There is no equivalent anywhere to my knowledge of a journal as exceptional as ROAPE or in any way comparable.
For 50 years, the Review of African Political Economy (ROAPE) has been at the cutting edge of what a political economy perspective at its very best can offer to research, in this case concerning Africa. The journal has been the source of never-ending innovative contributions on the continent, both conceptual and empirical. As such, it has provided a critically important record of evolving progressive thought and research about Africa which spans five decades.
Others will consider ROAPE’s exceptional contribution to research in Africa in more detail. But what has made this possible? The answer may seem obvious, but I think it merits closer attention. Consequently, in this short note I would like to address this question. Nothing of what has been accomplished would have occurred without the deep commitment, dedication and hard work of the Editorial Working Groups (EWGs) which have succeeded each other over the years and decades. Having had the privilege of being invited to be a member of the International Advisory Board of ‘RAPE’, as it was called initially, and a close observer since, but one who has never been at the front line of making ROAPE into what it has become, I hope to be able to claim a certain degree of objectivity in formulating these remarks.
From the very beginning, under the guidance of its founding members, notably Lionel Cliffe and Ruth First, and the administrative assistance of the successive ‘managing’ editors, a particular chemistry was set in motion in the recruitment process of the EWGs. The resulting community of scholars, which has been responsible for the journal over so many years, has been able to ride the waves while maintaining its own cohesion when so many other journals have floundered. Above all, those responsible have managed this feat while staying true to the journal’s central objective, as stated on its website, of contributing to ‘radical analysis of trends, issues and social processes in Africa, adopting a broadly materialist interpretation of change’. Over the many years, when other publications followed what were considered ‘new trends’, ROAPE has stayed steadfast to a unique set of priorities which others abandoned:
It pays particular attention to the political economy of inequality, exploitation and oppression, and to organised struggles against them, whether these inequities are driven by global forces or local ones such as class, race, ethnicity and gender. It sustains a critical analysis of the nature of power and the state in Africa in the context of capitalist globalisation.
Rarely has one the privilege to be witness to the degree of collegiality and dedication of the scholars who have been the driving forces of this journal. Behind ROAPE is a network of like-minded individuals who have come together because they share a passion: a deep commitment to social justice and to broadening the scope for progressive change in today’s ever more complex capitalist system. It is factors such as this which explain the continuity, the coherence and the quality of the content of the journal.
The result is a momentous contribution to progressive scholarship concerning Africa. From the start, ROAPE distinguished itself by giving a central place to African voices, so often to this day silenced by Western perspectives. The wealth of the approaches highlighted and developed make the corpus gathered over the decades an indispensable library for researchers and practitioners. Each of us will have a long list of articles which made an impression on us and influenced our own work. Among the dozens that come to mind, the following stand out: Samir Amin in Issue 1 (Amin 1974) and the tribute to him in Volume 48 (Kvangraven et al. 2021); Issa Shivji in Issue 3 (Shivji 1975); the debates on the state in Issue 5 (Cliffe and Lawrence 1976), including the contribution by Colin Leys (1976); or again the articles by Rita Abrahamsen – notably, though short, the important review article in Volume 31 (Abrahamsen 2004). Beyond presenting dozens of critically important thematic issues, too many to list but to mention just one – War and Famine, in Issue 33 (Lawrence, Snyder and Szeftel 1985) – the innovative manner in which the EWGs have initiated and encouraged contributions explains not only the exceptional diversity and richness of the themes presented but also the capacity of the journal to act as a trailblazer, anticipating research gaps, opening new fields and renewing approaches.
From the very beginning, the EWGs have tried to overcome the linguistic divides which plague the continent. An exploratory trip was made, for example, to the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris in the 1970s to see whether collaboration might be set up with the Cahiers d’études africaines. In spite of the support of French colleagues like Claude Meillassoux and Jean Copans and the commitment of the members of ROAPE, the project proved ahead of its time and so did not receive institutional support in France and never materialised. Overcoming the colonial legacy of institutionalised linguistic divisions, which has marred research and created solitudes among progressive thinkers on the continent, remains a challenge. However, with new tools at their disposal, the teams who head up the journal are now better prepared than ever to overcome this lingering instrument of divide and conquer, not to speak of overcoming the challenges that lie ahead concerning African languages, especially in countries where they have become dominant, as for example Kiswahili in Tanzania or Wolof in Senegal.
As a result of the quality and pertinence of the hundreds of articles and contributions which ROAPE has brought together over the last 50 years, the journal represents a treasure of inestimable value, which provides the analytical tools, the historical depth and the contextualisation necessary for the ongoing renewal of radical analysis of trends, issues and social processes in Africa for many years to come.
Thank you to the EWGs from all of us who have benefited from your work and commitment, and from those who will follow us.
