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CODESRIA: 2011 Child and Youth Institute, Dakar,

Senegal, 5 - 23 September, 2011

Thu, 10/03/2011 - 9:37am Category:

y Training OpportunitiesCODESRIA 2011 Child and Youth InstituteTheme: Childrens Agency and Development in African Societies

Date: 5 23 September, 2011

Venue: Dakar , Senegal

CALL FOR APPLICATIONSThe Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is

pleased to announce its 2011 Child and Youth Institute that will be held for three (3) weeks,

from 5th to 23rd September, 2011. The institute is one of the components of the Child and

Youth Studies Programme and is aimed at strengthening the analytic capacities of young

African researchers on issues affecting children and youth in Africa and elsewhere in theworld. The institute is designed as an annual interdisciplinary forum in which participants can

reflect together on a specific aspect of the conditions of children and youth, especially in

Africa .

Objectives

The main objectives of the Child and Youth Institute are to:

1. encourage the sharing of experiences among researchers, civil society activists and policy

makers from different disciplines, methodological and conceptual orientations andgeographical/linguistic areas;

2. promote and enhance a culture of democratic values that allows to effectively identifyissues facing youth and children on the African continent; and

3. foster the participation of scholars and researchers in discussions and debates on theprocesses of child and youth development in Africa .

OrganizationThe activities of all CODESRIA Institutes centre on presentations made by African

researchers, resource persons from the continent and the Diaspora and participants whoseapplications for admission as laureates have been successful. The sessions are led by a

scientific director who, with the support of resource persons, ensures that the laureates areexposed to a wide range of research and policy issues. Each laureate is required to prepare a

research paper to be presented during the session. The revised versions of such papers will

undergo a peer review to ensure that they meet the required standard for publication byCODESRIA. The CODESRIA Documentation and Information Centre (CODICE) willprovide participants with a comprehensive bibliography on the theme of the institute. Access

to a number of documentation centers in and around Dakar will also be also facilitated. The

CODESRIA Child and Youth Institute will be held in French and English through

simultaneous translation.

Theme for 2011The theme for the 2011 edition of the Child and Youth Institute is Childrens Agency and

Development in African Societies. The study of children has, traditionally, drawn heavily


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upon models of childhood much influenced by the twin themes of socialization and

development. Sociologists and anthropologists, for instance, hold the view that childrenrequired socialization, primarily by families and kin but later by schools and community

organizations, through which they would acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for fulladult life. This complements the core premises of developmental psychology, the primary

discipline within which childhood has been studied, which sees childhood as a series of stages

through which children progressively accumulated the psychological and emotional skillsnecessary for well-adjusted adults. In recent times, however, both paradigms have come in forsustained critical discussion. The new social studies of childhood has, in particular, placed

considerable emphasis upon children as beings rather than becomings; and that childrens

lives need to be studied in the here and now, rather than in terms of what they may or may not

become in the future.

One important consequence of this has been a growing concern with the agency of children.

The traditional African perception of childhood has been one in which children are held aspassive bearers of the imperatives of psychological development or the requirements of

participation in civil society as well as the accumulation of those cultural and social normsthat govern social life. This perception and practice is supported by the ethos of tightly-knit

traditional societies where childrens inherent capacities regarding thought processes andinitiatives are deeply subsumed in the demands and aspirations of adults. But this has been

changing considerably as a result of the global social and economic transformations in a

world increasingly shaped by globalization.

Indeed, the contemporary history of Africa provides an illustration of the participation of

children and youth in the struggles for liberation from the yoke of colonialism, apartheid or

dictatorship. Modernization, arising from internal social dynamics and exogenous pressures,

has affected traditional beliefs and practices. However, this development has created palpable

tensions between traditionalists and modernizers, governments and NGOs (often at the

forefront of social change) adults and children, etc. For instance, the United Nations

Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) formally provides considerable scope to

childhood and positions children to be involved in the determination of vital aspects of their

lives. In spite of the subservient position of children in society, the African Charter on the

Rights and Welfare of the Child which is supposed to be more consistent with our Africanculture, concedes social change and the resultant capacity of children to be self-determining in

many regards.

In reality, however, many of the grounds ceded to children in both the CRC and AfricanCharter are still in contention. The ubiquitous worldwide web has expanded the mental reach

and virtual boundaries of African children. All these have expanded childrens capacity to bemore assertive and proactive in homes and communities as well as invigorated their survival

and self-preservation instincts. The consequent emphasis therefore is on the competencies,

skills and creativity that children possess, and how they engage with and manipulate theworlds around them.

Yet, are the growing competencies of African children solely attributable to local and global

efforts to expand the frontiers of individual power? Or is it the unwitting outcome of thepervasive poverty that has thrust many children in that role of having to make decisions and

choices for themselves, even if they do not possess sufficient capacity to do so? After all, thesocial and economic reality of many African societies is one of extreme poverty and

deprivation that drive everybody to be creative and to evolve additional capacities forsurvival.


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The Institute will therefore provide participants with the opportunity to discuss theoretical and

empirical studies on childrens agency in relation to their engagement in the educationalprocess, access to and negotiation of work, development of survival strategies in extreme

conditions of poverty and deprivation, as well as the moral and economic dimensionsinforming childrens engagement in African conflicts. Greater attention will be given to

childrens perspectives in this regard, while an interdisciplinary approach will be adopted to

promote divergent theoretical backgrounds, and the analysis of sub-themes such as ChildrensEngagement in African Conflicts; Childrens Survival Strategies and Resilience; ChildrensEngagement in Paid Labor and Negotiation of the Work Environment; and Childrens

Engagement with the Educational Systems.

Coordination

The 2011 Child and Youth Institute will be directed by Dr. Yaw Ofosu-Kusi of the Universityof Education , Winneba , Ghana . As Director of the Institute, Dr. Yaw Ofosu-Kusi will:

- Assist with the identification of resource persons who will lead discussions and debates

during the institute;- Participate in the selection of laureates;

- Design the course for the session, including specific sub-themes;- Deliver a set of lectures and conduct a critical analysis of the papers presented by the

resource persons and the laureates;

- Submit a written scientific report on the session.

In addition, Dr. Yaw Ofosu-Kusi will (co) edit the revised versions of the papers presented by

the resource persons and assess the papers presented by laureates during the Institute with a

view to submitting them for publication by CODESRIA.

Resource PersonsLectures to be delivered at the Institute are supposed to offer laureates the opportunity to

advance their reflections on the theme of the Institute. Resource persons should therefore besenior scholars or researchers in their mid-careers who have published extensively on the

topic, and who have significant contributions to make to debates on it. They will be expected

to produce lecture materials which will stimulate laureates to engage in discussions and

debates around the lectures and the general body of literature available on the theme.

Once selected, resource persons must:

- Interact with the director of the institute and laureates to help the latter readjust their

research questions and their methodological approach;

- Submit a copy of their course materials for reproduction and distribution to participants, not

later than one week before they deliver their lectures;

- Deliver their lectures, participate in debates and comment on the research proposals of thelaureates;

- Review and submit the revised version of their lecture notes or research papers for

publication by CODESRIA not later than two months following their presentation at the

Institute.


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Laureates

Candidates should be Masters or PhD students or scholars in their early careers with a provencapacity to conduct research on the theme of the Institute. Intellectuals active in the policy

process and/or social movements and civil society organizations are also encouraged to apply.The number of places available for laureates of this Institute, to be selected across the entire

African continent is fifteen (15). Non-African scholars who are able to raise funds for their

participation may also apply for a limited number of places.

Methods of Application

Applications for the position of resource person must include:

1. An application letter;

2. A curriculum vitae;3. Two (2) published papers;

4. A proposal of not more than five (5) pages in length, outlining the issues to be covered intheir three (3) proposed lectures, including one on methodological issues.

Applications for consideration as laureates must include:

1. An application letter;

2. A letter indicating institutional or organizational affiliation;

3. A curriculum vitae;

4. A research proposal of not more than ten (10) pages, in two copies, including a descriptive

analysis of the work the applicant intends to undertake, an outline of the theoretical interest ofthe topic chosen by the applicant, and the relationship of the topic to the problematic and

concerns of the theme of the 2011 Institute;5. Two (2) reference letters from scholars or researchers known for their competence and

expertise in the candidates research area (geographic and disciplinary), including theirnames, addresses, telephone and/or fax numbers and email addresses.

Application Deadline

The deadline for the submission of applications is Saturday 30th April 2011. Successfulapplicants will be notified not later than the third week of May 2011.

Important Notice

All selected applicants should imperatively carry out their field work, collect their data and

draft papers for the Institute during the period from May to late July 2011. The draft papers

should be submitted to CODESRIA not later than 5th August, 2011.

Date and Venue

The Institute will be held from 5th to 23rd September, 2011 in Dakar , Senegal .

Submission of Applications All applications or requests for additional information should be sent to:

CODESRIA Child and Youth InstituteAvenue Cheikh Anta Diop x Canal IV

BP 3304, CP 18524, Dakar , Senegal

Tel: (221) 33 825 98 21/22/23

Fax: (221) 33 824 12 89.

Email: [email protected] [email protected]

Website: http://www.codesria.org


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