Julius E. Nyang'oro

(African and Afro-American Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill): Biographical Statement

I am a professor of African Studies in the Department of African and Afro-American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I am also adjunct professor of political science. I have served as chair of my department since 1992. I hold a B.A. in political science from the University of Dar es Salaam, a M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from Miami (Ohio) University; and a J.D. from Duke University.

I was born and lived in Tanzania until 1978 when I came to the United States to pursue graduate studies. I have also studied in Denmark and Kenya doing specialized courses in international law. Since obtaining my Ph.D. and J.D., my research has principally been in the fields of African politics and governance, comparative political economy, security studies and civil society. I have published half a dozen books and more than four dozen articles on subjects related to my research. My current research is on the politics of inequality in Tanzania and its effects on the democratization process. Much more succinctly, it is a study of the local consequences of globalization. This is an important subject for me both personally and intellectually. Growing up in Tanzania during the Nyerere era, the state's ideological commitment to egalitarianism shaped my earlier thinking on socio-economic development. However, the Tanzanian state's commitment to egalitarianism was effectively abandoned in the late 1980s, leading to policies and consequences that are quite different from those I anticipated as a young person. Today when I visit many places in rural Tanzania, and other parts of the African continent, I am struck by the disjuncture between the presence of a globalized culture, particularly among the young (music, clothing, etc.) and the reality of an economy that exposes sharp income inequalities. My intellectual concerns are geared towards understanding this contradiction and suggesting ways in which peoples' lives on the African continent could be improved.

I have had research and teaching appointments at various institutions in Africa. These include the Institute of Finance Management in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (political economy); University of Asmara, Eritrea (law and political science); and the Centre for African Studies, the University of Cape Town. I have had collaborative research with colleagues in Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Eritrea, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, South Africa and Namibia.

Julius E. Nyang'oro: Statement of Candidacy

I have been a member of the ASA since 1983, and a life member since 1997. I served on the ASA Board of Directors from 1995-1998. My relationship to the ASA has been a rewarding one to me both personally and intellectually. I have seen the ASA evolve in many positive ways and hence my willingness to take a leadership role in the organization. My primary aim will be to consolidate the gains that the association has achieved in the last two decades in which I have been a member, and to seek ways in which the association can continue to be a catalyst for change. A few items come to mind in relation to this.

First, I would like to continue with the association's quest to become more open and inclusive. The association has happily moved beyond Montreal 76 and has genuinely responded to the concerns raised then. I will work hard to consolidate these gains.

Second, in the wake of the September 11tn attacks, and the ensuing "war on terrorism" there are concerns that academic freedom is under assault. Voices of censorship and the demand to teach the subject matter of our disciplines in line with particular ideologies and policies is a dangerous development that must be addressed head on. The spirit of open and unfettered academic inquiry must be preserved.

Third, there must be genuine attempts to enhance and foster linkages between the ASA and Africa based organizations such as Association of African Political Science (AAPS); Council on the Development of Social Sciences in Africa (CODESRIA); Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA); and the Southern Africa Political Economy Series (SAPES). While the ASA has maintained these linkages in the past, we need to make special efforts to organize joint programs with these organizations. This will raise the profile of the ASA in Africa while doing the same for Africa based organizations in North America.

Finally, the ASA must continue to play a key role in promoting a better and more sophisticated understanding of Africa in North America. In spite of the efforts by colleagues teaching about Africa at various levels of the school system in North America (primary, secondary and tertiary), much of the public is badly (mis)informed about the "real" Africa. While this is a problem that is understood by most of us who teach about and conduct research on Africa, the ASA needs to take a more proactive agenda in pushing for a better understanding of the continent to North American audiences. With grant funding, specific programs of public education could be developed to address this issue.