Critical African Studies: A Voluntarist Manifesto

Launching a new academic publication is something that always requires some justification, especially when the output in question has a somewhat unconventional format. The question that is likely to be asked is whether there is genuinely a niche that is not already being filled. African studies may sometimes seem like a crowded field, but the thinking that lies behind the launch of Critical African Studies is that the manner in which academic research and publishing on Africa have evolved has yielded a landscape which, while very interesting in parts, is also somewhat predictable. Since the demise of the Southern African Review of Books (1987-1996),1 which always had a more limited regional remit, there has been a need for outlets in which Africanists can dwell on the importance of particular contributions as well as the state of the field in general. While a forum such as Critical African Studies cannot hope to reinvigorate African studies single-handedly, it can widen the space available for critical reflection on what we all do.