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Journal overview

The  Journal of African Cultural Studies publishes leading scholarship on African culture from inside and outside Africa, with a special commitment to Africa-based authors and to African languages. The journal focuses on dimensions of African culture, performance arts, visual arts, music, cinema, the role of the media, the relationship between culture and power, as well as issues within such fields as popular culture in Africa, sociolinguistic topics of cultural interest, and culture and gender. We welcome in particular articles that show evidence of understanding life on the ground, and that demonstrate local knowledge and linguistic competence. We do not publish articles that offer mostly textual analyses of cultural products such as novels, films and cultural festivals, nor articles that are mostly historical or those based primarily on secondary (such as digital and library) sources. As a leading journal in African humanities scholarship, we favour single-authored submissions. For further details, please contact the editor.

The journal has evolved from the journal African Languages and Cultures, founded in 1988 in the Department of the Languages and Cultures of Africa at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. From 2019, it is published in association with the International African Institute, London.

Journal of African Cultural Studies publishes original research articles. The journal also publishes an occasional Contemporary Conversations section, in which authors respond to current issues. The section has included reviews, interviews and invited response or position papers. We welcome proposals for future Contemporary Conversations themes.

Peer Review Statement

All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, with initial editor screening and anonymized double anonymous refereeing.

Authors can choose to publish gold open access in this journal.

Read the Instructions for Authors for information on how to submit your article.

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