of hip-hop cultural workers in African civil society, the effects of structural adjustments programs in Africa through hip-hop lyrics, and the potential for social activism and cultural bridge building through the diverse elements of hip-hop culture. The Working Group welcomes participants interested in hip-hop, performance studies, politics, literature, African Studies and art history, including those scholars and students working on connections between Africa and the global African diaspora.
For more information please contact Nate Matthews, Department of History.
Oral History and Performance as Social Action Institute for Africana Studes (OPASA)
The purpose of OPASA is to serve researches that employ oral history as a central methodology in examining the performatives of public dissent, social movements, and human rights activism in Africa and the black Diaspora. OPASA will serve as a scholarly, artistic, and pedagogical resource for researchers seeking a greater understanding of (1) the methodological techniques as well as the philosophical underpinnings that encompass the complex dynamics of oral history research and (2) how adapting a performance analytic can extend and deepen the social, historical, and political domains of both collective action and individual struggles for justice and democracy on the continent and throughout the Diaspora. OPASA will be a site providing opportunities where the social-political processes that adhere in theories of performance and performativity can be discussed and debated; where the critical pedagogy of oral history methodologies can be demonstrated and practiced; and, where staged performances of oral history research can be witnessed and enacted.
For more information please contact Kate Dargis, Program of African Studies.
