PASRC's multidisciplinary webinar is a monthly webinar organized by the PASRC's Research Committee. It aims to promote African research teams and foster multidisciplinary collaboration between them. During these sessions, the speaker provides an overview of his/her work, or his/her team's research, keeping in mind the multidisciplinary audience and perspective.

1. Title: A LEAP into the Past: The Renaissance and Future of African Economic History
   Date: September 20 at 11 a.m. EST.
   Speaker: Johan Fourie, LEAP, Department of Economics, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

   

   Johan Fourie teaches economic history at the undergraduate and graduate level at Stellenbosch University. He is a founding member of the African Economic History Network, a former editor of Economic History of Developing Regions and President of the Economic History Society of Southern Africa. His latest book, Our Long Walk to Economic Freedom, an accessible introduction to global economic history written from an African perspective, was published in 2021.

   African economic history has attracted a lot of interest over the last decade. New methods, tools and sources are exposing new evidence and new explanations. This is good news. The past can not only help us understand our present circumstances, but past events are also often analogous to the present. But it is equally important that Africans partake in this renaissance. In this talk, I briefly review the current state of the literature, and then discuss steps towards a more inclusive African economic history.