Social Science Research Council

The Africa Regional Advisory Panel worked with program staff to identify key issues on the continent that require the attention of social scientists or the nurturing of new research skills. Activities were intended to open up new research agendas that balance the strengths of global and local perspectives. These efforts generated a range of publications of research networking and capacity, and two major projects:

• African Youth and Globalization
  Over three years, 43 fellows conducted research related to youth issues in the program "Understanding Exclusion, Creating Value: African Youth in a Global Age."
  
• African Higher Education
  A research project on "The Public Roles of African Universities: Higher Education during Socio-Political Transitions" produced four case studies with a comparative anthology coming soon.
  
  Another project, Citizenship and Belonging, has both an Africa focus and a cross regional focus.
  
  

Other SSRC programs have also been deeply engaged in work on Africa:

• Children and Armed Conflict
  Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo were two of the major case studies being conducted, as well as capacity building work for researchers and practitioners in the Great Lakes Region. A workshop on "Youth in Organized Violence" was held in Pretoria, South Africa in December 2004.
  
• Forced Migration and Human Rights
  The case studies for this project concentrated on conflicts in West Africa and refugees flows, pairing social scientists with NGOs involved in working with displaced people.
• Global Security and Cooperation
  For many years, research on Africa has been an important component of the GSC program. It supported research teams working on Globalization and Violent Conflict, and West Africa was one of the regions being emphasized. Other recent work included a project on pastoralism and conflict in East Africa.
• Information Technology International Cooperation
  Four reports related to ICTs and Civil Society in Africa were produced under the auspices of this program.
• International Dissertation Field Research Fellowships
  28 fellows in a range of social science and humanities fields have been supported to conduct all or part of their field research in Africa over the past three years.
• Program in Applied Economics
  12 doctoral and postdoctoral fellows have recently been supported by the program to work in Africa on the topic of Risk and Development.
  
  Fellowships supporting Africa-oriented work are available through related programs at the SSRC:
  

• International Dissertation Field Research Fellowship
  
  
• ACLS/SSRC/NEH International and Area Studies Fellowship