Communist Actors in African Decolonial Transitions at VAD2024

The Editorial Workshop “Communist Actors in African Decolonial Transitions – Comparative Perspectives” took place in the framework of the Association for African Studies in Germany e.V. (VAD) Conference from 30 September to 2 October 2024, in Bayreuth (Germany). The conference theme was Reconfigurations in Africa – and in African Studies, addressing current and past crises and processes of transformation on the African continent, as well as the need to critically reflect on the means — academic, artistic and otherwise – by which we approach them globally to expand knowledge production.

In the workshop, the co-editors Christopher Saunders (University of Cape Town), Helder Adegar Fonseca (University of Évora), and Lena Dallywater (IfL) discussed draft chapters of the volume „Communist Actors in African Decolonial Transitions – Comparative Perspectives“ (De Gruyter, Berlin, 2025 forthcoming), drafted the section introductions to the three parts of the book, and finalized the general introduction for submission to review in October 2024. The workshop was followed by the conference’s keynote lecture on “Black sensemaking | Discretion” by Grace A. Musila (Department of African Literature, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg).

Afterwards the co-editors continued their working day with two related paper sessions on „Communist Actors in African Decolonial Transitions“, featuring contributions by several of the volume’s authors, namely Chris Saunders, Helder Adegar Fonseca, Joao Fusco Ribeiro, Tycho van der Hoog, and Barbora Menclova, as well as a comment by Robin E. Möser, whose research previously featured in a publication by the co-editors (Saunders, Fonseca, and Dallywater 2023). The panels focused on the roles of communist actors in key moments in the political transition from colonial/white-ruled states to new independent majority-ruled states, each showcasing different examples from a comparative perspective.

The day ended with informal conversations during a working dinner with invited guests to facilitate networking and discussion with the authors.