Matatu (journal)
| Discipline | African literature, African studies |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Edited by | Tanaka Chidora, Pauline Mateveke Kazembe, Magdalena Pfalzgraf, Aderemi Raji-Oyelade, Frank Schulze-Engler, Alex Nelungo Wanjala |
| Publication details | |
Former name | Matatu |
| History | 1987–present |
| Publisher | |
| Frequency | Biannually |
| Hybrid | |
| Standard abbreviations | |
| ISO 4 | Matatu |
| Indexing | |
| ISSN | 0932-9714 (print) 1875-7421 (web) |
| LCCN | 93642938 |
| OCLC no. | 51333248 |
| Links | |
Matatu: Journal for African Literary and Cultural Studies is a biannual, double-anonymously peer-reviewed academic journal published by Brill Publishers. It focusses on African and Afrodiasporic literary and cultural studies, and is "open to interdisciplinary dialogue with fields such as the social sciences, cultural anthropology, and history".[1] The journal's name derives from the East African public transport vehicle "Matatu"[1].
The editors-in-chief are Tanaka Chidora (University of Malawi), Pauline Mateveke Kazembe (University of Zimbabwe), Magdalena Pfalzgraf (University of Bonn), Aderemi Raji-Oyelade (University of Ibadan), Frank Schulze–Engler (Goethe University Frankfurt), and Alex Nelungo Wanjala (University of Nairobi).
History
Originally, the journal was self-published by founding editor Holger Ehling, starting in 1987 in Göttingen, Germany, and later published by Éditions Rodopi from 1990 onwards. It then was converted to a book series, with, amongst others, Gordon Collier, Geoffrey V. Davis†, Aderemi Raji-Oyelade, and Frank Schulze-Engler as series editors. In 2016, after Éditions Rodopi was acquired by Brill Publishers in 2014, the journal again became a periodical, initially subtitled Journal for African Culture and Society.[2] Since then, the editorial team was expanded and subsequently the subtitle was changed to underline the journal's contributions to literary studies and since 2025 it is subtitled Journal for African Literary and Cultural Studies.
Publications and Popular Contributions
Matatu is published biannually, having published nineteen articles in 2025 and eighteen articles in 2024[3]. Amongst some of Matatu’s most popular contributions are articles such as “Theorizing African Feminism(s). The ‘Colonial’ Question”, “Queer Inclinations and Representations: Dambudzo Marechera and Zimbabwean Literature”, or “Refugee Life Narratives – The Disturbing Potential of a Genre and the Case of Mende Nazer”[3].
Abstracting and indexing
The journal is abstracted and indexed in International Bibliography of Periodical Literature,[4] Modern Language Association Database,[4] Scopus[5], and the Web of Science Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) [6], amongst other indices.
References
- ^ a b "Matatu: Journal for African Literary and Cultural Studies". Brill. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
- ^ "Matatu: Journal for African Culture and Society". Brill. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
- ^ a b "Dimensions". app.dimensions.ai. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
- ^ a b "Matatu". MIAR: Information Matrix for the Analysis of Journals. University of Barcelona. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
- ^ "Source details: Matatu". Scopus Preview. Elsevier. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
- ^ "Exciting News: Matatu Journal Accepted into Web of Science – Emerging Sources Citation Index | Department of Literature". literature.uonbi.ac.ke. Retrieved 2026-02-25.