EPISODE · Jun 16, 2026 · 45 MIN
What Editors Look for in African Affairs Submissions — Jonathan Fisher
from The IR thinker
Today, it is a real pleasure to speak with Professor Jonathan Fisher, co-editor of African Affairs — one of the leading journals in the field of African Studies. African Affairs is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the London-based Royal African Society.It was established as the Journal of the African Society in 1901, then it was published as the Journal of the Royal African Society from 1936 until it obtained its current name in 1944.The journal is broadly interdisciplinary, with a primary focus on the politics and international relations of sub-Saharan Africa, though it also draws on sociology, anthropology, economics, history, literature, and the arts where these illuminate debates on contemporary Africa.Co-EditorsGeorge M. Bob-MilliarJonathan FisherAmanda Lea RobinsonGabrielle LynchImpact Factor: 2.2 / 5-Year Impact Factor: 2.7Indexed: Scopus / Web of ScienceJonathan FisherJonathan Fisher is Professor of Global Security at the University of Birmingham where he also serves as Deputy Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer for the College of Social Sciences.His research centres on the role of ideas and legitimacy within authoritarian systems, with extensive fieldwork across eastern Africa, where his work has examined how guerrilla heritage shapes contemporary governance, conflict, and cooperation, as well as the growing phenomenon of digital authoritarianism.Content00:00 – Introduction01:41 – The Journal’s Evolving Mission and Research Identity08:00 – Balancing Intellectual Coherence with Disciplinary Diversity11:19 – The Place of Empirical and Theoretical Research in Submissions13:03 – Emerging Trends in Manuscripts and Desired Research Directions16:27 – Underexplored Regions and Research Gaps across Africa18:40 – Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed-Methods Approaches in Publication24:04 – The Most Frequent Mistakes in Article Submissions25:49 – Common Pitfalls for Early-Career Researchers27:26 – Structural and Technical Weaknesses in Academic Articles29:00 – The Impact of AI on Editorial and Peer-Review Processes31:30 – Editorial Reforms and the Journal’s Growing Academic Standing33:46 – The Role and Significance of the Editorial Board37:14 – Supporting Marginalised and Underrepresented Scholars40:37 – Contributions from Latin America, Asia, and China41:57 – Does the Journal Encourage Authors to Suggest Reviewers?42:43 – Future Vision, Priorities, and Strategic Goals of the JournalFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What this episode covers
Today, it is a real pleasure to speak with Professor Jonathan Fisher, co-editor of African Affairs — one of the leading journals in the field of African Studies. African Affairs is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the London-based Royal African Society.It was established as the Journal of the African Society in 1901, then it was published as the Journal of the Royal African Society from 1936 until it obtained its current name in 1944.The journal is broadly interdisciplinary, with a primary focus on the politics and international relations of sub-Saharan Africa, though it also draws on sociology, anthropology, economics, history, literature, and the arts where these illuminate debates on contemporary Africa.Co-EditorsGeorge M. Bob-MilliarJonathan FisherAmanda Lea RobinsonGabrielle LynchImpact Factor: 2.2 / 5-Year Impact Factor: 2.7Indexed: Scopus / Web of ScienceJonathan FisherJonathan Fisher is Professor of Global Security at the University of Birmingham where he also serves as Deputy Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer for the College of Social Sciences.His research centres on the role of ideas and legitimacy within authoritarian systems, with extensive fieldwork across eastern Africa, where his work has examined how guerrilla heritage shapes contemporary governance, conflict, and cooperation, as well as the growing phenomenon of digital authoritarianism.Content00:00 – Introduction01:41 – The Journal’s Evolving Mission and Research Identity08:00 – Balancing Intellectual Coherence with Disciplinary Diversity11:19 – The Place of Empirical and Theoretical Research in Submissions13:03 – Emerging Trends in Manuscripts and Desired Research Directions16:27 – Underexplored Regions and Research Gaps across Africa18:40 – Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed-Methods Approaches in Publication24:04 – The Most Frequent Mistakes in Article Submissions25:49 – Common Pitfalls for Early-Career Researchers27:26 – Structural and Technical Weaknesses in Academic Articles29:00 – The Impact of AI on Editorial and Peer-Review Processes31:30 – Editorial Reforms and the Journal’s Growing Academic Standing33:46 – The Role and Significance of the Editorial Board37:14 – Supporting Marginalised and Underrepresented Scholars40:37 – Contributions from Latin America, Asia, and China41:57 – Does the Journal Encourage Authors to Suggest Reviewers?42:43 – Future Vision, Priorities, and Strategic Goals of the JournalFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
NOW PLAYING
What Editors Look for in African Affairs Submissions — Jonathan Fisher
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
No similar episodes found.
Similar Podcasts
No similar podcasts found.