Africa in/and the World
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Date
2009
Authors
Lyons, Tanya Julie
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Studies Association of Australasia and the Pacific
Rights
Rights Holder
Abstract
Back in 2000 Gavin Kitching sparked a major debate about giving up African
Studies, his main argument being that African studies had become depressing,
because the leaders he had supported during anti-colonial and anti-apartheid
struggles had become the tyrants, keeping their countries and peoples
subjugated and in poverty. His departure from the field of African studies
flowed on the tide of Australian academics moving toward more mainstream
fields of study including Asian studies, keeping job prospects open rather than
closed. A rational choice in the face of an irrational Africa! A decade has passed since Kitching's 'depressing' announcement, and if only
for the sake of assisting in the resettlement of former African refugees and
African migrants in Australia, we need to engage with Africa and in particular
conduct research and analysis of African issues in order to gain a
comprehensive understanding of the experiences and conditions in Africa
today.
Description
Keywords
Africa, Immigration and emigration, Resettlement, Australia, Refugees
Citation
Lyons, T.J., 2009. Africa in/and the World. The Australasian Review of African Studies, 30(2), 3-7.