African Political Ecologies Learning Lab

The African Political Ecologies (APE) Learning Lab is an initiative of Future Africa at the University of Pretoria (UP), established to advance African scholarship on the relationships between society, nature and sustainability. The Learning Lab provides a platform for researchers, students and civil society to engage in interdisciplinary dialogue, develop research ideas and contribute to African-led knowledge production on sustainability transformations.

The initiative is led by Professor Maano Ramutsindela, Future Africa Research Chair in Sustainability Transformations (a joint initiative of the University of Pretoria and the University of Cape Town), in partnership with the Future Earth Africa Hub Leadership Centre.

The APE Learning Lab aims to:

• Facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue on African political ecologies.
• Support the development of research ideas and collaborative projects.
• Provide a platform for formulating research questions and identifying themes for seminars, workshops and conferences.
• Promote African perspectives in research on sustainability transformations and society–nature relations.
• Foster collaboration between researchers, students and civil society.

Approach

The APE Learning Lab operates as a collaborative and participatory platform that encourages the exchange of ideas across disciplines and institutions. It supports critical engagement with sustainability challenges through dialogue, knowledge sharing and collaborative learning. The APE learning Lab brings together researchers, academics, postgraduate students and practitioners from universities, research organisations and civil society across Africa. It is open to individuals interested in contributing to African scholarship on political ecology and sustainability.

Get involved

Researchers and scholars interested in participating in the African Political Ecologies (APE) Learning Lab can contact:

Professor Maano Ramutsindela at ramutsindela.maano@up.ac.za