Maxine Rubin

🆕Special Issue “Giving in Somali Diaspora Humanitarianism in Africa,” guest-edited by @Nauja_Kleist and Mark Bradbury, explores how Somali diaspora communities across Africa shape humanitarianism through giving, care, and solidarity. 🔗journals.sagepub.com/toc/afr… #specialIssue

Africa Spectrum is pleased to be at the joint SGAS/VAD Conference 2026 in Basel. As the flagship African Studies journal of the @GIGA_Institute, we look forward to engaging with scholars, authors, and readers from across the global African Studies community. #VAD2026 #SGAS2026

🆕 Are border residents a security threat or a security resource? Baami and Torsu show how border communities in Ghana contribute to intelligence gathering, peacebuilding, and conflict resolution, yet remain largely overlooked in border governance. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/000203972614…

🆕 Has climate change become a "single story" in explanations of insecurity? Dengiyefa Angalapu and @DrAniche argue that climate-security framings can oversimplify conflict dynamics in Nigeria and overlook other key drivers of insecurity. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/000203972614…

🆕 How did African academic publishing become so dependent on external actors? Kitchen and Mills trace the rise of an "extraverted" publishing economy shaped by donors, multinational publishers, and enduring inequalities in knowledge production. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/000203972614…

🆕 @obadiaokinda explores how belonging, migration experiences, and social media shape crisis giving among Somalis in Nairobi. The study shows the growing role of digital technologies in connecting people to crises and mobilising support. doi.org/10.1177/000203972614… #SpecialIssue

🆕 How do migrants claim belonging in a border town? Wonder Juniper explores how community radio shapes the citizenship practices of Zimbabwean traders in Musina, South Africa, introducing the concept of "bordered voices." 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/000203972614…

🆕 What can Somali giving practices teach us about humanitarianism? Mutambasere argues that humanitarian action is shaped by relationships, obligations, and transnational networks as much as by formal institutions. 🔗doi.org/10.1177/000203972614… #specialissue

🆕 Why do women's land rights remain limited despite legal reforms? Millicent Awialie Akaateba and Agumah Sebastian Mbabugri examine how customary practices continue to shape women's access to land in Ghana despite statutory protections. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/000203972614…

🆕 What are the cultural costs of development? Rachel King, Amanda Esterhuysen, and Dineo Skosana examine how mining, infrastructure, and renewable energy projects have driven burial disturbance and reburial in South Africa. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/000203972614…

🆕 Introduction to the Special Issue: Giving in Somali Diaspora Humanitarianism in Africa @Nauja_Kleist and Mark Bradbury introduce research on Somali diaspora humanitarianism and crisis relief across Africa. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/000203972614…

🆕 How do youth movements reshape democratic space? Han examines how marginalised youth in post-2011 Tunisia reclaimed streets and public spaces to challenge political exclusion and demand socio-economic justice. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/000203972614… #specialissue

🆕 Book Review: How did Transsion become Africa's leading mobile phone company? Rochat reviews Miao Lu's The Transsion Approach, highlighting how adaptation to local markets helped shape the firm's success across Africa. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/000203972614…

🆕 How do weaker states navigate great-power competition? Vigne and @SaraVanHoey examine how the DRC balanced relations with China, the US, and the EU, showing how hedging can help preserve autonomy amid insecurity and geopolitical rivalry. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/000203972614…

➡️Prof. @HenningMelber served on Africa Spectrum's Editorial Advisory Board from 2003–2007 and was Managing Co-Editor(with Andreas Mehler) from 2009–2018. 💬See the image for his reflections. 🔔Follow our anniversary campaign for more reflections from current and former editors

Celebrating Africa Spectrum at 60 🎉 ➡️As part of our 60th anniversary campaign, we asked former Editors-in-Chief of Africa Spectrum to reflect on what makes the journal distinctive and important within African Studies. #AFR60yrs Thread 🧵

🆕 How is Africa positioned in British academia? Beidollahkhani argues that Africa's visibility as a site of research and policy engagement often coexists with the marginalisation of African epistemic authority, raising questions of epistemic justice. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/000203972614…

🆕 How does Islamic ethical thought shape socio-political life in Northern Nigeria? Fahm and Ibrahim show how Islamic ethical frameworks shape ideas of leadership, community resilience, and social repair amid governance, insecurity, and inequality. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/000203972614…

🆕 Can women’s land ownership strengthen climate adaptation and food security? Wegenast, Hänze, and Haer show that joint land ownership in Tanzania improves food security and diet diversity among households facing extreme weather events. 🔗doi.org/10.1177/000203972614… #specialissue

🆕 How did Ghana frame diaspora engagement during the Year of Return? Kutor, Oklikah, Saaka, and Arku examine how Ghanaian media framed the initiative through tourism, investment, branding, and emotional connection with diaspora communities. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/000203972614…