African studies and sociopolitical issues
African studies and sociopolitical issues is a research topic within Sociology and Political Science. Science Explorer counts 9.1k research works in it since 1950. 22.1% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.
This cluster of papers explores the complex history of Zimbabwe, focusing on themes such as nationalist historiography, patriotic history, land reform, political economy, and the struggle for social justice. It delves into the impact of colonialism, the urban crisis, and the dynamics of agrarian relations in shaping the nation's identity.
- Zimbabwe
- History
- Land Reform
- Nationalism
- Political Economy
- Agrarian Relations
- Urban Crisis
- Colonialism
- Patriotic History
- Social Justice
- Research works
- 9.1k fractional, since 1950
- In the world top 10%
- 2k per year above
- Top-10% rate
- 22.1% share of its works in the world top 10%
- Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
- +26% the tick is no change
Which countries lead African studies and sociopolitical issues research?
By volume, South Africa and Zimbabwe publish the most (514 and 305 works in 2022–2025).
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 South Africa 514 works
- 2 Zimbabwe 305 works
- 3 United States 206 works
- 4 United Kingdom 129 works
- 5 Germany 81 works
- 6 Nigeria 80 works
- 7 Kenya 43 works
- 8 India 34 works
- 9 Canada 31 works
- 10 Ethiopia 26 works
How concentrated that is
The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.
Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.
Which institutions lead African studies and sociopolitical issues research?
By volume in 2022–2025, University of Zimbabwe publishes the most African studies and sociopolitical issues research, followed by Midlands State University and University of South Africa.
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 University of ZimbabweZimbabwe 76 works
- 2 Midlands State UniversityZimbabwe 75 works
- 3 University of South AfricaSouth Africa 69 works
- 4 University of the Free StateSouth Africa 67 works
- 5 University of JohannesburgSouth Africa 64 works
- 6 University of PretoriaSouth Africa 51 works
- 7 Great Zimbabwe UniversityZimbabwe 41 works
- 8 Institute for Peace Research and Security PolicyGermany 37 works
- 9 University of Cape TownSouth Africa 31 works
- 10 North-West UniversitySouth Africa 30 works
Who are the leading researchers in African studies and sociopolitical issues?
The most-cited researchers publishing on African studies and sociopolitical issues include Ian Scoones and International Monetary Fund.
- 1 Ian Scoones United Kingdom 864 citations
- 2 International Monetary Fund United States 830 citations
Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.
Where is African studies and sociopolitical issues research done?
The largest centres of African studies and sociopolitical issues research in 2022–2025 are Pretoria (South Africa), Harare (Zimbabwe), Johannesburg (South Africa) and Gweru (Zimbabwe). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Masvingo, Gweru and Bindura.
Largest cities, 2022–2025
- 1 Pretoria South Africa 128 works
- 2 Harare Zimbabwe 122 works
- 3 Johannesburg South Africa 94 works
- 4 Gweru Zimbabwe 76 works
- 5 Bloemfontein South Africa 72 works
- 6 Masvingo Zimbabwe 46 works
- 7 Hamburg Germany 39 works
- 8 Durban South Africa 34 works
- 9 Rondebosch South Africa 31 works
- 10 London United Kingdom 30 works
Where it is the local speciality
- MasvingoZW · 45.9 works905×
- GweruZW · 76.0 works818×
- BinduraZW · 24.1 works589×
- HarareZW · 121.7 works508×
- BloemfonteinZA · 72.1 works138×
Location quotient: how much more of its research is in African studies and sociopolitical issues than the world average.
Where is the best place to study African studies and sociopolitical issues?
Among universities, judged by research, University of South Africa, University of Johannesburg and University of the Free State score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.
One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.
| # | University | Score | Top 10% | Specialisation | Works | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of South AfricaSouth Africa | 79.3 | 28.3% | 88.5× | 69 | +49.4% |
| 2 | University of JohannesburgSouth Africa | 77.9 | 19.5% | 57.6× | 64 | +130.5% |
| 3 | University of the Free StateSouth Africa | 77.6 | 18.5% | 157.9× | 67 | +146.7% |
| 4 | North-West UniversitySouth Africa | 75.5 | 28.3% | 58.6× | 30 | +84.7% |
| 5 | University of ZimbabweZimbabwe | 71.2 | 16.5% | 601.0× | 76 | +40.4% |
| 6 | University of Cape TownSouth Africa | 68.8 | 22.6% | 54.1× | 31 | +30.0% |
| 7 | University of PretoriaSouth Africa | 68.2 | 17.3% | 67.7× | 51 | +61.3% |
| 8 | University of ZambiaZambia | 67.3 | 16.5% | 50.7× | 13 | +166.7% |
| 9 | Great Zimbabwe UniversityZimbabwe | 66.0 | 20.8% | 908.7× | 41 | +3.5% |
| 10 | Midlands State UniversityZimbabwe | 65.6 | 17.0% | 821.2× | 75 | -15.7% |
Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.
Is African studies and sociopolitical issues research growing?
Output in 2018–2022 was 26% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are African studies and sociopolitical issues.
The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.
Which topics inside it are moving
Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.