Power, Urgency and Legitimacy: Reimagining African Women in Science

Location: Online MS Teams

Abstract

Since the turn of the new millennium, efforts to increase Africa’s capacity in science, technology and innovation (STI) have gained significant momentum. At national, regional and global levels, there is growing recognition that true socioeconomic transformation will not be achieved without STI, and the equitable contribution of women scientists. Produced as part of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) project to champion the UN Decade of Action to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Earth, Oceans and Skies is a book that metaphorically unifies two themes: science and gender. Presented as condensed autobiographies, the stories in the publication create a mosaic of individual journeys interwoven with the historical, political and social economic contexts that influence the STI endeavour in Africa. The book creates, recreates and challenges predominant narratives. It obliges us to shift our gaze, to look beneath the statistics, global narratives, policy-making rhetoric and discourses. Overall, Earth, Oceans and Skies provides empirical evidence and opens space for novel theorisation on how women scientists negotiate power, urgency and legitimacy in STI, and how this affects Africa. 

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Speaker 

Dr Liz Ng’ang’a holds a PhD in international development focusing on science, technology and innovation, from the Open University, UK; an MSc in African Studies from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK; and a BA in Literature and English language from Kenyatta University, Kenya. She has close to 20 years of work experience as a communication professional in the research and development (R&D) sector. She has also held positions in key pan-African political and economic institutions including the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and in corporate public relations and mainstream journalism. Liz has a well-earned regional and global reputation as a communicator, writer and author, researcher and thinker. Her current research interests include: decolonising knowledge; theories, concepts, discourses, contexts and discursive mechanisms of power, especially boundary organisations, in research and development; evolving scenarios of soft power in Africa and disruptive factors; and talent-based approach to development in Africa.

Chair

Prof Theo Papaioannou is a political scientist and theorist with interdisciplinary focus on politics of innovation and development. He received a BA in Politics and International Studies from the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences of Athens, followed by an MA and DPhil in Social and Political Thought from the University of Sussex. He joined the Department of Development Policy and Practice (DPP) and the Institute for Innovation Generation (INNOGEN) in October 2005. He is currently Director of INNOGEN, working in the areas of public policy and political theory with a specific focus on innovation and development. His current research interests include: the role of the state in innovation; innovation directionality and social justice; inclusive innovation systems and global development; ethics and politics of science and technology; governance of emerging innovations; intellectual property rights; industrial associations; the application of contemporary political theory in innovation and development studies. Theo’s work has appeared in top academic journals such as Research Policy, World Development, Progress in Development Studies, Innovation and Development, Science and Public Policy, Critical Policy Studies and International Political Science Review.