Editorial introduction: decolonizing Critical African Studies.

At Critical African Studies, we often publish special issues that bring together a collection of papers examining a cutting edge topic in African Studies or examining in new perspective a long-standing area of theory and inquiry. The structural and material barriers to decolonizing African Studies publishing are real and significant, but social and procedural steps have gone a long way towards strengthening the journal's reputation as a top destination for scholarship for innovative and critical scholarship from the continent and from new authors. In our tenure, we have made a number of changes to the special issue process that are designed to strengthen the inclusivity and rigor of journal special issues as an academic practice and community-creating mechanism. In terms of journal content, as editors, we have sought through special issues to decolonize the conversations that are included in African Studies. [Extracted from the article]