Call for Papers: Special Issue of the Nordic Journal of African Studies
Special issue "Negotiating Consent in African Studies: Fieldwork Ethics, Moralities, and Shifting Power Relations in North-South research interactions"
There is an increase in technological consent forms, in research institutions in both Africa and the Nordics. It is often explained in complex legal terms and presented in written form. This increase in informed consent has started a discussion on how to relate this to the research field. In this ongoing debate many have instituted bureaucratic forms implemented by legal divisions to ensure that researchers meet ethical standard. However, this very bureaucratic form of handling the topic of ethics triggers a collective memory for many Africans of colonial era exploitation. Therefore, the Nordic Journal of African Studies is looking for scholars to help understand this concept of agency, informed consent, and ethical practices in the African context. Papers are welcome, but not limited to focus on the following questions:
- What are some of the ethical and moral implications of the new standardization and bureaucratization of ‘consent’, and how does it materialize in fieldwork moralities?
- What factors beyond institutional expectations influence researchers as they pursue informed consent and ethical research more broadly?
- Who is to define what determines legitimate and authentic informed consent in qualitative research? And ultimately, what can such debates on ‘consent’ in African Studies bring to both a Nordic and African research context?
The deadline for abstract submissions is December 4th and must be sent to either rune.larsen@sund.ku.dk
Find more information here.