Provocations Between Black and African Geographies

Our collaborative seeks to transcend the conventional separation of Black Geographies from African Geographies, responding to the urgent call to move beyond this bifurcation to address the persistent coloniality within the study of African societies. Acknowledging the potential pitfalls of selective visibility within the global academic landscape, our collaborations aim to foster a nuanced dialogue between these distinct schools of thought and to centre the contributions of Black geographers. We will bring together 15 leading scholars working in these areas for an intense 1.5-day workshop at the University of Oxford, resulting in a journal Special Issue and new knowledges.

Building on recent scholarship that highlights the need for cross-fertilisation between Black Geographies and African Geographies, we will trace the intersections of Pan-African and Black Radical Thought within and beyond African Geographies. Recognising the marginalisation of African knowledge in decolonial thought, we aim to bridge gaps between Black, decolonial, feminist Geographies, contributing to broader projects for racial justice in the university. 

Rejecting tidy resolutions for colonial divisions, imperial inconsistencies, and differences in Black and African Geographies, our collective seeks out practices of uncontainability, rebellious methodologies (McKittrick 2019), and waywardness (Nyanzi 2023). We explore the contours of an African geographies subdiscipline that is anti-racist, decolonial, and in active conversation with black geographies. Our ultimate goal is a reinvigoration of African geographies, advocating for a transformative approach that challenges existing dynamics and promotes a more inclusive, anti-colonial, and decolonised understanding of African societies.