[SDI-Africa] International Symposium on Risk and Africa, 27-29 November 2008, Bayreuth, Germany

[Kate Lance]

* via UNERA List *


*Risk and Africa -- Conceptualizing risk in the context of contemporary 
Africa*
International Symposium 27-29 November 2008, Bayreuth, Germany

*Call for papers*

The relationship between risk and modernity has stimulated controversial 
debates about the changing nature of risk and the dynamics of 
contemporary society. While it is acknowledged that modern society, 
through technological development, has been successful in using risk to 
improve livelihoods, there is also widespread consensus over the costs 
of such improvements in the form of ecological degradation, industrial 
hazards and exaggerated societal expectations. Therefore, even though 
the general assumption is that modern society has been largely 
successful in dealing with risk it is still felt that the future of 
modern societies depends on their ability to identify and adopt suitable 
approaches to manage risk, deal with uncertainty and develop pathways 
towards sustainability. However, it is important to note that the 
current debate on the concepts of risk and "risk society" is heavily 
skewed in favour of European historical experience.

By distinguishing between concepts of risk in modern to late-modern 
societies and those in the rest of the world the debate drives a perhaps 
unintended and possibly unwarranted epistemological wedge between North 
and South. In other words, the debate would seem to suggest that the 
concept of risk refers to fundamentally different empirical and 
epistemological objects: "Here" we talk about manufactured technological 
risks, environmental awareness and the social construction of risk as 
symptoms of reflexive modernity. "There" the focus is on vulnerability, 
natural hazards and coping strategies in the context of state failure, 
desintegrating markets and (more or less) pre-modern societies. However, 
this wedge can be questioned on two accounts. Firstly, increasing 
awareness of technological hazards, pollution and climate change, 
especially in urban Africa, as well as the introduction of new forms of 
insurance and the restructuring of civil society are just some of the 
recent developments that appear to invite us to be sceptical of 
prevailing notions of risk and their (ir)relevance to and in Africa. 
Secondly, the conceptualization of risk in Africa -- just as in any 
other parts of the South -- cannot be done in isolation, for there is a 
sense in which the success or failure of attempts at dealing with risk 
elsewhere inheres with Africa. In other words, issues concerning uneven 
development, increased economic exchange and cooperation as well as 
environmental and developmental discourses need to be addressed in an 
increasingly globalising world.

In exploring news ways of conceptualising risk in Africa the symposium 
will seek to address the challenge of making theoretical and 
methodological advances in risk research relevant to an understanding of 
processes of social change in the continent. Contributions are invited 
which explore this relevance in different fields (social, political, 
environmental, etc.) and from different perspectives (geography, 
sociology, economy, social anthropology, ecology, etc.). Research-based 
contributions are particularly welcome, including studies of cases from 
outside of the African continent for comparisons.

Papers are invited on one or several of the following topics:

Theories of risk and their relevance to the African context
Risk as a catalyst of social transformation
Risk, resilience and sustainability
Risk perception and communication
Risk, governance and power
Risk and environmental change in Africa
Development and risk production
Risk and uncertainty

A post-conference publication of selected papers is planned.

*Deadline for abstracts* (up to 600 words): 30 June 2008.

Acceptance notifications will be emailed by mid July.

The Symposium is organised by ZENEB, the Centre for Natural Risks and 
Development. ZENEB is based at the Department of Population and Social 
Geography 
<http://www.uni- bayreuth. de/departments/ sozialgeographie /index.html> at 
the University of Bayreuth and serves as a social science oriented 
research network on risks and disasters in developing countries.

The main objectives of ZENEB are: (i) to implement, promote and support 
research in order to acquire scientific knowledge on disaster prevention 
and disaster coping in developing countries, (ii) to link scientists 
that do research in the field of disasters and development, (iii) to 
provide an overview on German and international risk and disaster 
related research in developing countries with a regional focus on 
Africa, (iv) to advance innovative methods of integrated analysis of the 
interactions between complex natural and social systems under the impact 
of extreme events.

Further information and application:
lena.bloemertz@ uni-bayreuth. de

www.zeneb.uni- bayreuth. de

ZENEB will try to provide financial support for selected presenters from 
Africa.

Organizers:
Lena Bloemertz (lena.bloemertz@ uni-bayreuth. de)
Martin Doevenspeck (doevenspeck@ uni-bayreuth. de)
Elisio Macamo (elisio.macamo@ uni-bayreuth. de)
Detlef Mueller-Mahn (muellermahn@ uni-bayreuth. de)


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