Call for Papers: Radio in Anglophone and Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa (Call in French)
Special Issue of The Journal of Radio and Audio Media
Guest Editors: Dr. Emma Heywood and Dr. Marie Fierens
The Journal of Radio and Audio Media (JRAM), the world’s premier radio research journal, is published semi-annually by the Broadcast Education Association. JRAM is dedicated to radio research and the new technology redefining radio’s traditional use.
With this in mind, a special bilingual issue (English and French) for the journal explores the importance of radio in a Sub-Saharan African context.
Radio has a long history in Africa. First used as a tool of governance during the colonial period. It has subsequently served different purposes, depending on the times and the issues at stake. Whether as a tool for education or as a vehicle for hate propaganda, radio in Africa reflects the societies in which it is used: constantly evolving and changing. Today, the internet and citizen journalism as well as the use of misinformation by foreign powers continue to question the place of radio, radio journalists and audiences in Africa.
The special issue builds on observations by Frère and Capitant (2012: 28) that more than ‘fifty years after independence, relatively distinct dynamics are still emerging between the media of sub-Saharan African countries in the Anglophone zone of influence and those in the Francophone zone of influence. In addition to these differences in media landscapes, there is a significant lack of knowledge not only of the respective situation of the media in the two spaces, but also of the research produced from these different fields.’
By producing this bilingual issue—albeit in colonial languages—the editors intend to contribute to a dialogue between research from the Anglophone and Francophone academic worlds and to broaden knowledge about radio research. In doing so, they seek to promote a non-western-centric epistemology of media research in Africa.
This special issue invites submissions from, or in partnership with, scholars in Anglophone Africa and Francophone Africa on the themes listed below (non-exhaustive).
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- State of radio in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Radio from a historical perspective
- Current state of radio
- Radio and audiences
- Radio and gender
- Relevance of radio nowadays
- Radio and the national context
- Radio and the international context
- Radio forms in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Community/ associative/ proximity radio
- NGO radio
- Development radio
- UN radio
- Commercial radio
- Religious radio
- State radio
- Radio and media convergence in an African context
- Radio praxis in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Professional radio practices and identities
- Radio journalists as individuals
- The application of radio in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Radio as a political tool
- Radio and (self)censorship
- Radio and misinformation
- Radio and conflict
- State of radio in Sub-Saharan Africa
Submission Instructions
Submission Instructions
Contributions should be from, or in partnership with, researchers from Anglophone and/or Francophone Africa. In the first instance, the editors invite proposals for extended abstracts or draft articles of 300-500 words. Notification will be sent about acceptance or non-acceptance. Successful submissions should then be written as full papers. They should include an abstract of no more than 100 words. Articles should not exceed 6,500 words, including tables and references. In addition to the manuscript with no reference to the author(s), the author(s) should include a separate attachment with contact information. Documents prepared in Microsoft Word are preferred and should use APA 7th for style and citation. Only original manuscripts will be accepted. All proposals will be subject to blind peer review in accordance with the journal’s policies.
For specific information about the journal’s requirements and the submission process, please see the “Instructions for Authors” page on the JRAM site. Manuscripts should be submitted through Manuscript Central link on https://www.beaweb.org/wp/?page_id=571 or https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/hjrs.
Submission Deadlines
Scholars interested in submitting an article for the special issue should send an extended abstract or draft paper to Dr. Emma Heywood at for review by June 1, 2024. Feedback and an invitation to submit will be provided by June 21, 2024. All final papers will undergo a blind peer-reviewed process for final publication and must be submitted to JRAM by August 1, 2024. Scholars who miss the initial deadline should contact Dr. Emma Heywood to inquire about submitting directly to the journal’s submission site for peer review by the final deadline.
Extended abstracts due: June 1, 2024
Final paper due: August 1, 2024
The special issue is scheduled for publication in Spring 2025
Contact
If you have any questions about the call, please send an email (for queries in English) to Dr. Emma Heywood at or (for queries in French) to Dr. Marie Fierens at : email subject line: JRAM Radio in Africa
