Militarising – and marginalising? – African Studies USA

Abstract

The militarisation of US–African relations has attracted considerable attention in recent years. Left largely unexplored, however, is the question of how this process has involved US-based scholars. This essay examines this process with particular attention to the rapid expansion of military and intelligence research on and in Africa, and, in particular, military and intelligence funding of US Africanists' research including at the major African Studies centres. While the classification of much federal research limits conclusions, it is apparent that military and intelligence priorities are coming to significantly shape the present and future of much research and training.

Sam Moyo and the Struggle for Intellectual Decolonization

“…To the experts, the local scholar became some kind of informed native or what is nowadays referred to as “local”.’ See also Shivji (2007). For US Africanists, contractual military research funding served to offset falling state support; see Martin and McQuade (2014).…”

L’appel de la théorie : le terrain le plus difficile

“…Un article très récent rédigé par deux africanistes américains nous apprend que le complexe militaire et de renseignement des Etats-Unis finance de plus en plus, depuis une dizaine d'années, les recherches dans la plupart des disciplines scientifiques au détriment des financements fédéraux récurrents en matière de recherche publique. Les études des aires régionales en sciences sociales sont des plus concernées, notamment en Afrique noire et au Moyen-Orient(Martin et McQuade, 2014). L'impératif théorique paraît du coup bien idéaliste face à cette nouvelle instrumentalisation secrète et clandestine des sciences sociales.…”