A historical and analytical timeline of the African geographical review

ABSTRACT

This paper provides a comprehensive review of the African Geographical Review (AGR) from 1963 to 2024, highlighting its evolution, thematic shifts, and impact on geographical scholarship within Africa. It explores the journal’s historical context, examining its geographical dynamics and how it has adapted to changing socio-political and environmental landscapes over the decades. The analysis draws from an interview with a past editor of the AGR and other secondary sources, including the journal’s scope and publications from the 1960s to the present, to provide a historical review of its content and identify key thematic trends across different periods and spaces. The paper also examines how the AGR has addressed pressing socioeconomic and sustainable development issues over time. This historical overview illustrates the AGR’s role in fostering a deeper understanding of Africa’s complex geographical narratives and its ongoing contribution to global academic discussions.

KEYWORDS:

• African geographical review
• history
• Africa
• African geography
• publication trend
• thematic trends

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. The Sabinet Journal houses a host of historical African publications: https://journals.co.za/loi/eagr

2. The CrossRef API was created by Nick Santos and published on the Git Hub website for public use at https://gist.github.com/nickrsan/487fa512050f8eb66b7cccd6dc5624da.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Emmanuel O. Momoh

Emmanuel O. Momoh is a PhD candidate in the Geography Graduate Group, a green fellow of the Sustainable Living and Learning Communities, and a Professors for the Future fellow at the University of California Davis. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Geography and Planning in 2012 and a master’s in Geography (Environmental Resource Management) in 2021. He specializes in GIS, Food Systems, Food Security, Alternative Food Networks, Political Ecology, Environmental Management, and African Geography. He works with the Environment, Land, and Food Systems lab and the Center for Regional Change at UC Davis to explore sustainable food systems, enhance food security, and support community development. Emmanuel leads the African Food Basket Project team at the UC Davis student farms to grow and distribute African vegetables to African international students and scholars. The project also trains interns and volunteers to grow food that is culturally relevant to them. Additionally, the project organizes food events that foster social connections between African international students and the broader community, fostering cross-cultural and cross-racial connections.