Call for Applications

LSA 2026 Post-Conference Workshop

Youth in the City: Towards an African Feminist Urban Ethnography

At the 10th Annual Lagos Studies Association Conference (Lagos/Zoom) June 16-20.

This three-day post-conference workshop brings together scholars, artists, and practitioners researching youth and urban life in African cities through feminist, decolonial, and experimental approaches. Recognizing that African feminist thinkers are not often centered in the practice of urban ethnography—both traditional and non-traditional methods—this workzshop seeks to bridge these gaps by collectively exploring what an African feminist urban ethnography might entail.

Participants will engage in fieldwork exercises, grounded discussions of feminist epistemologies, and a collaborative writing lab. The workshop will culminate in a Collective Reflection (mini handbook) articulating key insights and provocations for African feminist urban ethnography, alongside a curated collection of short creative and ethnographic works.

Application Requirements

Applicants should submit the following:

  1. CV

  2. Abstract for Presentation (max. 200 words)
    Provide a title and abstract for a short presentation you would deliver during the workshop. Your abstract should introduce your research on youth and urban life, outline your research questions and method, and indicate how your work engages—or seeks to engage—with African feminist urban ethnography.

  3. Motivation Letter (max. 500 words)
    Explain why you wish to participate in the workshop and how it relates to your research or creative practice. Since participants will contribute to the development of a collective reflection and a collection of creative ethnographic works (e.g., short stories, vignettes, graphic narratives, or other experimental forms), please describe what you hope to work on and eventually submit during the writing component.

  4. Short Bio (max. 150 words)
    Include your current institutional or professional affiliation, research focus, and any relevant publications or creative projects.

Selected Candidates will receive:

 

1)        10 nights of hotel accommodation

2)        Breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 9 days

3)     Registration fee waiver/reimbursement

4)     Transportation allowance

 

Eligibility

Applicants must be conducting research on youth and urban life in African cities. Graduate students, early-career researchers, independent scholars, and creative practitioners are all eligible to apply. Interdisciplinary approaches are welcome to submit application. International scholars and practitioners are eligible to apply. We will be subsidizing some costs on a needs-based basis for international applicants.

 

Deadline: December 15, 2025

Apply, here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe6QEnGnwyiuaxbU3fG-t4o3Xus8Bc3BtMt0I--49YX4oUQZA/viewform