Make African sport studies an interdisciplinary, inclusive, accessible and integral part of the global conversation and scholarship on sports with the intellectually vibrant, creative and passionate community of practitioners and academics.
2024 is a milestone year for SportsAfrica, marking our 20th year of existence.Â
A series of webinars will cover various topics throughout the year. Below is a list of the book discussions we have lined up.
2027 Conference
Managing Sport in Africa: Interdisciplinarity, politics of knowledge production, and debates in African Sports
Cape Town, South Africa— May 12-14, 2027
SportsAfrica Network is happy to announce that, in partnership with the University of Cape Town, we will be hosting the 17th SportsAfrica Conference on May 12-14, 2027, in Cape Town, South Africa.
The call for abstracts is open! Please submit your abstract at the link below by October 30, 2026. More information about the conference can be found at this link: https://sportsafrica.org/abstract-submission-2027/
Abstract Submission Form: Abstract Submission 2027 – Sports Africa
Support SportAfricaÂ
To support our mission and to join in with your donation for the Abidjan Conference, visit the following link: https://africanstudies.org/donate/
Select Coordinate Org, and then write in Sports Africa
Or Use the QR
**Launching the Emerging Scholars Working Group: Call for Co-Chairs**
Sports Africa Network is excited to announce the establishment of an Emerging Scholars Working Group, designed to foster collaboration among and support for emerging African sports studies scholars. The Emerging Scholars Working Group aims to engage and collaborate with emerging scholars across Africa and globally. The group will conceptualize and implement initiatives under Sports Africa, addressing the needs and interests of scholars at the early stages of their academic careers. We are currently seeking nominations, including self-nominations, for two co-chairs to launch and lead the Emerging Scholars Working Group. The co-chairs will be responsible for:
Engaging and collaborating with emerging African sports studies scholars
Conceptualizing and running initiatives under Sports Africa to benefit emerging scholars (e.g. webinars, publications, guidance on funding, or otherwise) Serving as ambassadors for the Working Group within the broader Sports Africa Network.
If you are interested or know of someone suitable for this role, please submit your nomination or self-nomination by replying to this email by February 15th. Include a brief bio and a statement outlining your or the nominee’s interest and vision for the Emerging Scholars Working Group.
We believe that this initiative will significantly contribute to the growth and development of emerging scholars of African sports studies. We encourage you to actively participate in shaping the future of the Emerging Scholars Working Group. If you want to discuss the role or have questions before submitting your nomination, you may book a meeting with us here.
In 2023 SportsAfrica will hold a series of Sports Africa Live (SAL) Webinars and workshops. You are cordially invited to take part as an attendee or presenter.
Sports Africa Live (SAL) sessions are virtual roundtables typically 90 to 120 minutes long, focusing on specific current and ongoing issues in African Sports. The content draws from practical experiences as well as academic and empirical knowledge to create a rich exchange among all participants.
Email sportsafricaufs@gmail.com or fill up the Proposal Form to express your interest in presenting a Sports Africa Live session in one of the following formats, and the proposal guidelines and submission form will be sent to you by a member of the SportsAfrica team:
Thematic panels
Research workshops
Book launches
The upcoming sessions will be announced ahead of time.
SportsAfrica @ the 67th Annual Meeting of African Studies Association
Chicago, Illinois, December 11-15, 2024
SportsAfrica Trivia
Session 1 • Institutionalized Sports and African Nation States
Session 2 • Institutionalized Sports and African Nation States
Session 3 • Sporting Life (Hi)stories (5th floor)
16th Annual Conference – 16ème Conférence SportsAfrica
April 3–5, 2025 • Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Institut de la Jeunesse et des Sports
Theme:Â Sports in Africa: Ethics, Bioethics, Technologies & Culture
Thème: Sport en Afrique : Éthique, Bioéthique, Technologies et Culture
Other sports-related themes accepted – Autres thèmes liés au sport acceptés
Call for Papers – Appel a Contribution
This Abidjan Conference marks the 20th anniversary of SportsAfrica Network, an organization dedicated to advancing Sports Studies in Africa. To present at the conference, please submit your abstract by January 27, 2025
@Â https://sportsafrica.org/soumission-des-resumes-abstract-submission/
Cette conférence d’Abidjan marque le 20e anniversaire du réseau SportsAfrica, une organisation dédiée à l’avancement des études sportives en Afrique. Pour présenter à la conférence, veuillez soumettre votre résumé avant le 27 janvier 2025
@Â https://sportsafrica.org/soumission-des-resumes-abstract-submission/Â
Friday, June 5 @ 5 pm GMT (DakarTime)  1:00 pm US EST – 10:00 am US PST – 8:00 pm Nairobi 6:00 pm Lagos – 7:00 pm Jo’burg
Thursday, April, @ 3 pm GMT (DakarTime) 1:00 pm EST – 12:00 pm CST – 10:00 am PST – 7:00 pm CET, 8:00 pm Nairobi 6:00 pm Lagos – 7:00 pm Jo’burg
Thursday, March 12, @ 3 pm GMT (DakarTime) 11:00 am US EST – 10:00 am US CST – 8:00 am US PST – 6:00 pm Nairobi 4:00 pm Lagos – 5:00 pm Jo’burg
Thursday, October 30, @ 5 pm GMT (DakarTime) 1:00 pm EST – 12:00 pm CST – 10:00 am PST – 7:00 pm CET, 8:00 pm Nairobi 6:00 pm Lagos – 7:00 pm Jo’burg
Thursday, September 2025 @ 3 pm GMT (Dakar time)
Panelists and authors:
Christian Ungruhe, University of Passau
Paul Darby, Ulster University
James Esson, Queen Mary, University College London
Moderator:
Mari H. Engh, University of KwaZulu-Natal
66th African Studies Association Annual Conference
November 30 – December 2, 2023
San Francisco, CA (USA)
December 1, 2023, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM – Room Sierra E
Politics of Social Movements in Sports
December 1, 2023, 10:15 AM – 12:00 PM
Telling Sporting Stories
December 1, 1:15 PM – 3:00 PM
Struggle over African Football Dreams
December 2, 10:15 AM – 12:00 PM
Book Discussion
Saturday, October 14, 2023 @ 3 pm GMTÂ (Dakar time)
Panelists:
Prof Saleem Badat, University of the Free State.
Mr Hoosen Bobat, Tennis Player
SportsAfrica Scholarly Forum is a meeting to discuss a pre-circulated unpublished research paper critically. The primary goal of the forum is to have an engaging discussion for scholars and practitioners of African Sports about research projects and to support researchers with ideas, suggestions, and questions.The first SportsAfrica Scholarly Forum will host Dr. Jorg Wiegratz, who will discuss with the participants his research paper, titled “The Dynamics of the Commercialisation of Football in Africa: the Case of Uganda”. Abstract:
The commercialisation of football is a global phenomenon that affects all levels of the game. These developments have raised questions and triggered debates, for example more>> Read the abstract and Jorg Wiegratz’s .
The SportsAfrica Network and the Center for African Studies at the University of Florida hosted the
15th Sports Africa Conference and 38th Gwendolen M. Carter Conference.
Saturday, November 5, 2022 @ 3pm GMT (Dakar time)
11:00am US EST – 10:00 am US CST – 8:00am US PST – 6:00pm Nairobi 4:00 pm Lagos – 5:00 pm Jo’burg
The author
Dr. Itamar DubinskyÂ
The discussants
Dr. Ikechukwu Ejekwumadu
Dr Papa K Owusu-KwartengÂ
SportsAfrica 9th Webinar:Â Sports and Gambling in Africa
October 8, 2022 @ 3pm GMT
Thursday September 29, 2022 @ 2:00 pm EST (6:00 pm GMT)
Sports Africa Conference 14th Conference
African nations and world competitions – State of Play
The Sociology and Anthropology Department at the Nelson Mandela University in partnership with Sports Africa, and the Center for International Studies at Ohio University hosted the 14th edition of the Sports Africa Conference.
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