The CODESRIA Bulletin: a content analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to provide a content analysis of the 316 articles in the CODESRIA Bulletin, from the first edition in 2003 to the 2015 edition (numbers 1 & 2). The essay was precipitated by the serendipitous finding that most of the authors writing on related topics for the journal, which is the leading publication of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), do not cite one another. It is therefore hoped that this essay will serve as a catalyst to foster such needed cross-fertilization and canonization among future writers, if these works are to prove profitable to the continent in particular and to global scholarship in general. Thus, the major question that guides this essay is the following: What do articles in the CODESRIA Bulletin look like? Probing this question is important because these works are vital for at least two reasons. First, they may show which themes on Africa are  important in one of the major scholarly journals focusing on the continent. Second, they can help a researcher in tracing the development of scholarship (interests, methods, and activities) on Africa. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of the contents of the articles can serve many useful purposes. At the most basic level, a simple tabulation can identify trends and changes in the works’ contents. A focused analysis may reveal a discernible pattern. Beyond that, a content analysis can be helpful in pointing out temporal or spatial differences in subject matter.

Keywords: CONDESRIA, content analysis