Senior Lecturer in African Studies(BA Sierra Leone, Dr 3Cy Bordeaux) Tel: 0121 414 5132. |
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A geographer by training and multi-disciplinary researcher by choice, Reginald Cline-Cole was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The acquisition of an undergraduate degree at Fourah Bay College (University of Sierra Leone) was followed by postgraduate studies at the University of Bordeaux, France. Since then, and in addition to lecturing at Birmingham, he has also taught in Nigeria (Bayero University, Kano) and Kenya (Moi University).
He is a member of the Editorial Working Group of the Review of African Political Economy, for which he is Handling Editor and is a member of the Editorial Board of Geography Compass.
Although Reginald Cline-Cole is undoubtedly best-known for his pioneering work on rural energy in Africa, his research interests extend into cognate areas such as indigenous ecological knowledges, with particular reference to vegetation resources; the implications of environmental policy for access and rights to, and utilisation of soil, water and vegetation resources; woody biomass assessment and mapping; and the construction and deployment of landscape imaginaries. Much of this interest manifests itself in a variety of ways in his many publications on woodfuel, the boundaries of which he continues to be involved in extending and redefining. A recent article recalls this personal and professional journey (see ‘Blazing a trail while lazing around:..’ in publications). Ongoing research and writing tries to assess the implications for woodfuel planning, of the current global policy interest in biofuels as economically viable, environmentally-benign and renewable energy substitutes for fossil fuels. .
Reginald Cline-Cole’s other main research interest is forestry history and practice in West Africa, as his publication efforts attest. He is currently researching forestry as transnational environment-development policy and practice, with reference to colonial Northern Nigeria.
A third focus of interest revolves around the history of academic geography in Africa and questions of professional ethics in developing areas geographies. This interest has spilled over into the initiation of, and participation in, North-South institutional linkage schemes. Reginald Cline-Cole was the UK Co-ordinator of capacity building, curriculum development and research initiatives linking CWAS with the Department of Geography, Usumanu Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, Nigeria (‘Gender, Environment and Development in the Wetlands of Northwest Nigeria’, 1998-2001) and the Department of Geography and Rural Development, Njala University, Sierra Leone (‘Natural Resource Management and Sustainable Development in Sierra Leone’, 2002-2006).
Reginald Cline-Cole currently teaches geography, development and environment courses, and supervises postgraduate theses in these and related areas. As part of the institutional link mentioned above, he has recently been a visiting lecturer at Njala University, Sierra Leone, where he was External Examiner for the MSc Degree in Geography, Resource Management and Development in 2004-05. He is currently External Examiner in Human Geography at Coventry University, and has examined postgraduate theses at several UK and African universities.
Edited Books
2005, with E. Robson, West African Worlds. Paths through Development, Modernity and Globalisation. Addison, Wesley, Longman Publishers, UK.
2000, with C. Madge, Contesting Forestry in West Africa. Ashgate Publishers, Aldershot, UK and Burlington, USA.
Special (Edited) Issues of Journals
‘2008, with Graham Harrison, Politics of Capital, Review of African Political Economy - Vol. 35 (vol.116)’.
2006, with Phil O’Keefe, Mainstreaming the African Environment in Development? Special Issue, Review of African Political Economy, No.109 (vol.33).
2004, with Mike Powell, Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) and the Knowledge Economy. Special Issue, Review of African Political Economy, No.99 (vol.31).
