Yorkshire African Studies Network (YASN) workshop

Location: Location details made available with confirmation of booking

Sponsored by LUCAS and Review of African Political Economy (ROAPE) http://www.roape.org/

2012 is the African National Congress’ centenary year and this workshop will examine a range of issues relating to South African politics, history and society at this symbolic moment in the country’s history. The themes addressed by the panels include:

• Reflections on the ANC at 100: the politics of nation building
• Liberation movements in comparative perspective
• The South African labour movement
• South African finance and foreign policy
• South African film, cartoons and media freedom

We welcome participants from across Yorkshire and beyond. Although we already have a fairly comprehensive workshop program, we also welcome paper proposals on any of the themes listed above. Paper proposals should be submitted to Alex Beresford a.beresford@leeds.ac.uk

The workshop will take place on 30^th March at the University of Leeds. The workshop is free to attend and there will be a free lunch. However, if you wish to attend the workshop you must register in advance by emailing Karen Cereso african-studies@leeds.ac.uk Reasonable travel costs for graduate students based at universities in Yorkshire.

Provisional Programme

Panel 1: Contemporary South African politics and society

9:30am – 11am

Allison Drew (University of York): ‘The political symbolism of the ANC’s centenary’

Sarah Bracking (University of Manchester): ‘South Africa’s finances: Offshore private equity, carbon emission credits and “entreprocurement”’

Marc Fletcher (University of Edinburgh): ‘Sport and nation-building in South Africa: The case of the 2010 World Cup’

Panel 2: The post liberation state and the ANC’s relationship with Africa

11:15 – 12:45

Mathew Graham (University of Sheffield) 'South African foreign policy under the ANC: an historical interpretation'

Lionel Cliffe (Emeritus Professor, University of Leeds): ‘The Failure of and Continuing Need for Land Reform in SA’

Sara Rich Dorman (University of Edinburgh): 'Political Economy of the Post-liberation State'

Panel 3: South African labour: past, present and future

1:30pm – 3:00pm

Martin Plaut (BBC World Service Africa editor) ‘Reflections on the South African labour movement at the ANC’s centenary’

Alexander Beresford (University of Leeds): ‘Labour and class politics in post-apartheid South Africa’

Pauline Dibben and Geoff Wood (University of Sheffield): ‘Is Social Movement Unionism still relevant in South Africa?'

Panel 4: South African arts and the media

3:15pm – 4:45pm

Dan Hammett (University of Sheffield): 'Tolerating dissent? The ANC, media freedom and the cartoonist's ire'

Chris Paterson (University of Leeds) ‘Placing contemporary press freedom debates in South Africa in context’

Lizelle Bisschoff (University of Edinburgh): ‘From Tsotsi to District 9: Forging a national cinema in post-apartheid South Africa’

After the close of the workshop we will head to a local pub and then dinner to continue the discussion. All attendees are welcome to join although this part of the day is not funded by YASN.