Across the continent, African youth stand at the forefront of profound political, economic, and social transformations. Yet despite their demographic weight and increased political participation through digitalization, youth are often rendered invisible within analyses of state–society relations and remain peripheral to core debates. This panel seeks to center African youth within contemporary analyses of how state-society relations is negotiated, contested, and reconfigured.
While grounded in political science, international relations, and governance studies, the panel welcomes contributions from scholars across disciplines who share an interest in centering African youth within analyses of state-society interaction. Papers may explore arenas such as digital mobilization and platform politics; electoral participation and Gen Z movements; engagement with customary, religious, or local authorities; security governance and youth incorporation into state and non-state armed actors, including foreign military recruitment and entanglement in global conflicts; as well as participation in hustle economies, social enterprises, and hybrid governance spaces.
Rather than approaching youth as a demographic category or policy target, this panel foregrounds them as political, social, and economic actors who act and exert influence within complex social and institutional environments. How do African youth negotiate state authority, informal networks, global economic pressures, and transnational security dynamics? Under what conditions do they reinforce, reinterpret, or transform existing governance arrangements? By bringing youth to the analytical center of contemporary state-society relations, this panel aims to contribute to broader debates on governance transformation in Africa in an era of digital acceleration and geopolitical realignment in which African states are more deeply embedded than ever.
Please send a 200-word abstract and your contact information to Natsuko Imai (natsuko.imai.k@gmail.com) by Saturday, March 14.
I warmly welcome your ideas and look forward to receiving abstracts from scholars interested in joining and enriching this discussion!
Centering African Youth in Contemporary State-Society Relations: Youth Agency, Institutional Contestation, and Governance Transformation
