Welcome
Dear reader, hopefully you can find what you are looking for or are surprised to see entries you had not expected. In addition to details of my writings and an updated CV, the tab on Readings contains information about publications that I have read or used that might be interesting.
Activities in 2021 and into 2022
My professional life continues to revolve around academia, continuing as an Honorary
Professor in the Chair in African Philanthropy located in the African Centre for Philanthropy
and Social Investment (ACPSI) at the Wits Business School. After a long bureaucratic journey, the Master of Management in African Philanthropy and social Investment which I designed will start in July. Raising scholarships will be a major challenge. I will probably virtually lecture on one or more of the modules.
My academic link with the International Institute of Social Studies has, with my colleague and friend Kees Biekart, concentrated on creating a new book The Future of Civil Society Research. With twenty-two chapters and thirty contributors, the edited volume will be published by Edward Elgar as part of its futures series, probably in August 2022. Fundraising efforts by Kees, mean that this will be an open access -e-book.
A long concern about issues of power and unfairness in the aid system and the nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) that are part of it remains a pre-occupation. In 2022 this has translated into advising a reform initiative with the acronym RINGO – Reinventing International NGOs. The nature of the problems are old, deep and systemic. One van only hope that the context has shifted enough the new, creative reform processes employed bear fruit.
The next project is to explore what it means to be a pracademic. That is someone who bridges and combines a position in academia with active civic engagement. Together with three colleagues located in Uruguay, the Philippines and the Netherlands, in March a series of webinars will gather together people who think that they play this role. Where this will lead is uncertain, but that the initiative is gaining traction is not in doubt. Watch this space!
In mid-2021, my interim role as Chair of the Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve (GCBR) came to an end. A new round of funding will see the organisation through another four years, with income diversification a major challenge. I remain engaged in ecological issues of where we live.
If you are interested in any of these fields, please get in touch.
Professional Profile
By and large, practical consulting and advising are now a thing of the past. My time is more devoted towards volunteering close to home and academic contributions in philanthropy and civic driven change.
I look forward to hearing from you
Alan
