Research

Youth Futures in the Sahel

Faculty Conference Grant
Grant Year
2018-2019

The Sahel, the broadband of countries spanning from Mauritania to Eritrea, is one of the geographic regions least studied by social science, yet it is also one of that poses the most challenges to Kellogg's key themes of human development and democratization. These include climate instability, pervasively weak states, and human development indicators, migration, the proliferation of extremist religious groups, and youth exclusion from power. The Sahel has also been characterized as the world’s most youthful region. The youth bulge there, and in the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, is extremely relevant for our understanding of trajectories of democracy and development. We propose hosting a conference at Notre Dame entitled: “Youth Futures in the Sahel” November 17-18, 2019 with the goal of writing a special journal issue for the African Studies Review.