CALL FOR ABSTRACTS MALAWI HISTORIOGRAPHY AN ASSESSMENT IN SALUTE TO JOHN MCCRACKEN

Professor John McCracken died on 23 October 2017 after a lifetime devoted to the study of Malawi’s history. He published three books, including the monumental A History of Malawi 1859-1966, and over forty articles on various themes, which went a long way towards advancing new knowledge and charting new directions of research. He was also friend, colleague and mentor to an entire generation of Malawi historians. His contribution to the development of historical knowledge in Malawi cannot be over-emphasised.

Mzuni Press has therefore proposed to publish a volume of collected essays that will take account of the development of Malawi historiography with particular reference to the contribution of John McCracken. For the wider market, African Books Collective in the UK will print and distribute the book as agents of Mzuni Press. An editorial team has been formed comprising Wapulumuka Mulwafu and Kenneth R. Ross as editors with Kings M. Phiri and Klaus Fiedler as senior consulting editors. Contributing authors will address one or more of the prominent themes in McCracken’s work, including the following:

  •   Impact of Christianity on politics and education

  • African agency

  • Ecological change and impact on economy and society

  • Coercive capacity of the colonial state

  • Limits of state power and influence

  • Transformations in the peasant economy

  • Development of nationalism

  • Social change

  • Development of Malawi historiography since 1977

We now wish to invite potential authors to submit abstracts of no more than 200 words to the following contacts: Wapu Mulwafu at wmulwafu@cc.ac.mw, with copies to Ken Ross at kennethr.ross@btinternet.com; and Kings Phiri at: kingsphiri@yahoo.com. Abstracts should be submitted by 31 st May 2018.

Some important deadline dates to consider:

31 May:Submission of abstracts

15 June:Decision on acceptance of abstracts communicated

31 August:Submission of full papers

30 November:Editorial suggestions for revision of papers

28 February:Submission of final version of papers