Rooted in African empirical contexts, the concept of informality first emerged, most famously, through Keith Hart’s work in Accra during the seventies (Hart 1973), and has since evolved into a global analytical and policy framework. Yet, as Alena Ledeneva argues, informality has “more of a history than a definition” (Ledeneva 2018). It is not a stable or universal category, but rather a moving target: relational, contextual, and shaped by the very efforts to define, regulate, or formalise it. This insight is critical in the African continent, where so-called informal economies and practices are not marginal exceptions but core infrastructures of everyday life.
The Africa group in PRESILIENT is organizing a workshop on ‘Reimagining informal economies and practices across Africa: How “informality” works, and what it teaches us about African societies and beyond’, scheduled to be held at Casablanca, Morocco, 14-15 April 2026. This workshop aims to move beyond dichotomies of formal/informal, legal/illegal, and modern/traditional. We invite young researchers working in African contexts to explore how informalities work, what they reveal about economic, social, and political orders, and what conceptual tools might better capture their complexity. Inspired by African epistemologies, critical studies, and relational approaches to governance, the goal is to create an interactive space for thinking with - and not merely about - informality. By doing so, the organizers hope to contribute to new analytical vocabularies and more grounded understandings of African economic, social, and political lives.
Theme 1: Deconstructing binaries, embracing complexity
Theme 2: Wealth, power, and inequality within informality
Theme 3: The social and political life of informality
Theme 4: Methodological challenges and fieldwork experiences
Submissions should include a 300-400-word abstract and a short biographical statement. The organizers accept applications in English and French.
Abstract should be sent by January 9, 2026. The organizers will endorse to respond as soon as possible to that you can make your arrangements and find cheaper tickets.
The workshop will be free of charge, but participants will be responsible for their own accommodation, travel, and visa expenses. Meals will be provided free of charge to all speakers. Travel bursaries may be available for a limited number of participants in the form of travel reimbursement of up to 250 euros or accommodation for 2–3 nights in shared double rooms (same-gender rooming guaranteed). If you would like to request either, please indicate this in your abstract. If you have access to institutional funding, please use it, as this will allow the organizers to prioritise scholars without such support.
For submission, send a single Word / PDF file to marta.massera@ird.fr, and put abel.polese@dcu.ie in CC.
For details, visit, https://www.presilient-dn.eu/open-calls/reimagining-informal-economies-and-practices-across-africa