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CFP: Decolonizing Environmental Imaginaries: Climate, Heritage, and the Postcolonial South

Call for Papers Edited Volume (Brill) Decolonizing Environmental Imaginaries: Climate, Heritage, and the Postcolonial South Editors: Paweł Piszczatowski (Hg.) Neha Khetrapal (Hg.) Book series: Culture – Environment – Society. Humanities and beyond Publisher: Brill About the Volume Recent debates in the environmental humanities — including works by Macarena Gómez-Barris (The Extractive Zone, 2017) and Farhana Sultana (“The Unbearable Heaviness of Climate Coloniality,” Political Geography, 2022) — have made it increasingly clear that climate change, heritage discourses, and environmental imaginaries cannot be understood apart from the colonial legacies of extraction, epistemic exclusion, and uneven modernities. Postcolonial and decolonial approaches have demonstrated that contemporary ecological crises are inseparable from histories of displacement, enclosure, and structural inequality. Foundational contributions such as Global Ecologies and the Environmental Humanities: Postcolonial Approaches (DeLoughrey, Didur & Carrigan, 2015) and S. Rahman’s “The Environment of South Asia: Beyond Postcolonial Ecocriticism” (South Asian Review, 2021) underscore how environmental thought emerging from the Global South foregrounds questions of justice, mobility, cultural survivance, and more-than-human relationality. Farhana Sultana’s concept of climate coloniality further exposes how ostensibly universal discourses of climate responsibility continue to reproduce geopolitical asymmetries between the Global North and the Global South. Complementary perspectives from disability studies, feminist theory, and critical heritage studies — for instance Disability Studies and the Environmental Humanities: Toward an Eco-Crip Theory (ed. Sibara & Ray, 2017) — have further expanded this field by interrogating the colonial, ableist, and anthropocentric assumptions embedded in dominant Western notions of the body, resilience, and environmental agency. Together, these frameworks signal a profound epistemic realignment: a shift away from Eurocentric universalism toward plural, situated, and relational ecologies. This decolonial turn has also gained increasing traction in Central and Eastern European scholarship, which situates local semi-peripheral contexts within broader global debates. Volumes such as Non-Western Approaches in Environmental Humanities (ed. Jarzębowska, Ross, Skonieczny, 2025) contribute to this dialogue by juxtaposing perspectives from Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, asking how environmental thought might evolve once Western modernity is no longer treated as its epistemic center. This edited volume seeks to extend and deepen these conversations by bringing together contributions that critically examine environmental imaginaries, heritage practices, and climate narratives from postcolonial, decolonial, and semi-peripheral perspectives, with a particular emphasis on the Global South. Scope and Topics We invite original contributions that explore the intersections of decolonial critique, environmental imagination, and heritage practices. While the volume places particular emphasis on South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, and semi-peripheral regions of Europe, comparative and theoretically innovative approaches are especially welcome. Possible topics include (but are not limited to): Postcolonial and decolonial approaches to the environmental humanities Cultural, spiritual, and religious responses to climate change in the Global South Colonial legacies and epistemic asymmetries in heritage, conservation, and sustainability discourse Orientalization and Western appropriations of Asian philosophies, religions, and spiritualities Environmental imaginaries in literature, film, and visual arts from postcolonial contexts Intersections of religion, ecology, and material heritage (e.g. temple architecture, ritual space, olfactory heritage) Environmental mobility, migration, displacement, and climate-induced precarity Indigenous epistemologies and situated ecological knowledges Feminist, queer, disability-informed, and subaltern ecologies Comparative ecologies of postcolonial and semi-peripheral modernities Climate fiction, speculative imaginaries, and narrative strategies of resistance Submission Guidelines and Timeline Extended abstracts (700–800 words, in English) 📅 Deadline: February 28, 2026 Authors will be notified of acceptance by March 15, 2026. Full chapters (approx. 6,000–8,000 words) 📅 Deadline: September 30, 2026 The volume is planned for publiation with Brill in 2027 as part of the Culture – Environment – Society. Humanities and beyond series. Please submit abstracts together with a short biographical note (approx. 100 words) to: 📧 p.piszczatowski@uw.edu.pl 📧 nkhetrapal@jgu.edu.in

By: Aaron Dorner

Monday, Jan 26, 2026

CULTURE AND SOCIETY
+1

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Article

Michigan State University and the Alliance for African Partnership Awarded $895,000 Carnegie Grant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Michigan State University and the Alliance for African Partnership Awarded $895,000 Carnegie Grant for REIMAGINE Project Advancing Graduate Education and AI in Africa Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan) has been awarded a 36-month, $895,000 grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York under its prestigious Higher Education in Africa program. The grant will support the Alliance for African Partnership (AAP) consortium’s efforts to advance innovative graduate education ecosystems across African universities and to develop a collaborative, transdisciplinary doctoral program focused on artificial intelligence. The AAP REIMAGINE initiative supports forward-thinking strategies that reshape higher education for the future. Through this investment, AAP—MSU’s flagship platform for equitable and sustainable collaboration with African higher education institutions—will expand its work to strengthen graduate student environments, enhance supervisory and research cultures, and foster institutional systems that enable student success on the continent. A key component of the project is the development of multiple Artificial Intelligence Doctoral Training Programs, designed to equip a new generation of African scholars with advanced AI expertise, research skills, and leadership capacity. The initiative will leverage MSU’s long-standing partnerships with universities across Africa, ensuring African-led direction, contextual relevance, and sustainability. “The REIMAGINE Project is fundamentally about examining how doctoral education and research ecosystems across African universities can evolve to better support transdisciplinary scholarship in artificial intelligence,” said Dr. Jose Jackson-Malete, Co-Director of the Alliance for African Partnership and Project Lead for the Carnegie-funded REIMAGINE initiative. “This work is critically needed now. Without intentional investment in doctoral training, supervision systems, and collaborative research environments, Africa risks falling behind in shaping—and benefiting from—the rapid advances in AI that are already transforming societies and economies worldwide.” Over the next three years, the project will: Review and strengthen policies for graduate student mentorship, supervision, and research environments across AAP member institutions. Support institutional innovations that promote student well-being, academic success, and professional development. Launch a continentally grounded transdisciplinary doctoral program focused on artificial intelligence, expanding access to emerging fields that drive economic and societal transformation. Foster deeper collaboration between MSU scholars and African research teams through joint programs, co-created curricula, and capacity-building initiatives. Since its inception in 2016, AAP has worked across the consortium and beyond to promote equitable partnerships, research excellence, and sustainable development solutions. This new investment from Carnegie marks a pivotal milestone in scaling AAP’s impact on higher education transformation. About the Alliance for African Partnership (AAP) AAP is a consortium convened by Michigan State University to promote collaborative, transdisciplinary partnerships among 10 member African institutions, MSU, and global stakeholders. The Alliance focuses on building capacity, supporting innovation, and advancing shared research priorities that address global challenges. About the Carnegie Corporation of New York Founded in 1911 by Andrew Carnegie, the Carnegie Corporation of New York is one of America’s oldest philanthropic foundations focused on advancing knowledge and understanding through grants in education, strengthening U.S. Democracy, international peace and security, and higher education in Africa, supporting initiatives that promote civic engagement, reduce polarization, and foster global cooperation, continuing Carnegie's legacy of social progress. The REIMAGINE program supports bold, future-focused approaches to revitalizing higher education and strengthening global knowledge systems.

By: Baboki Gaolaolwe-Major

Thursday, Jan 22, 2026

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
+2

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The Alter-Lives of Independence Movements: Frustrated Hopes, Renewed Utopias

Carmina UntalanLocationPortugalDecades after formal decolonisation, anti-colonialism and anti-imperialism have remained a wellspring of inspiration and contestation. Studies about anticolonial thought, the 1955 Bandung Conference, and transcontinental solidarity movements have proliferated in academia and activist networks, providing the basis of theories and practices of resistance in contemporary times. Nevertheless, the ideas and the movements they inspired did not perish with the epoch that produced them. They evolved and acquired alternative lives in the period of nation-building and world-making, whether in extended or distorted forms. On the one hand, there were local and transnational efforts to sustain and enrich the revolutionary impulse through embracing the anticolonial spirit in various areas such as development, education, and diplomacy. As international institutions such as the UN welcome additional member states, Europeans and non-Europeans travelled to decolonised states like Algeria and Angola to learn and further cultivate ideas in building new societies. On the other hand, some dominant groups that took over the independent states capitalised on the anti-colonial pride to justify authoritarian and anti-democratic rule. Their utopian visions led to the systematic oppression of opposing forces and reproduced the hierarchical international state model. The fear of neocolonialism and disillusionment propelled both the former coloniser and colonised to reorganise their strategies and desires in the face of an emerging world order. This two-day conference on the alter-lives of independence movements explores the evolution and transformation of anti-colonial and anti-imperial struggles. It focuses on the events and reflections about the early years of independence, a period of turbulent transition from colonial domination to self-governing nation-states, and of tumultuous beginnings of a new international order. We introduce the concept “alter-lives” to denote the process of altering imaginaries and practices that emerged during the colonial period in responding to uncertain futures, including the political uses of anticolonial memories and/or histories. It also refers to alternative relations forged between and among the former colonisers and colonised after independence. Thus, using “alter-lives” as a conceptual ground, this conference engages in the following questions: first, how have anticolonial thinking and practices evolved domestically and transnationally? Second, what were the structural and agential forces behind these evolutions? Third, how were anticolonial memories and histories politicised to achieve certain ends? Fourth, what difficulties did these agents face in realising their envisioned future? Lastly, how have alterations and alternatives affirmed and/or challenged the revolutionary ideas of the independence struggles? We welcome theoretical and praxis-oriented proposals to gather scholars, activists, and artists from various disciplinary backgrounds and acquire a broad comparative perspective. Possibleareas include, but are not limited to: Transnational solidarities and resistance, such as North-South and South-South cooperation Nation-building Anticolonial thought and figures Diplomacy and international affairs Pedagogy and knowledge transmission Literary and artistic representations, such as documentaries, films, and novels Rhetorics of failure, frustrated political projects Please submit your abstract (300 words max.) by 13 February 2026 to jiw.hopesandfears@gmail.com. Decisions will be communicated by the first week of March 2026. Contact Email jiw.hopesandfears@gmail.com URL https://ihc.fcsh.unl.pt/en/events/alterlives-independence-movements/?fbclid=IwY… Attachments CfP Poster Alterlives

By: Aaron Dorner

Tuesday, Jan 13, 2026

CULTURE AND SOCIETY
+1

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Opportunity

Call For Proposals: Virtual Workshop on "Subaltern Transnationalism"

Jon KeuneThis announcement is for a Call for Proposals to participate in an experimental virtual workshop on "Subaltern Transnationalism," which will take place February 26 - March 6, 2026. As explained in the attached PDF file, we will gather a small group of scholars to discuss ways in which "subaltern" or historically marginalized people developed emancipative possibilities by envisioning themselves as belonging to worlds beyond their immediate locales. Mindful of how the terms "subaltern" and "transnationalism" carry different meanings in different global contexts, we hope that our call invites participants who work on relevant topics even if they do not typically resort to these terms to describe their research. Scholarship on transnationalism/transregionalism often takes for granted a high degree of financial, social, educational, or political status among participants who can engage the international world reciprocally. In contrast, we view subaltern transnationalism as reflecting marginalized people’s own imagination, agency, and uses of international knowledge according to their limited resources in their local contexts. In these cases, such knowledge may be rooted in partial information, rumor, media fragments, religious networks, political propaganda, or localized interpretations of rhetoric and events from elsewhere, which subaltern groups use to develop social imaginaries that give them hope and new forms of self-understanding. Our anticipated historical scope for the workshop is colonial and early postcolonial periods, but we will consider proposals that speak directly to the theme in other historical periods. To maximize engagement and feedback among participants, the workshop will have two parts. The asynchronous part will be facilitated through a private website hosting participants' shared materials February 26-March 5, 2025, followed soon after by a 2-hour group Zoom meeting that suits participants' availability and time zones. Work in progress is welcome; a full paper is not required. Please see the attached PDF file for more details, including how to submit proposals before the January 24 deadline, and how to contact the organizers. Contact Information Jon Keune, Associate Professor in Religious Studies, Michigan State University Surajkumar Thube, Visiting Faculty in Political Science, Ashoka University Contact Email subalterntransnationalism@gmail.com Attachments CFP & concept note

By: Aaron Dorner

Tuesday, Jan 13, 2026

CULTURE AND SOCIETY

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Opportunity

Africa Global Partnership Scholars

In an era where complex global challenges demand collective action, the need for international collaboration and knowledge sharing has never been more critical. Africa Global Partnership Scholars Program (Africa GPS) is a cohort-based program, designed for early to mid-career MSU faculty to create and deepen new scholarly partnerships with collaborators and peer institutions in Africa in support of MSU’s global mission. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES: Foster the development of a group of faculty members dedicated to establishing and enhancing international research connections, collaborating on solutions with African partners, and adopting a global perspective in their scholarly work Support MSU’s 2030 strategic plan goal of discovery, creativity and innovation for excellence and global impact Connect MSU faculty with potential collaborators and mentors in Africa, expand the scholars' international networks, and offer support for establishing long-lasting collaborations Heighten global awareness and research dialogue Elevate the status of MSU’s global mission Capitalize on opportunities to leverage external resources and form partnerships ELIGIBILITY FOR APPLICATION Tenure-stream or fixed term faculty at Michigan State University without prior scholarly experience in Africa are eligible to apply for Africa GPS. REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS As part of the application process, the applicant must submit the following materials: Completed application questionnaire An up-to-date curriculum vitae (max 4 pages) A one-page statement that describes your reasons for applying, potential research focus, and if known, the AAP consortium institution and African country of interest for the collaboration. If needed, AAP can help identify the country, mentor and/or the collaboration partner based on the applicant’s interests. A letter expressing strong support from the Chair/School Director/Dean. The letter should affirm: The candidate’s international interest, experience, and/or research The candidate’s strengths as a researcher within the context of unit expectations The candidate’s proposed project will advance the mission and goals of the academic unit, be supported by the unit, and benefit international partners Applicants are encouraged to obtain a commitment from their unit or college to provide a 20% cost share. While cost sharing is not required, preference will be given to proposals that include this match. FUNDING To facilitate the participation of faculty members selected as Africa GPS Fellows, AAP will provide support for the following: Up to $10,000 in support of international travel and scholarly collaborations with a researcher and/or mentor at an AAP Consortium member institution. The $10,000 may be used to support the MSU faculty members’ individual travel, collaborative research activities or to bring an African partner to MSU. Connection with potential collaborators, mentors, and institutions in Africa Structured workshops on establishing and navigating international partnerships Financial Guidelines: The financial support must be expended prior to the end of the program (one year after awarded). Preference will be given to applicants who provide a 20% match from the applicant’s unit, department or college. PROGRAM EXPECTATIONS Africa GPS participants are expected to develop a sustainable collaboration with peer researchers at an AAP consortium institution. As a result, within two years of being selected for the program, the scholar is expected to achieve the following outputs: A collaborative research paper coauthored with their African collaborator to be submitted for publication. A concept note of a proposal submitted to a funding agency to sustain the partnership with the African collaborator. Progress reports submitted every six months to AAP documenting how the collaboration is progressing and any challenges that may have arisen. Attend program orientation, professional development workshops organized by AAP, and other relevant events as shared by the AAP team. SELECTION CRITERIA FOR GLOBAL RESEARCH FELLOWS The criteria below will be utilized to evaluate candidates for their selection to the Africa GPS program: Commitment Level: Applicants need to show a readiness to dedicate the necessary time to maximize the benefits of the Fellowship year, along with a proven scholarly potential that supports such a commitment. Research Interest: Candidates should demonstrate a strong commitment to international research and articulate how participation in Africa GPS will contribute to their personal and professional development Unit Support: Candidates must have strong support from relevant departmental or school and college administrators, indicated by enthusiastic recommendations. Alignment of Interests: The applicant’s international research interests should align with the Africa GPS’s mission to foster excellence in international research. Apply here: https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bIS1j4JJxUE2voq SELECTION OF FELLOWS Applications are due by January 30, 2026. Application materials will be reviewed by a selection committee in International Studies and Programs. Scholars will be announced by May 2026. Funds must be transferred to selected scholars by June 30, 2026. If you have any questions, please contact Justin Rabineau at: rabinea1@msu.edu

By: Justin Rabineau

Monday, Dec 22, 2025

AGRI-FOOD SYSTEMS
+6

Article

AAP Global Engagement Fund Support Arts-Based Youth Research and Engagement

When photographer and educator Prof. Peter Glendinning of Michigan State University returned to South Africa this September, his goal went far beyond presenting artwork. Supported by the Alliance for African Partnership (AAP) Global Engagement Fund (GEF), Glendinning traveled to Johannesburg and Cape Town to advance a collaborative, arts-driven research initiative that is reshaping how youth experiences are documented and understood across Africa. For years, Glendinning has been developing Attached to the Soil, a project that pairs portrait photography with metaphor and narrative to explore young people’s aspirations, challenges, and identities. What began as a 2019 Fulbright project in South Africa has evolved—through sustained partnership—into a model for how the arts can generate meaningful social insight. This work aligns directly with AAP’s culture & society priority area, which supports projects that use cultural expression to address complex societal issues. Strengthening a Continental Research Partnership During his visit, Glendinning met with partners at University of Pretoria, one of AAP’s 12 member institutions, including Prof. Zitha Mokomane, a professor in the Department of Sociology and Deputy Dean for Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Humanities, who has been conducting sociological analysis of the project’s original youth-created images and stories. The findings point to recurring themes: belonging, hope, fear, opportunity, and the persistence of socio-economic barriers. With support from the Global Engagement Fund, the partners spent their time together outlining the next phase of the work—a potential 2027 pan-African expansion that could engage youth from multiple institutions and countries. The goal is to create one of the most comprehensive collections of narrative and visual data on African youth aspirations to date. “The dataset we envision would allow us to compare experiences across countries, contexts, and cultures, using the arts as a bridge,” Glendinning explained. The in-person meetings made possible by the GEF award were essential for refining the research design, establishing a shared methodological framework, and preparing for future proposal development. Cultural Institutions as Crucial Partners Glendinning’s work emphasizes not only the creation of new cultural materials but also the preservation of Africa’s photographic heritage. While in Johannesburg, he met with leaders at the Bensusan Museum of Photography to advance efforts to secure funding for preserving its internationally significant collection of historic photographic equipment and images. He also held discussions at the Nelson Mandela Foundation, which held an 8-month exhibit of the project in 2023, exploring how youth-generated narratives from Attached to the Soil could contribute to public memory and civic learning through the foundation’s ongoing partnership. These engagements expand the project’s reach beyond academia and into community and heritage spaces—an approach deeply aligned with AAP’s focus on research for broader impact. Festival Participation Amplifies Youth Perspectives Glendinning’s work also reached public audiences during the inaugural Cape Town Photography Festival, where Attached to the Soil opened as an exhibition at the Simon’s Town Museum. The festival setting provided a platform for deeper conversation around the project’s themes. During a public dialogue, Glendinning and Malissa Louw, one of the original participants, spoke about the creative process and the realities behind the images—drawing attention to the power of youth storytelling as a form of social documentation. He also led two workshops: a digital photography master-class for community members and a session for 40 students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Both emphasized photography as a tool for reflection, empowerment, and evidence-gathering—illustrating how artistic training can support community insight and youth leadership. A Model for Arts-Driven, Partnership-Based Research Following the festival, Glendinning continued planning with Prof. Mokomane during her September visit to Michigan State University, which was also supported by the GEF. Together, they are refining the concept for the multi-country expansion and identifying ways for AAP partners to contribute to the next phase. For AAP, Glendinning’s and project and his partnership with Mokomane exemplify the role arts and culture can play in addressing societal challenges: by elevating local narratives, strengthening community connections, and deepening understanding across diverse contexts. The Global Engagement Fund is central to this impact—making it possible for faculty like Glendinning to build the relationships and shared vision that long-term, equitable partnerships require. As plans move forward, Attached to the Soil will offer youth across the continent the chance to tell their stories—and help researchers, educators, and communities better understand the world through their eyes.

By: Baboki Gaolaolwe-Major

Monday, Dec 15, 2025

CULTURE AND SOCIETY
+2

Article

AAP Steps Up Its Global Footprint at Falling Walls 2025

The Alliance for African Partnership (AAP) strengthened its global visibility this year with a significantly expanded presence at the Falling Walls Summit in Berlin, signaling a new phase in Africa’s engagement with one of the world’s leading platforms for science, innovation, and societal impact. The momentum follows a fast-growing collaboration between AAP and the Falling Walls Foundation, an alliance that has already produced tangible results. LUANAR in Malawi became the first institution in the consortium to launch a combined Falling Walls Engage and Lab, followed by the University of Botswana, which introduced the Gaborone Lab in 2025 and is preparing to roll out the Engage program in 2026. For AAP, these developments are more than individual wins: they mark the beginning of a wider rollout across the consortium, designed to strengthen research communication and create a more connected science engagement ecosystem across Africa. At this year’s Summit, AAP member universities made their strongest showing yet. Lab winners from LUANAR and the University of Botswana took the stage in Berlin, showcasing African innovation to an international audience of scientists, investors, policymakers, and global media. Senior leaders from across the consortium also attended, led by Michigan State University’s Vice-Provost for International Studies and Programs, Professor Titus Awokuse. During the delegation meeting with Falling Walls’ Executive Director, Andreas Kosmider, there was clear enthusiasm about the trajectory of the partnership. Discussions focused on deepening African participation in next year’s Summit and widening the circle of collaborators to include government ministries, policymakers, and funding agencies, an effort aimed at opening new channels for African–German cooperation. For AAP, the stakes are high. Strengthening research communication equips young African scientists to tell their stories compellingly, improving public understanding and increasing the influence of research on policy. The Labs, meanwhile, function as early-stage innovation pipelines, giving African entrepreneurs exposure, mentorship, and a global platform for emerging ideas. The partnership also enhances institutional visibility, positioning African universities as active players in global science diplomacy. Planning has already begun for next year’s Summit, with AAP leaders working on a coordinated roadmap to ensure a more visible and more diverse African presence in 2026. The goal is not simply to attend, but to shape the agenda by bringing African voices, research, and innovation to the centre of the global conversation. As AAP expands its Falling Walls footprint, the partnership is beginning to look less like a program and more like an ecosystem-building catalyst. It is strengthening the consortium internally, opening new possibilities externally, and giving African researchers and innovators a much-needed global stage. And if the early signs are anything to go by, the walls separating African science from global visibility are starting to crack, making space for a new era of collaboration and opportunity.

By: Baboki Gaolaolwe-Major

Thursday, Dec 11, 2025

CULTURE AND SOCIETY
+3