CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: Book Chapters for "Extractive Justice and Critical Minerals in Africa: Governance, Leadership, and the Global Energy Transition"
We invite scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to contribute chapters to an edited volume that critically examines case studies of mineral-rich African states engaged in extraction and beneficiation of critical/strategic minerals. This book will explore how African governance strategies intersect with the imperatives of the global energy transition, while foregrounding the continent’s capacity for justice-oriented leadership and stewardship.
Scope of Contributions & Thematic Focus
Contributions must analyse a specific case study (country, institution, policy, or initiative) through the lens of one of the five tenets of extractive justice:
- Recognition justice – How are diverse communities, marginalised identities, culturally significant institutions and historical claims acknowledged in mineral governance?
- Distribution justice – How are benefits and burdens equitably shared, e.g., through sovereign wealth funds, revenue-sharing, or local beneficiation?
- Cosmopolitan justice – How do African states situate their strategies within global responsibilities, solidarity, and climate imperatives?
- Procedural justice – How transparent, participatory, and accountable are decision-making processes in extractive governance?
- Restorative justice – How are historical harms, dispossession, or ecological damage addressed and repaired through resource policy?
- For instance, a chapter analysing a critical/strategic minerals sovereign wealth fund could frame its analysis through distribution justice, while a study of community consultation processes could foreground procedural justice.
NB: The stated tenets of extractive justice theory themes do not constitute a closed list for purposes of this book chapter call. We are interested in how African perspectives can develop the concept of extractive justice and welcome contributions that are related/connected to these themes and suitably identifying with furthering the extractive justice theme.
Objectives of the Volume
- Showcase African governance strategies in managing critical minerals during the global energy transition.
- Highlight justice-oriented leadership and stewardship, demonstrating how African states are innovating beyond extractive dependency.
- Provide comparative insights between African jurisdictions into how different justice frameworks shape policy outcomes and community impacts.
- Challenge dominant narratives by centering African agency, creativity, and strategic vision in global resource debates.
- Comparative studies with governance strategies from other regions or continents to help shape Africa’s position on effective extractive justice in critical/strategic minerals
- Decolonial arguments/narratives on Africa’s position in critical/strategic mineral resource governance
Suggested Case Study Areas
- National policies on sovereign wealth funds and revenue management
- Local beneficiation and industrialization strategies
- Community participation in spatial planning and mining governance
- Cross-border cooperation and regional frameworks for critical minerals
- Environmental restoration and climate justice in mining regions
- Global partnerships
- Rare Earth Mining Health & Safety
- Critical/strategic minerals as the new resource curse
- Regional cooperation/regional integration through critical/strategic minerals trade for local beneficiation
- Gender Dynamics and Women’s Inclusion
Submission Guidelines
- Abstract length: 300–500 words
- Include: chapter title, author(s), institutional affiliation, and which tenet of extractive justice is addressed
- Deadline: Monday, 6 July 2026
- Notification of acceptance: 27 July 2026
- Scoping workshop planned for 13 and 14 August 2026
- Full chapter submission: 30 November 2026
Please send abstracts to: merlia@uct.ac.za and cc lindsay.moses@uct.ac.za and hoitsimolimo.mutlokwa@uct.ac.za.