‘A Conscious Generation’: Thomas Sankara’s politics and legacy in movements for social justice

Thomas Sankara was one of the most confident and vocal anti-imperialists of the late 20th Century. Sankara’s collective praxis, vision and legacy continue to be enormously influential in shaping anti-imperial and pan-African resistance across the world. This influence has been reinvigorated since the popular uprisings in Burkina Faso in 2014.

We invite abstracts for contributions to a forthcoming edited volume that aims to bring forward the different ways in which activists, theorists and writers in and beyond Africa have engaged with Sankara’s political philosophies and praxis since his assassination in 1987.

We are particularly interested to hear from contributors in Africa, Asia and Latin America and anticipate that successful proposals might speak to some of the following themes:
Examinations of Sankara’s contributions to radical political philosophies, including visions of participative citizenship, collective action, Pan-Africanism and reorientations of the African state. We are particularly in contributions that offer new modes of reading Sankara, not just as a Marxist but as an African revolutionary socialist.

Ways in which theorists or activists, inspired by Sankara’s legacy, have sought to re-evaluate the limits of his praxis, and to modify or move beyond ‘Sankarism’ as articulated by Sankara himself.
The historical range and significance of Sankara’s internationalist solidarities against oppression, including his political advocacy and collaborations with Saharawi in Western Sahara, African Americans in Harlem, anti-Apartheid groups in South Africa, and occupied Palestine.

How different groups and people have drawn on Sankara’s commitments to social justice, women’s rights, anti-capitalism, anti-imperialism and pan-African solidarity (broadly, a ‘Sankarist’ mantle) in an international context, including ways in which Sankara’s critiques of neo-colonialism and capitalism remain pertinent in evaluating the difficulties his own and subsequent regimes face(d).
Considerations of Sankara’s ecological-political philosophies and praxis, particularly as they relate to the nationalization of land and his oft-celebrated tree-planting and irrigation projects.
Musical, literary and artistic responses to or engagements with Sankara, including Sankara’s support of artistic and musical endeavors during his presidency.

Abstracts of no more than 500 words (for 7,000 word chapters) should be submitted by 15 May 2016. Selected contributors will be notified by the end of May. First drafts will be due in early December 2016, with the final contributions provisionally due in March 2017.

Please email abstracts and/or questions to: Amber Murrey at [email protected] and Alexandra Reza at [email protected].