The African Security Sector Network (ASSN), recently launched the African Societal Analysis/Analyse Sociétale Africaine (ASA) project as the latest addition to the ASSN’s programmes. It seeks to perpetuate the research program “Hybrid Security Governance in Africa” funded by the IDRC (International Development Research Centre) of Canada.
ASA is a think tank that proposes to help decision-makers better grasp sociological realities within which the security and development governance in Africa is rooted.
The ASA project stems from the realization that news from sub-Saharan Africa highlights bluntly the necessity to have a more subtle understanding of socio-cultural dynamics specific to the African continent. Mobilizing a network of African experts with daily close links with grassroots, ASA’s expertise highlight the influence of so-called informal standards and practices as well as the interactions of African states with non-states actors and local networks. Every week, ASA produces a new policy brief (“institutional mapping”) presented both in textual and visual manner (computer graphics), disseminated in French and/or in English via emails and social networks and readily accessible on the ASSN website.
The ASA analyses data from different dimensions, divided into 6 expertise poles:
- Pole 1: Traditional authorities, community memberships and social solidarities/exclusions;
- Pole 2: Religions and religious networks;
- Pole 3: Gender;
- Pole 4: Informal security and justice;
- Pole 5: Social change and emerging stakeholders;
- Pole 6: Africa and international networks.
Read more on ASA: THE ASSN THINK TANK Page