School of Social and Political Science

CAS Annual Conference

Discover, Connect, and Engage!

Every year, CAS hosts an annual conference that draws leading experts, scholars, and professionals from around the world to discuss breakthrough research, innovative practices, and emerging trends, placing Africa and African perspectives at the centre.

Attendees gain expert insights, networking opportunities, discover cutting-edge research, and participate in interactive sessions and workshops. Ideal for academics, researchers, professionals, and students, these events provide a collaborative environment to foster creativity and inspire new research ideas. 

Stay updated on upcoming conferences and register for an enriching academic experience.

2025 CAS Conference 24-25 April,  University of Edinburgh Business School

The Conference is co-hosted by the Centre of African Studies (CAS) and the Centre for Business, Climate Change and Sustainability (B-CCaS).

Climate Dynamics and the Politics of a Post-Carbon Africa

The ongoing calls for urgent action to mitigate the growing scourge of climate change by transitioning away from fossil fuels are often met with troubling uncertainties about the fate of costly commercial ventures in the petroleum industry, risks to sustainable livelihood bundles, precarious patterns of human mobilities and displacement, and potential violent flashpoints over distributional contentions in multi-sited domains of (post)carbon development. The conference brings together scholars and active researchers who are interested in the socio-technical and political entanglements shaping sustainable energy transitions in Africa. It aims to specifically draw from empirically grounded and theoretical introspections about an African perspective on the global energy transition drive and climate change. Through a mix of keynote presentations and panels, the conference will devote to the following themes:

  • Climate-induced unrests and violence
  • Green jobs, technologies, and infrastructure.
  • Climate-induced migration and refugees
  • Just transition and human mobility
  • Governance and evolving stakeholder networks
  • Post-carbon artefacts, aesthetics and popular culture
  • Sustainable urban transformations
  • Toxicity, pollution, and environmental governance
  • Green innovations and evolving market niches
  • Indigenous knowledge and community voices

The conference is in collaboration with Centre for Business, Climate Change and Sustainability (B-CCaS), the Edinburgh Earth Initiative , and Wits-Edinburgh Sustainable Africa Futures (WESAF) Doctoral Programme.

Programme

Download the full programme (PDF) for the 2025 Centre of African Studies Conference.

 

 

 

 

 

Venue

The conference will take place at the University of Edinburgh Business School (UEBS) at 29 Buccleuch Place Edinburgh EH8 9JS

Registrations are now closed!

If you have any questions regarding the forthcoming conference, please do get in touch at cas.conference@ed.ac.uk

Previous Conferences

Check out the summary of past conferences with their varied themes: