Not all rebel armies use rape and sexual violence as a weapon. Some have actually designed ways to prevent such atrocities. How and what can we learn from them?
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Analysis and Comment
The top U.S. foreign policy goals in Africa evidently no longer relate to human rights or democratic freedoms, but to protecting tiny, marginal American industries.
Efforts to discourage girls from being cut in Tanzania have changed the cultural meaning and practices around the ceremonial rite of passage.
Not all African leaders are willing to be swept by the democratic reforms of the early 2000s.
The process of institutionalisation may be patchy and uneven. But one thing is clear: Africa is not without functioning institutions.
It's critical to understand how mothers from all backgrounds navigate obstacles within the city as part of their daily lives.
Poor countries aren't receiving the most foreign aid. Why? And what should be done?
The Democratic Republic of Congo has been in turmoil since President Kabila refused to relinquish power at the end of his term. But there is hope of ending the stalemate.
Unexpressed racism may be even more dangerous if it's left lurking below the surface.
Now that President Xi Jinping's presidential term has been extended indefinitely, African governments need to plan strategically for their future engagements with the Chinese.
Stories from the ground highlighted the unmet needs of people who are vulnerable and who are left behind.
The Democratic Alliance is potentially in a good position to challenge the ANC, which governs South Africa, for power.
The genocide memory in Rwanda is diverse and dynamic.
Dr Abiy Ahmed has been sworn in as the new prime minister of Ethiopia. The youthful Oromo leader now faces the herculean task of uniting a divided country.
Some communities on South Africa's Platinum Belt have received substantial mining revenues, but these are controlled by chiefs.
Facebook must confront deep challenges if it's to become a force in the global fight against false narratives.
Claims about Cambridge Analytica's role in elections in Nigeria and Kenya have been overstated.
Graft is common in the way that markets in Kinshasa are run.
A deal brokered by Ethiopia to develop the port at Berbera will have a ripple effect across the Horn of Africa.
Past cases indicate that verbal crimen injuria is not that serious. But a landmark sentence in South Africa has changed that.
In practice, land expropriation in South Africa will be a matter of deciding which descendants of the dispossessed are entitled to it.
Italy's first black senator, and the party he represents, won't be advancing the fight against xenophobia.
It's important yet complicated to align national development plans with the SDGs. But it isn't impossible.
Former South African president Jacob Zuma’s proposed prosecution is a welcome reaffirmation of the principle that all are equal before the law.
Ethiopia's recent upheavals could potentially destabilise the entire Horn of Africa.
Recent urban disasters in Ethiopia and Mozambique resulted in high female mortality, which was been largely ignored.
Relations between the US and Africa are unlikely to improve while Trump remains president. But that doesn't mean the continent should remain passive.
South African investigative journalists and civil society played a crucial role in bringing a country in the clutches of patronage networks back from the brink.
Free movement in Africa might be needed but more thought is needed for successful implementation.
The US secretary of state's visit to five African countries didn't have much to offer by way of investments and commerce.
Some young East Africans believe that there is nothing wrong with corruption -- except in Rwanda.
Former South African President Jacob Zuma's bad behaviour damaged his image and the ANC's.
Meeting the challenges from the opposition will strengthen the ANC's dominance. How well its new leadership copes will become clearer over the next few months.
Adequate and quality childcare determines women’s participation in the labour force and the type of work they can take on.
South African politics
The way Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is being remembered recalls the outpouring of grief and iconic status Eva Peron the First Lady of Argentina was accorded.
Reducing Madikizela’s entire life and legacy to her relationship with Mandela has more to do with patriarchal tropes about powerful women than reality.
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's political power stemmed from the visceral connection that she was able to make between the lives of the oppressed black people, and her own.
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's struggle was for humanity, oftentimes waged in an inhuman way.
South Africans expect former president Zuma him to take responsibility and remedy his undemocratic and unconstitutional behaviour.
What makes a successful presidential performance and does South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa stack up?
The way South Africa's new president Cyril Ramaphosa has constituted his cabinet reflects the distribution of power within the governing ANC.
International news
It's election season in Pakistan, and the Supreme Court is at war with the ruling party. Many Pakistanis wonder whether the nation's top judge is cleaning up government or staging a judicial coup.
Tensions with Russia and the US have made both partners in the Brexit negotiations more aware of their shared interests than they seemed to be a year ago.
The row over suspected Russian involvement in the assassination attempt on Sergei Skripal has sparked some very confrontational social media activity.
Democracy in Africa
No one is immune to change in leadership that has led many African presidents to lose their coveted top job.
Youth participation in elections and governance processes in Zimbabwe is low.
The Chinese Communist Party's decision to remove presidential term limits could be a signal to African despots.
Research and Expert Database
Editors’ Picks
Thousands of young people have got on their bikes to make a political statement in London's streets. The government would do well to pay attention.
After the US invasion brought their dictator down, Iraqis' everyday lives were marked by chaos and violence.
Miguel Díaz-Canel, a 57-year-old engineer and Communist Party loyalist, is expected to succeed Raúl Castro as president of Cuba. Will change bring prosperity or instability to the Cuban people?
The lead villain of Black Panther is a complex character who represents years of conflicting debates among African American leaders about how to achieve Black liberation.
People with visible facial differences, such as acne, are rarely represented in the media and when they are, they are often vilified.
Some recent bad behaviour has been explained as being alpha but the scientist who coined the phrase discredits that theory. Instead, Prof. Sosteric suggests alphas are raised on toxic socialization.
The Cambridge Analytica scandal wasn't a data breach – it was a violation of academic ethics. Maybe it's universities, not social networks, that need to update their privacy settings.
For centuries, Mary Magdalene was wrongly depicted as a repentant whore, diminishing her vital role as witness to the resurrection. A new film portraying her life does much to restore her character.
A scholar documented the risks a migrant faced after deportation, including his becoming involved in smuggling people across the border.
According to a photojournalism expert, there can be a relationship between exposure to grisly images and activism. But there are also ethical considerations to be made.
In 2015 Princeton University investigated President Woodrow Wilson's legacy of prejudice. A historian looks at the widespread racism in the American progressive movement of the early 20th century.
Seven rules for break up in the digital age.
These terms are often used interchangeably by the public, and though the concepts are overlapping, there are important distinctions.
Fifty years after MLK's death, a minority politics scholar assesses black progress in the US based on poverty, jobs and wealth. "In some ways," she concludes, "we've barely budged as a people."
The Erdoğan regime's move into northern Syria is being justified in the name of European security.
Job Board
Where experts find jobs
-
Biostatistician, Partnership Project (Re Advertised)
-
Learning Designer
-
Research Assistant
-
Senior Vice Dean - Academic Operations
-
ARC PhD Scholarship in the Internet of Toys
How we are different
10 reasons
Most Read past week
- Weaning African leaders off addiction to power is an ongoing struggle
- African leaders are more constrained by democratic rules than you think
- What China’s President Xi’s extended tenure means for Africa
- Why poor people should be involved in designing solutions to poverty
- How the law can help change racist minds in South Africa
Pitch an idea
Got a news tip or article idea for The Conversation?
Our Audience
The Conversation has a monthly audience of 5 million users, and reach of 35 million through Creative Commons republication.
Want to Write?
Write an article and join a growing community of more than 65,900 academics and researchers from 2,305 institutions.