The Centre for Asian Studies in Africa (CASA) at the University of Pretoria and the Innovation Foundation for Democracy are seeking doctoral students interested in participating in the three-day doctoral course Insurgent Democracies in Asia and Africa, which will take place from 19 to 21 May 2025.

Across the globe, political trajectories in the early twenty-first century are defined by the turbulent intersection between elite-driven autocratization and democratic struggles from below. Asia and Africa are no exceptions to this pattern. From the 2010s and into the 2020s, both continents have witnessed democratic decline at the hands of elected leaders, but these processes have in turn been vigorously contested through waves of popular protest.

These democratic struggles are the core focus of this doctoral course, which will take place at the University of Pretoria. Aimed at doctoral students who research social movements and popular protests that mobilize to reclaim and reimagine democracy against autocratization in Asia and Africa, the course will provide a space for discussing and developing written work, learning from established scholars in the field, acquiring essential academic skills, and developing a publication portfolio.

Across three days, participants in the doctoral course will have the opportunity to present and receive feedback on draft papers based on their research, attend lectures by scholars specializing in the study of democracy and contentious politics in Asia and Africa, and take part in training sessions focused on academic writing and publishing. Participants will also be invited to develop their draft papers into full articles for inclusion in a special issue of a relevant academic journal based on the proceedings of the doctoral course.

A more comprehensive outline of the course topic is provided in the attached CFP document.

NB! Applications should be e-mailed to [email protected] by 1 March 2025.