CALL FOR PAPERS
26 MARCH 2024, UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH AND UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND
State surveillance against political activists in Africa is not a new phenomenon. The state conducts surveillance on people for various reasons and one of them is for national security. In Africa, one of the most targeted groups with state surveillance are political activists. The reason is that since the early years of independence, the main threat to state stability has been political activists who challenge their states on governance and human rights issues through protests. The government conducts surveillance on them to control their movements and activities. The ways different countries conduct state surveillance on their citizens varies and advancements in technologies have even complicated the processes.
Since 2010, Africa has recorded a high number of online protests which have challenged the traditional state systems of regulating protests. In reaction, the governments have moved their surveillance of activists online and are investing heavily in digital technologies for surveillance. A recent report by the International Development Studies (IDS) titled Mapping the supply chain of technologies to Africa: case studies from Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco, Malawi, and Zambia shows African governments are spending “as much as US1bn per year on surveillance technologies”. Countries like China are also donating surveillance technologies to African governments1.
Several studies show how African countries are becoming surveillance states with ever-increasing capacity to monitor the online and offline lives of their citizens2. Other studies have noted the several changes being made to the legislation governing state surveillance practices3. What is, however missing in the literature, is a close analysis of how states conduct targeted surveillance on their enemies in the digital age, including the lived experiences of state surveillance from the victims themselves.
The main objective of the project is to use case studies to provide a close analysis of how individual African states conduct targeted surveillance on political activists, including the ways the activists are responding. The goal is to use both reported and recorded cases of state surveillance and lived experiences of political activists to provide a regional picture of how it is conducted and affects political activism in the region. This includes the ways the society understands state surveillance.
Of concern are questions like; how does targeted state surveillance against activists look like in the digital age? How are technologies shaping the ways states control political activists? We are, particularly interested in papers that present experiences of activists themselves and recorded attempts of targeted surveillances against political activists. Examples include cases reported to the police or UN missions, including those in courts. We also want to understand how different states have restructured their surveillance systems with a focus on the different roles played by state institutions like the police, military, and intelligence departments. In addition, we are interested in the impact of targeted state surveillance on political activists and their activism work, including the ways they are dealing with it at personal or organisational levels. Are they trying to counter state surveillance? What is the extent of their success in doing so?
This list is not exhaustive but provides the overarching framing of the project. We welcome original ideas that closely speak to the core theme of the special issue and are multidisciplinary in nature. Studying surveillance comes with ethical issues. We expect the authors to observe the highest standards of ethical research conduct.
Participants will assemble at two venues (Wits and Edinburgh) for presentations of their papers. They will be connected through the universities’ digital communication platforms. Local transport within South Africa and the United Kingdom may be reimbursed on application. Drinks and meals will also be served at the two venues.
This call is open to scholars at all levels as well as activists. We encourage and welcome applications from early career scholars and other groups that are underrepresented in the academia, especially African women scholars.
If you are interested, please email an abstract of no more than 400 words and a short bio to asharra@ed.ac.uk by 10 January 2024.
- A 400-word abstract
- A 150-word biography
- Contact information
- Whether you wish to participate in-person at either of the two venues, or online.
This colloquium has been organised with funding from the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh and the Politics Department at the University of the Witwatersrand. It is part of the Susan Manning interdisciplinary and international workshops Fund run by IASH. The accepted papers will be published in a special issue.
References
1. Karekwaivanane G, Msonza N. Zimbabwe digital rights landscape report. Digit Rights Closing Civic Space: Lessons Ten Africa Countries. 2021.
2. Duncan J. Stopping the Spies: Constructing and resisting the surveillance state in South Africa. NYU Press; 2018.
3. Munoriyarwa A, Mare A. Digital Surveillance in Southern Africa Policies, Politics and Practices. Prepublication. Palgrave Macmillan; 2022.