No. 4,
2002
Contents:
This Information Bulletin
is an innovation which has been adopted by CODESRIA to keep all members
of the African social research community informed of every aspect, and
the different stages of the Council’s preparation for the upcoming
General Assembly scheduled for 10 – 12 December, 2002 in Kampala. In
doing so, the Bulletin is also designed to serve as a mobilisation tool
as the countdown begins in earnest to an event which promises to be the
biggest gathering of scholars on the African continent this year and a
true festival of ideas and debate. As frequently as the need arises, the
CODESRIA Secretariat will issue this Information Bulletin right up to
the first week of December 2002. It is hoped that you will find the
Bulletin informative and useful.
Proposals
Received for Paper Presentation at the 10th General Assembly:
Date: 04
October, 2002
Ref.: BSE/183/2002
In the Information Bulletin No. 3,
2002 which was issued by the Secretariat to update members of the
research community on the preparations for the 10th General
Assembly coming up in Kampala, I had indicated that as of the close of
the deadline for the receipt of abstracts and panel proposals, some 400
responses had been received. Since the 31st of August, 2002,
the Secretariat has been able to undertake an initial analysis of the
abstracts received with a view to sharing general information on them
with the members of the research community; this broad analysis is
presented in the paragraphs below.
In announcing the Assembly and inviting
abstracts and panel proposals from members of the social research
community, the Secretariat had produced and distributed about 500 flyers
to individuals and institutions on the Council’s data base. These flyers
were also sent out electronically to all those who were on the
electronic mailing list of the Council. Participants in all research
meetings and training activities undertaken by the Council also
received individual flyers announcing the Assembly. The aim behind all
this was to ensure that the Assembly gets the widest possible
publicity.
We are very pleased to report that as of 31
August, 2002, a total of 482 abstracts, panel proposals and full papers
had been received. 50 other proposals were received after the deadline.
Of the 482 proposals that were received within the deadline, 21 were
made up of proposals for the constitution of independent panels. The
remaining 461 were abstracts produced around the various themes listed
in the announcement prepared by the Secretariat on the Assembly. 342 out
of the 461 abstracts were written in English, 106 were written in
French, while three were written in Portuguese. 10 fully written up
papers were also received.
By all yardsticks, the response to the call
for abstracts and panel proposals was clearly very enthusiastic and we
at the CODESRIA Secretariat are very delighted and feel strongly
encouraged at the fact that many members of the social research
community are once again re-engaging themselves with the Council. I
wish to assure all members of the research community who took the time
to prepare and send in abstracts that the Council will make full use of
the indications which the abstracts provide not only on the directions
of research and research interest in the African social research
community but also the persons interested in particular issues and
subjects.
As indicated in Information Bulletin
No. 2, 2002, the task of assessing the abstracts and panel proposals for
the Assembly was entrusted exclusively to the members of the CODESRIA
Scientific Committee. Each abstract was read by two members of the
Committee while the panel proposals were examined by the Chair of the
Committee himself. Furthermore, each abstract and panel proposal was
sent out without the names of their authors so as to further enhance the
integrity of the peer review process. The results of the evaluation are
beginning to flow in to the Secretariat and as they are being processed,
those whose proposals were recommended are being notified by the
Secretariat. A full report on the selection process is being prepared by
the Chair of the Scientific Committee and will be presented to the
President of the Executive Committee for onward transmission. At this
point, the Secretariat is able to confirm that out of the 482 abstracts,
panel proposals, and full papers received, the Council will be able to
accommodate up to 120 paper givers. This comes to about 25 per cent of
all abstracts received, suggesting that that the selection process will
be a highly competitive one.
I would like to take this opportunity to
call, in advance, on all those whose proposals are recommended by the
Scientific Committee to please take the necessary steps, as soon as they
are notified, to proceed to produce their full papers and to send these
to the Secretariat not later than 15 November 2002. This is the
absolute deadline by which all papers must be received. We will be
counting strongly on the cooperation of all paper writers in this
regard.
Adebayo Olukoshi,
Executive Secretary.
The CODESRIA Web Site:
For those members of the
research community who may not yet be aware, CODESRIA has a new web site
which we would like to encourage you visit as up-to-date information on
the different activities of the Council, including the upcoming General
Assembly, are posted on the site. The web site address is:
www.codesria.org
