September 27, 2023 Scientific conference: Political systems and social structures of African countries: current problems and vectors of development
THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND HIGHER EDUCATION
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
The Department for Global Problems and International Relations
INSTITUTE FOR AFRICAN STUDIES
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30/1 ул. Спиридоновка, Москва, 123001 |
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30/1 Spiridonovka str., Moscow, 123001 |
CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT
On September 27, 2023, the Center for Sociological and Political Science Studies of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences is holding a scientific conference titled:
POLITICAL SYSTEMS AND SOCIAL STRUCTURES OF AFRICAN COUNTRIES:CURRENT PROBLEMS AND VECTORS OF DEVELOPMENT
The current stage of development of African countries is characterized by the severity of socio-economic problems, interethnic and political tensions. In the mean time, countries of the continent, while maintaining their adherence to traditional, historically established socio-political structures, are increasingly adapting to modern forms of political governance and adopting elements of Western political culture. At the same time, the confrontation between the democratic and authoritarian foundations of power is often accompanied by the degeneration of democratic institutions into authoritarian ones due to the corruption of the ruling groups, the spread of the bureaucratic style of work, the replacement of parliamentarism with the “rule of offices”, etc. Under these conditions, general elections often provoke violence due to the unwillingness of the authorities to adhere to democratic principles of governance. Foreign influence on the political and social processes in African countries also often serves as a factor that discredits the authorities or the opposition and causes social instability.
The objectives of the conference are to identify the main trends (both constructive and destructive) in the political and socio-cultural life of Africans by discussing the factors and drivers of social development, to determine the nature and characteristics of various vectors – modern, traditional, ethnic, confessional, etc. – of the development of social processes and their interactions at the present stage.
Working languages of the conference are Russian and English.
The following themes will be discussed:
- • problems of the formation of modern political systems in African countries, especially in the context of political transformations and interaction between the ruling elites, the opposition and lower social strata;
• the evolution of social structures, including in the context of deepening social stratification and inequality;
• features of the formation of civil society; the role of public/non-governmental organizations in the countries of the continent at the present stage;
• problems of socio-political and cultural development in the light of the concept of sustainable development and Agendas 2030 and 2063, including issues of migration, environmental and resource security of African states;
• social and political development of Africa in the context of contemporary security challenges, including armed conflicts, territorial disputes, criminal and terrorist activities.
Other similar topics may also be proposed.
Scholars, lecturers, undergraduate and postgraduate students are invited to submit their proposals.
Please send your proposals by September 6, 2023 to both contact persons – to Darya Turyanitsa (e-mail: darya.turyanitsa@gmail.com) and Sergey Kostelyanets (e-mail: sergey.kostelyanyets@gmail.com).
The application must contain the following information: full name of the speaker, place of work, position, academic title, academic degree, theme of the report, an abstract (300–400 words; Times New Roman font 12; spacing 1.5; endnotes), contact phone number, e-mail, form of participation in the conference (offline or online).
The offline venue is the building of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Spiridonovka St. 30/1).
Attendance and participation are free.
The time limit for a presentation is 10 minutes.
Abstracts of the participants will be published in electronic form on the website of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Based on the proceedings of the conference, a scholarly publication is planned for 2024.
