The Eighth Black Diaspora Conference (Ohio, USA)

Deadline: 11 January 2012

The Black Diaspora Conference is an annual interdisciplinary forum bringing together scholars and thinkers to reflect on issues and concerns related to people of African descent. The objective of the series is to promote and expand public awareness, scholarship and research in the area of Black Diaspora studies. Themes and discussions at the annual conference will focus on achieving a qualitative and quantitative impact on the various Black Diaspora micro-communities in the Diaspora as well as on the African continent.

The theme for the 8th Black Diaspora Conference is “Intellectuals of the Diaspora.” We invite submissions for papers and panels from scholars, faculty members, graduate and undergraduate students. While papers on any aspect of the theme are welcome, the organizers are particularly interested in papers that explore the experience of Black people as they have and continue to navigate the spatial world within the world of Black and pan-African reality in the following areas: history, culture, literature, religion, politics, social organization, race relations, gender, internet networking, psychology, performing arts, etc. Contributions may be historical, theoretical, empirical, or comparative. Innovative approaches are especially welcome.

Paper contributions should be for a 20-minute presentation. Acceptance of a submission implies a commitment to register for and attend the Conference. (Registration Fee: $100; $15 for students and retired scholars).

Dr. Obiwu Iwuanyanwu
Black Diaspora Conference
Department of Humanities
P.O. Box 1004
Wilberforce, Ohio 45384
Telephone (937) 376-6215; Fax (937) 376-6029
Email: oiwuanyanwu@centralstate.edu

Or

Dr. Anthony Milburn
Black Diaspora Conference
Department of Humanities
P.O. Box 1004
Wilberforce, Ohio 45384
Telephone (937) 376-6459; Fax (937)376-6029
Email: amilburn@centralstate.edu

Contact Information:

For inquiries: oiwuanyanwu@centralstate.edu or amilburn@centralstate.edu

For submissions: oiwuanyanwu@centralstate.edu or amilburn@centralstate.edu

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Call for Papers - Crime and its Fictions in Africa: A Conversation across Disciplines (Yale University)

Deadline: 9 December 2011

The story of Africa in the world is in some ways a history of crime: from the Atlantic slave trade to the Nigerian “419” email scam, violence and illegality have often been the means by which the continent is inscribed in the Western imagination. On a more local level, crime has also served as the medium through which Africa and its peoples have negotiated engagement with globalization. Besides the obvious movement of illicit goods onto the global market, this is evident in the intricate international networks for smuggling people across the Sahara; in the prostitution rings that link parts of Africa to parts of Europe; and in the poaching syndicates driven by Asian demand for exotica such as rhino horn. The problematic role of law and/or its absence has long been the focal point of historical and social scientific work on Africa, though not without controversy over the line between voyeurism and observation.

Increasingly, fiction writers and literary scholars have also got in on the act. In South Africa, authors such as Deon Meyer and Margie Orford have topped the best-seller lists with their crime fiction, and the genre has gathered steam across the continent. What explains this development? What, if any, is the connection between the boom in writing about crime, and the problem of crime as it is experienced day to day? Finally, how can we both acknowledge crime’s dominant place in African narratives (and narratives about Africa), and question the limitations of this negative paradigm?

We invite scholars from across the disciplines working on crime in Africa and related subjects to a conference at Yale University on March 23rd, 2012. Young and established scholars are welcome at what we hope will be an open and informal forum for pondering these issues. Those interested in delivering papers as part of themed conference panels should submit abstracts to crimeinafrica@gmail.com by no later than December 9th, with copies of accepted papers to be submitted no later than March 16th.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: crimeinafrica@gmail.com

For submissions: crimeinafrica@gmail.com

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Call for Papers: Popular Culture and Performance in Africa (University of Ibadan)

Deadline: 30 September 2011

In spotlighting the contributions of Sola Olorunyomi – author of the seminal Afrobeat!: Fela and the Imagined Continent and other influential texts – to literary and cultural studies, this colloquium intends to incite a debate around the ferment that Olorunyomi has generated as an idea, a scholar, a teacher within and outside the classroom, a performer, a social activist and a fifty-year-long insurrectionary event.

Popular culture and performance in Africa, more intently, are isolated as the hub around which the colloquium’s sub-themes will revolve. We also want to look, beyond the normative cultural forms, at para-artistic sites such as television reality, telephony, virtual interaction (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), open-market hawking, etc. The colloquium’s immediate objective is to update critical engagements with popular modes of culture, taking into consideration the recent emergence of new forms such as hip-hop, on the one hand, and the transformation of other forms such as home video culture as exemplified by Nollywood, on the other.We therefore seek panel and individual presentations from scholars and practitioners that address issues relating, but not limited, to the following:

- Performance (Music, Drama, Disc Jockeying, etc.)

- Virtual Communication/ Cyberculture

- Reality Television

- Telephony

- Advertising

- Stand-up Comedy

- Slogans

- Home Video

- Football Fandom

- Body Art

- Fashion

Abstracts of not more that 250 words should be sent as email attachments to olorunyomiat50@yahoo.com. Deadline: Friday, September 30, 2011 (12 midnight, Nigerian time). We will respond to applicants regarding acceptance not later than Monday, October 3, 2011.

The colloquium will hold at the University of Ibadan in late November, 2011. A festschrift of presented papers will be published afterwards.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: olorunyomiat50@yahoo.com

For submissions: olorunyomiat50@yahoo.com

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Call for Papers: International Year for People of African Descent (Australia)

Deadline: 17 August 2011

Contributions are invited from participants who possess knowledge and practice/ life experience relevant to the conference program:

· Recognition, Social Inclusion and Capacity Building

· Contributions of people of African Descent to Australian society

· Stories of the people of African descent since the First Fleet and through the periods of the White Australian policy, Assimilation policy, integration and multicultural policy.

· The economic, social, cultural and political rights of people of African Descent in Australia

· Issues of identity, maintenance of identity and the impact of Diaspora on identity

· Exploration of Identity and community in a vastly diverse community in Diaspora.

· Creating spaces for advocacy.

Preparing an abstract

The abstract should outline the subject of the presentation in no more than 250 words.

Additionally, it should include a concise title and the full names and contact details of the authors. The lead author/presenter should be listed first as the key contact. Any additional authors should be listed in the space provided and be clearly identified if they will be co-presenting.

A brief personal biography (approximately 100 words) from the presenting author/s must also be included which can be used to introduce speakers at the conference.

Please do not include any acknowledgments, figures or references in the abstract. Please provide details if you have presented this paper previously (i.e. conference, conference location and date).

Please indicate on your abstract submission form if it should be considered for a 30-minute presentation (20 minutes presentation, 10 minutes questions). Timings are subject to change based on the final program and presenters will be notified of their allocated time.

The abstract will be published in the final conference program.

Submitting an abstract

Abstracts must be submitted electronically by 5.00 pm Wednesday, 17 August 2011 using the abstract submission form.

Completed abstract submission forms should be returned by email, to registration@africanwomenaustralia.org

The program advisory committee for the conference will consider all abstracts for potential inclusion in the conference program and authors will be notified of the outcome by 30 August 2011.

This is a community event, hence, all Authors of accepted papers are expected to register and attend the conference. All expenses associated with attendance are to be covered by the presenter.

CONFERENCE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION

You are invited to the National Conference to mark the 2011 International Year for People of African Descent: “People of African Descent: Recognition, Social Inclusion and Capacity Building” to be held at the Sebel Hotel 350 Church Street Parramatta New South Wales on 30 September, 2011. The conference is collaboratively organised by African Women Australia Incorporated, in partnership with The Hills Holroyd Parramatta Migrant Resource Centre, Australian Human Rights Commission and several African and African Descent community groups around Australia. The conference will be open to all government agencies, service providers, academics and the general community.

An Official Reception will be held 29th September 2011, 6:00pm at Bankstown Arts Centre, 5 Olympic Parade, Bankstown. This will include official speeches, a play, and performances

For inquires, please contact Dativah on e-mail address (info@africanwomenaustralia.org).

To register please read, complete, sign and return the registration, Proof of payment and application (where applicable) forms to the AWAU Inc. by e-mail: registration@africanwomenaustralia.org Receipt of each delegate’s Registration, Proof of Payment and Application Forms will be acknowledged within 5 working days.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE 2011 INTERNATIONAL YEAR FOR PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT CONFERENCE

The year 2011 was declared by the United Nations a International Year for the People of African Descent to strengthen national actions and regional and international cooperation for the benefit of people of African descent in relation to their full enjoyment of economic, cultural, social, civil and political rights, their participation and integration in all political, economic, social and cultural aspects of society, and the promotion of a greater knowledge of and respect for their diverse heritage and culture.

Conference Objectives:

1. Celebrate and acknowledge the presence of people of African descent in Australia raise awareness of the challenges facing people of African descent. It is hoped that the conference will foster discussions that will generate proposals for solutions to tackle these challenges.

2. Explore the collective depths of the delegates’ expertise and skills in order to inspire strategies for change that can advance the recognition for the people of African Descent.

3. And showcase contributions, explore issues and canvass strategies for the way ahead.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: info@africanwomenaustralia.org

For submissions: registration@africanwomenaustralia.org

Website: http://www.africanwomenaustralia.org

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Call for Papers: Arabic/ Islamic Cultural Studies in Nigeria Conference

Deadline: 30 September 2011

THE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, 7-9 FEBRUARY, 2012

In 1961, an Arabic unit was established in the University of Ibadan to assuage the desire of scholars who were desirous of accessing information on the history of North African societies most of which were written or documented in Arabic. Led by the famous American historian, John Hunwick, the Department later became a full-fledged Department in 1962. It began to cater for the needs of Nigerians and indeed West African scholars through its programmes in Arabic and Islamic studies broadly defined even as it has facilitated the establishment of similar Departments in Universities all around the country. This conference is, therefore, being organized to mark its golden jubilee anniversary. The conferences shall attempt to look back at the various patterns and contours in Arabic and Islamic culture and scholarship in Nigeria since 1962 and attempt to chart a new course for the future. The need appears to have arisen for us to do a critical appraisal of the current state, future destiny, fortunes and benefits in the study of Arabic/Islamic culture in an era in which globalization and the emergence of new state and non-state actors are shaping and re-shaping cultural and cross-cultural identities and politics. Of what use is Arabic-Islamic culture and scholarship to Nigerian and indeed African future? What new directions could be suggested for the teaching of Arabic-Islamic culture in the West-African region? How have the various departments of Arabic and Islamic Studies faired in Nigeria today, what are the challenges impeding their vision and mission and what prospects lie ahead of them? How might we begin to gauge the impacts of the graduates of Arabic-Islamic culture on national and international alliances and development particularly in the West African sub region since 1962? How might Arabic and Islamic culture be critical for the development of interdisciplinary studies in the academia all around the world? What are the fissures, contradictions and paradoxes that could be observed in-between Arabic-Islamic culture as taught inside the Ivory Towers and the culture outside the universities? The conference organizers would welcome papers which engage with these and similar issues. Such papers may benefit from the following sub-themes which are evidently not exhaustive:

• Arabic and Islamic Studies in Nigerian Universities since 1962.
• Arabic/Islamic Culture and Scholarship in West Africa in the contemporary period.
• Graduates of Arabic and Islamic Studies in Nigeria's Public and International Spheres since 1962.
• Arabic and Islamic Studies and the Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
• Arabic and Islamic Studies in the Arts and the Humanities.
• Arabic and Islamic studies in African Universities and non-formal Quranic Schools.
• En-Gendering Arabic and Islamic Studies in Nigeria.
• Muslim NGOs and Arabic-Islamic Scholarship in Nigeria.
• Arabic-Islamic culture and the Muslim Youth in Nigeria.
• New Strategies and directions in Arabic-Islamic culture and scholarship around the World.
• Pedagogy, epistemology and Arabic-Islamic scholarship.
• New horizons in graduate studies in Arabic-Islamic culture

The conference shall feature three keynote speakers all of whom are internationally acclaimed and renowned Professors of Arabic/Islamic culture.

1. Hasan Ahmed Ibrahim, Professor of African, Islamic and Middle Eastern History and Civilization, Dean, International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Title of Proposed Lead Paper: "The Role of Arabic/Islamic Sources in Enriching African Historiography and Historical Legacy".

2. Amidu Olalekan Sanni, Professor of Arabic, Department of Religious Studies, Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos, Nigeria.

Title of Lead Paper: Textual and Source Criticism in Modern Scholarship on Quranic Studies.

3. Ishaq. O. Oloyede, Professor of Islamic studies and Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria

Title of paper not yet decided

Languages of the Conference: Arabic and English

Abstracts of not more than 250 words should be sent to the conference Secretary/convener, Dr Ibrahim Uthman via the following e-mail address not later than 30 September 2011. fiftyarabicyears@yahoo.com. The Ag. Head of Department and Chairman of the Conference, Afis. A. Oladosu PhD, can be reached via the following e-mail addresses: arabic_studies@mail.ui.edu.ng afism3@yahoo.com. For phone contacts: The Chairman and Secretary can be reached through the following lines: +234-8055-11-5001/ +234-80-3620-1617

Registration fee: 100 Dollars

Contact Information:

For inquiries: arabic_studies@mail.ui.edu.ng or afism3@yahoo.com

For submissions: arabic_studies@mail.ui.edu.ng or afism3@yahoo.com

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Call for Papers: Woman and Film in Africa Conference (University of Westminister, UK)

Deadline: 16 September 2011

Women and Film in Africa Conference: Overcoming Social Barriers, Conference organised by the Africa Media Centre, University of Westminster, Date: Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 November 2011, Venue: University of Westminster, Marylebone Campus 35 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5LS

This is a 1st Call for Papers for a conference on the contemporary and historical role played by women in the film, television and video industries in Africa. From the Arab North Africa, West Africa, Central and East Africa, through to Southern Africa, women have emerged from the double oppression of patriarchy and colonialism to become the unsung heroines of the moving image as producers, directors,actresses, script writers, financiers, promoters, marketers and distributors of film, television and video in postcolonial Africa. Sadly, such immense contributions by women are underrepresented, both in industry debates and in academic research. There are now many cases in which African women in front of and behind the camera have overcome social barriers and yet this is sidelined. This conference invites students, practitioners, academics and researchers to debate how women have contributed to film, television and video markets in Africa from pre-colonial, colonial to postcolonial periods. Existing industry and academic work should also discuss the ways female audiences in Africa have engaged with film, television and video texts. The conference will include a session with leading female filmmakers. Papers may include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following themes:

* The Influence of Feminism on African filmmakers;* Women in front and behind the camera in African film;* Women in the African feature film industry;* Women in technical roles in film, video and television in Africa;* Women documentary makers in Africa;* Gender and Representation of Women in African film;* Audiences for films by African women/Female audiences in Africa;* Case histories of leading African women film makers;* Women scriptwriters;* African women acting in video, film and television;* Censorship and the portrayal of African women in film and television;* The role of NGOs in commissioning women filmmakers and issue-based films;* How African governments have helped or hindered filmmaking by African women

DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS

The deadline for submission of abstracts is Friday 16 September, 2011. Successful applicants will be notified by Friday 23 September, 2011. Abstracts should be 200 words long. They must include the title of the conference, presenter’s name, affiliation, email and postal address,together with the title of the paper. Please ensure when saving your abstract that your name is part of the file name. Please email your abstract to Helen Cohen, Events Administrator at: (journalism@westminster.ac.uk).

PROGRAMME AND REGISTRATION

This two day conference will take place on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 November, 2011. The fee for registration (which applies to all participants, including presenters) will be £135, with a concessionary rate of £55 for students, to cover all conference documentation, refreshments and administration costs. Registration will open in September 2011

Contact Information:

For inquiries: journalism@westminster.ac.uk

For submissions: journalism@westminster.ac.uk

Website: http://www.wmin.ac.uk/

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Call for Papers: Dis/connects: African Studies in the Digital Age (UK)

Deadline: 31 October 2011

The digital revolution is profoundly affecting African studies. New digital resources are making available large areas of content, as well as greatly improving access to bibliographies. In Africa, governments and NGOs are publishing online, some publishers are moving to print on demand and e-books, and international academic journals are increasingly becoming available in university and national libraries.

Yet the story, as is well-known, is far from straightforward or unproblematic. This conference will mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of SCOLMA by taking a critical look at the field of African studies and how it is changing. In particular, although there has been much discussion of new digital resources and what their creators plan to do, we have a limited understanding of their impact on their users and on knowledge production in general. For example, what are the implications for historical research of the availability of digitised sources, and of the choices made in their selection? How do social science researchers work in a field in which much, but not everything, is now available online? Are e-journals – or indeed mobile phones – beginning to change the research process in Africa? And, more generally, how have broader historical and political developments changed African studies and librarianship over the last half-century?

We welcome papers on these themes across the humanities, arts, social sciences and sciences. Papers may deal with digital content, whether digitised or born-digital, of any kind, e.g. archives and manuscripts; audio-visual material; maps; newspapers; books, journals and theses; photographs, prints, drawings and paintings; ephemera; statistical databases; and social media.

The conference will bring together academics and other researchers with librarians and archivists. We aim thus to have a productive exchange of expertise, experience and analysis on the question of knowledge production in African studies.

Themes may include, but are not limited to: • How scholars, researchers, librarians and archivists use digitised resources. • How African studies is changing, and the place of the digital revolution in these changes. • Access to, selection of, and training in the use of digital resources in the library context. Are resources under-used? • To pay or not to pay? How easy is it for researchers to find subscription e-resources? And for libraries to fund them? What is the balance of free and charged resources in the research process? How well do the models for making e-resources available in Africa work? • How well does user consultation work? • Access to the technology that underpins e-resources. • Digital scholarship: are scholars in African studies using digital collections to generate new intellectual products? • The impact of mobile phone technology on African studies. • How patchy is the creation of digital resources, and what – and who – is being left behind? • Language in Africa and new technology.

One-page abstracts of papers on these themes are warmly welcomed. If you would like to give a paper, please send your abstract to

Lucy McCann SCOLMA Secretary Email: lucy.mccann@bodleian.ox.ac.uk. Tel.: 01865 270908

THE DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS IS 31 OCTOBER 2011.

Papers in French are welcome if a summary is provided in English.

SCOLMA: The UK Libraries and Archives Group on Africa
50th ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE
Dis/connects: African Studies in the Digital Age
Oxford, 25–26 June 2012

Contact Information:

For inquiries: lucy.mccann@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

For submissions: lucy.mccann@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

Website: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/library/scolma/

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Call for Papers: Asian and African Diaspora Literature, History, and Arts Symposium (Texas)

Dates: 22 - 23 March 2012

The Department of English at Texas Southern University will host the Fourteenth Annual Interdisciplinary McCleary Symposium, March 22-23, 2012, Houston, Texas.

The general topic for the presentations is “Asian & African Diaspora Literature, History, and Arts.”

Scholarly research and presentations are invited that cover a wide area of interest, including but not limited to the following:

• National and Global Influences
• Exodus Literature: Roads Away, Roads Back
• Lost Generations
• Translations
• Women in Art and Literature
• Following History’s Ariadne’s Thread through the Past
• New Voices in Adopted Languages
• Social Impact and Change
• Literature in New Form—Blogs and Bloggers
• Cyber Art, Cyber Fiction
• The Internet’s Impact
• You Tube as an Expressive Form
• Modernism and Postmodernism
• Conflict and Protest Art and Literature
• Post WW II Considerations
• The Short Story
• Expatriate Artists
• Literature and War
• Anti-government art and literature
• Poetic and Artistic Influences

Specific areas of interest include literature and culture, women’s studies, the Internet, drama, music, art, song, painting, historical viewpoints, political economics, and politics. Abstracts of 300 words or less are requested. Texas Southern is located at 3100 Cleburne, Houston, Texas 77004.

For more information or to submit an abstract to the 2012 McCleary Interdisciplinary Symposium, contact the Department Chair Rhonda Saldivar at 713-313-7667 or Saldivar_rx@tsu.edu. We encourage electronic submissions of abstracts.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: Saldivar_rx@tsu.edu

For submissions: Saldivar_rx@tsu.edu

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Call for Papers: Society of Movie Scholars' International Conference (Nigeria)

Deadline: 1 August 2011

SOCIETY OF MOVIE SCHOLARS (SoMS) in collaboration with NATIONAL FILM AND VIDEO CENSORS BOARD (NFVCB) and ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA THEATRE ARTS PRACTTIONERS (ANTP) INVITES THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE THEORIZATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF AFRICAN REGIONAL MOVIES

Background

African movies across its regions have grown to the extent that there is need to critically do their in-depth studies with the purpose of generating theories on their packaging, analysis and proper classification into genres. Most movies produced in Africa are packaged without recourse to definite theories. Broadly speaking, most of the movies can be categorized into three groups namely, cultural or epic; modern and religious movies. While the religious and cultural movies could be in local or foreign languages, modern movies are so described because they are often located in the context of urban or rural populace and are produced in foreign or local languages, treating themes bothering on modern issues. But where they are in local languages, they are often lazed with Pidgin English or code mixed. However, these groupings possess the tendency to overlap if these categories are to be retained. Thus, it is difficult to arrogate to these groupings as genres on their own, more so that these grading are not guided by definite theories.

To define these groups effectively therefore, it might be necessary to do a close survey of their constituents. This is when the components can be highlighted into specific genres for stimulating and rich academic exercise. It is expected as the outcome of the exercise that specialization, originality and scope-widening and thus further ground for employment creation and legitimacy of production and its development would be engendered. Then practitioners’ specializations on specific genres would increase, and the tendency to recycle old ideas for new creations would be reduced.

This conference is therefore organized with the intent of gathering interested scholars and practitioners within and outside Africa to rub minds so as to evolve specific theories of packaging, analysis, and map out what genres African movies could be grouped. Taking a leap from the fact that movies are audio-visualisation of literature and literary texts and are analysed based on definite theories, the objective therefore is to cut a niche for African movies like literature, and place them strategically in the world movie categorizations but based on African development ideals and thus globalise what hitherto were local mediations.

CALL FOR PAPERS

In view of the above, abstracts are invited from academics, media industry professionals, movie producers, distributors, government agencies, policymakers, movie regulators, agencies, donors, civil society organisations, independent consultants, research groups and students, on any aspects of the under listed sub-themes. Such abstracts which should not exceed 200 words should be based on the analysis of select movies that fall within the sub-themes. This would eventually argue out the basis for specified theories and why the movie should be classified within the genres that the scholar is advocating. Contributors should however not forget to state under which sub-theme they are submitting their abstract.

Abstracts are to be sent to our E-mail address: moviescholars@gmail.com on or before August 1st 2011, while full paper must reach us before September 1st, 2011.

Sub-themes

Below are the likely, but by no means the only sub-themes on which abstracts can be submitted.

1. Trends in movie Theories.
2. Existing Literary Theories and the need or not, for distinct African movie theories.
3. Generating theories on African movies.
4. Emergent genres in African movies.
5. Movies and the relevance of African-specific genres.
6. Classifying African urban and rural movies.
7. Gender and social issues in African movies, need for classical genrization.
8. War and crime movies and proper classification.
9. Travel movies and issues of depiction.
10. African movies and the global media culture.
11. Representation of economic, social and political issues in African movies
12. Africans’ contributions to the Theories of Gaze.
13. Sociology and Psychology of African movies.

Proposals should include abstract title, author's name, address, telephone number, email address, and institutional affiliation.

Conference fee: A non-refundable registration fee of N10, 000 or (USD 200, BP100 for participants from the US, Europe, and other African countries). This must be paid immediately when an abstract is accepted. It is expected that all participants will raise the funding to attend the conference please.

LEAD PAPER: Professor Ahmed Yerima, Head of Department, Department of Theatre and Performing Arts, Kwara State University Malete Kwara State (Title of Paper: African Movies: The needs for unique identities)

GUEST OF HONOUR: Emeka Mba, Director General, National Film and Video Censors Board, Abuja

KEY NOTE ADDRESS: Comrade Victor Ashaolu, National President, Association of Nigeria Theatre Arts Practitioners, National Theatre, Lagos

Conference Dates:

• Arrival- October 24th, 2011
• Opening and plenary sessions 25th--27th October, 2011

Venue: Osun State University, Osogbo; Nigeria.

Enquiries:

For more details, please visit the website: www.moviescholars.org OR contact any of the following:

*Kayode Animasaun, PhD: Osun State University, Ikire Campus, Ikire. Chairman LOC: +2348073787551, drkayanimasaun@gmail.com

*Gloria Ernest-Samuel, Imo State University Owerri- Secretary. LOC: +2348035085625, gloimsu@yahoo.com

*Ameh Akoh PhD H.O.D Languages and Linguistics Department, Osun State University, Ikire Campus, Ikire- Convener : +2348035992490, amehakoh@yahoo.co.uk

Contact Information:

For inquiries: drkayanimasaun@gmail.com

For submissions: moviescholars@gmail.com

Website: http://www.moviescholars.org/

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Call for Papers: The Role of the African-American Body in Twentieth-Century American Drama (NeMLA Conference, NY)

This panel seeks papers concerning the stage life of African-American characters in 20th century drama. How has the portrayal of the black body changed in the last hundred years? What signifance does the historical traditions of blacks in theater play in current performance? How has the adaptation of literature to the stage aided or hindered the portrayal of African-Americans in modern productions?

Please send 300-500 word abstracts to Jenna Clark Embrey - jennaclarkembrey@gmail.com

Contact Information:

For inquiries: Jenna Clark Embrey - jennaclarkembrey@gmail.com

For submissions: Jenna Clark Embrey - jennaclarkembrey@gmail.com

Website: http://www.nemla.org/

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Call for Papers - Speculative Literature from the African Diaspora: Creating Heroes and Heroines (NeMLA Convention, NY)

Deadline: 30 September 2011

The aim of this panel is to discuss the contributions of people of African descent to the discourse on speculative literature from the African diaspora by contemporary writers. In Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora editor Sheree R. Thomas states that her purpose for the series “. . . [is] to offer readers an enjoyable entrée to the diverse range of speculative fiction from the African diaspora and to encourage more talented writers and scholars to explore the genre” (xii). Sheree also uses the term “unobserved literary tradition” to acknowledge the unrecognized contributions people of African descent make to speculative fiction.

Works from writers who deconstruct racial stereotypes like Samuel Delany, Steven Barnes, Octavia Butler, Tananarive Due, and Nalo Hopkinson are welcome. Also, paper proposals that show the marginalization of people of African descent from other connected genres such as science fiction and fantasy are possibilities; along with theoretical approaches to enhance our understanding of speculative literature from the African diaspora is also welcome. Submit a 250-500 word proposal by September 30, 2011 for consideration to Dierdre Powell, dmpowell2@aacc.edu

Contact Information:

For inquiries: dmpowell2@aacc.edu

For submissions: dmpowell2@aacc.edu

Website: http://www.nemla.org/convention/2012/

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Call for Proposals: Poetic Iterations of Middle Eastern Vulnerability (SAMLA Panel)

Deadline: 30 May 2011

Adopting as a first premise the existence of affective differences underlying the Middle Eastern and Western literary traditions, this panel undertakes the exegetical work of interpreting works from the Middle East to posit a new approach to poeticized vulnerability. Papers will track the possibilities for a new conceptualization of “vulnerability” as reflected in Middle Eastern poetry—one that eludes past epistemologies by opening unforeseen territories of experience. Here, individuated, subjective sensation and its formulation are transformed into the universalized, the cosmic, the infinite and boundless: poeticized iterations of humankind's continual indefensibility.

Specifically, we are interested in tracing the compelling ways in which vulnerability generates transformative consequences for poetic expression that then allow for unforeseen “becomings.” In exploring the theoretical territories of vulnerability, this session will consider thematic and conceptual currents such as sensation, cruelty, pain, pleasure, desire, power, laughter, loss, horror, intimacy, movement, and space. Ultimately, such intensified domains will culminate in revaluations of openness from Middle Eastern vantages.

2011 SAMLA Convention: November 4-6

Loews Hotel Atlanta

Contact Information:

For inquiries: psstleeg@aol.com

For submissions: psstleeg@aol.com

Website: http://samla.gsu.edu/

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Call for Papers: Women in Literature and Films in Northern Nigeria

Deadline: 30 June 2011

In continuation of the Literature in Northern Nigeria Conference tradition started in 1989 by Bayero University Kano, it has been resolved that henceforth future conferences will be jointly organized by Bayero University, Kano andKwara State University, Malete, and the venue shall be rotated between the two universities. This year’s edition being the 6th will be hosted by the Kwara State University, Malete. The collaboration is intended to:

a) Enhance the position of the conference as a major intellectual and scholarly destination in Nigeria
b) Aim at helping to achieve intellectual excellence through the high level academic standard of discourse.

This year’s theme shall be on the issue of women, gender, and sexuality and will form the basis of the academic scholarship for this year’s conference. Women as creative writers and as characters in northern Nigeria and their constraints as individuals within a religious and socially conservative society will also be examined in relation to the representations of women issues in the literature and films of contemporary Northern Nigeria. Critical evaluation is expected to be made of the choice of genres, and how writers have applied individual imaginative and instructive emphasis to the treatment of such chosen and selected creative genre by the women creative writers. Furthermore, the role of religion in gender groupings, in the identification of themes and the understanding of characterization in the creative works, will be subjects of discourse by interested scholars. “kannywood” (Kano) movie industry which is predominantly of Hausa content, context, and of northern Nigerian thematic preoccupation inline with the portrayal of women will also be examined. The presentation of women as symbols of the stories and characters or as ‘caricatures’ in the films within northern sociological norms will also be examined. Other themes in the works of the women writers, traditional singers and performers, themes in the works in which women are portrayed such assaranrhya, ‘victimhood in popular culture’, love themes and violence within domestic situations, women in rural communities, politics and women, rural women and global perspectives, women as ethnic, religious and cultural stereotypes and their acceptability by both the reading and viewing audience, will also be discussed.

Sub Themes:

• Women images in popular culture
• Psychology of gendered behaviours in literary works
• Language in northern Nigerian women literature
• Northern Nigerian women literature and political awareness
• Women writers and images of women
• The works of Zaynab Alkali
• Islam, women, literature and films in Northern Nigeria
• Portrayal of women in northern Nigerian Literature
• Imaging of women in northern Nigerian films
• Kannywood and representation of gender issues.
• Women as sexual symbols in northern Nigerian literature
• Women singers and performers
• Women film makers and actresses.
• Women, dance and music in northern Nigeria dramatic performance
• Women themes in traditional oral performances
• Women and religion in northern Nigerian films or literature
• The influence of Western Education on northern Nigerian literature

One page abstracts are invited from interested participants on any aspect of the conference theme and sub-themes, to reach the organizers immediately but not later than June 30th, 2011.

Hotel Reservation : October 10, 2011

Registration: Local Participants: N5,000; Conference Fees: N5,000

International Participants: $100 each.

Send abstract to:

ahmed.yerima@kwasu.edu.ng, sakah.mahmud@kwasu.edu.ng, samba.diop@kwasu.edu.ng, lit.northernnigeria@kwasu.edu.ng

CONVENER: Prof. Ahmed Yerima, Dept. of Performing and Visual Arts

CO-CONVENERS: Prof. Samba Diop., Dr. Sakah Mahmud.

DATE: NOVEMBER 29TH- DECEMBER 2ND, 2011.

VENUE: KWARA STATE UNIVERSITY,MALETE, NIGERIA.

THEME: Women in Literature and Films in Northern Nigeria

Contact Information:

For inquiries: ahmed.yerima@kwasu.edu.ng

For submissions: ahmed.yerima@kwasu.edu.ng, sakah.mahmud@kwasu.edu.ng, samba.diop@kwasu.edu.ng, lit.northernnigeria@kwasu.edu.ng

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Call for Contributions: Rebuilding Egyptian Media for a Democratic Future (Cairo University Conference)

Deadline: 14 March 2011

CAIRO UNIVERSITY CONFERENCE MARCH 30-31, 2011

CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Rebuilding Egyptian Media for a Democratic Future

Reforming the media is an urgent part of the democratisation called for by Egypt’s 25 January revolution. Cairo University’s Faculty of Mass Communication has therefore made it a priority to assess different options for a democratic system of media and communication in Egypt. In order to develop a model that enables a free flow of information and opinions in and out of Egypt and among all sectors of Egyptian society, the Faculty has taken the initiative of organising a consultation event in Cairo in collaboration with the University of Westminster’s Arab Media Centre, a research subgroup of the university’s Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI).

The event will begin on March 30th 2011 with a one-day open conference. Contributions are invited, at very short notice, from scholars and practitioners who wish to take part by drawing on their existing research or experience to make short presentations on topics related to the following themes:

* Lessons of previous democratisations
* Enabling the environment for free, independent, pluralistic, decentralized and responsible media
* Legal frameworks for the media
* Establishing and sustaining public service media
* Transformation of state-owned media into democratic media in Egypt
* Telecoms, Internet services and citizen empowerment
* Social, economic and cultural requirements for democratic media

Speakers at the conference on March 30th will then be invited to join a discussion workshop on March 31st at which international experts recruited by the two universities, Cairo and Westminster, will focus on specific issues relating to the themes listed above.

Please send a 150-word outline of your proposed presentation, together with your name, affiliation, email and postal address and brief biographical note to Professor Basyouni Hamada at Cairo University (basyouni_hamada@yahoo.com) and Professor Naomi Sakr at the University of Westminster (sakrn@wmin.ac.uk), to reach them by March 14th 2011 at the latest. Selected participants will be notified by March 17th. There is no registration fee for this event but, because of the short notice, there is also no outside funding. It is hoped that, in the circumstances, individual participants will be funded by their own institutions as a signal of support to Egypt’s democratisation.

More information here.

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Call for Papers - Digital and Media Literacy: New Directions (Arab-US ACE)

Deadline: 15 April 2011

Mobile phones, blogs, online social networks, wikis, user-generated news, and a plethora of ubiquitous digital media have facilitated access to information; allowed people from around the globe to connect; offered enormous potential for communication about, from, and among civil society groups, democracy advocates, and political activists; and presented vast possibilities for national development projects.

But the potential of digital media diffusion cannot be realized if people lack the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media content. Increasingly, digital literacy and media literacy are viewed as agents for the acquisition of such skills and knowledge, and as essential components for all levels of education and every member of society.

Integrating digital media literacy into educational curricula and public agendas will ensure that citizens, groups, and institutions are equipped with the essential analytical and communications skills required for success in the 21st century.

The AUSACE 2011 conference theme brings together these critical two concepts of digital literacy and media literacy. Participants are encouraged to interpret this theme broadly, and include issues as diverse as: new directions for media education, for national development, for democracy, for civil society, and for global engagement. Research papers, panels, and poster presentations submitted to the conference may include but are not limited to the role of digital and media literacy in:

* Changing media education curricula at the school and university levels.
* Empowering civil society, advocacy groups, and political and social activism.
* Strengthening democracy and citizenship, and changing political processes.
* Supporting national development projects.
* Bridging the digital divide, empowering economically disadvantaged populations, and creating new jobs and markets.
* Evolving journalism and media professions, including mainstream and citizen journalism, traditional and new forms of journalism.
* Innovating in the marketing, advertising, public relations, and political communications professions.
* Mediating the effects of globalization.
* Promoting government, media, and business accountability and transparency.
* Resolving or exacerbating conflict, war, and political turmoil, and promoting awareness of and offering potential solutions to global issues, such as global warming, poverty, diseases, etc.
* Empowering women, minorities, and disadvantaged and disaffected groups in society.
* Addressing and solving the problems of sectarianism and religious fundamentalism.
* Media, communication, and mass communication theories and concepts.

Directions and deadlines for submissions:

All Submissions: Researchers, scholars, experts, and advanced graduate students interested in presenting at AUSACE 2011 are required to first submit an abstract of their research, panel, or poster presentation by emailing the proper form to:

ausace2011@aub.edu.lb by the deadline of April 15, 2011.

Research Papers: To present a research paper, please submit an abstract of your research using the following Research Abstract Form by April 15, 2011. Research Abstracts should be no longer than 500 words and include a brief explanation about: the topic under study, its scope and context, its significance, the methods used, its main findings, and its relationship to the conference theme: Digital and media literacy. Those submitting research papers and wish their submission to be considered for the various conference awards and for publication in Arab Media and Society are required to submit a full paper by the deadline of July 15, 2011. Full papers should be scholarly in nature, original, and innovative, and may employ quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods. Papers should be no longer than 8,000 words, including tables, figures, references, and notes.

Panels: To suggest a panel, please submit the following Panel Abstract Form by April 15, 2011. Members of your panel presenting scholarly research papers and wish their full papers to be considered for the various conference awards and for publication in Arab Media and Society, are required to submit a full paper by the deadline of July 15, 2011. Panels should include no less than three and no more than four presenters. Conference organizers may add additional members to the suggested panel.

Poster Presentations: Posters are the format of choice for research that is still at an early stage of development or for presentation of multimedia tools, portfolios, and classroom instruments. Acceptance of a poster for presentation holds the same status as any other panel or paper presentation. Presenters who elect this form of presentation will have more time for displaying there work and a greater opportunity for interaction and discussion between the author and interested attendees visiting their poster stands. When preparing the poster submission, please indicate the equipment needed for display. In most cases, authors should plan to present their work in tabular or graphic form on an poster board. If special tools are needed (computer, TV, DVD player, speakers...), it is the presenter's responsibility to acquire and set-up the equipment. We will do our best to assist in setup. Please submit the following Poster Submission Form by April 15, 2011.

Authors will be notified of acceptance starting February 15, 2011.

Regulations and Guidlines for presenting:

1. At least one author of an any accepted presentation should be in attendance at the conference to present the paper. Papers whose authors do not show up will be canceled and not included in the conference proceedings. No substitute presenter will be permitted.
2. Time limits of each presetation will be strictly enforced. In most cases, you will only get 12-15 minutes or less (poster presenters get around 45 minutes to display and discuss their work). Presenters and panelists are encouraged to allocate most the presentation time to the original findings and results, as well as the methods used.
3. Prenesters are required to pay their registration and other dues before presenting. Participants may present in English or Arabic.

More information here.

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Call for Papers: African Media and Democracy Towards Sustainable Stability (The Accra Conference)

Deadline: 22 April 2011

THE ACCRA CONFERENCE 17th -19th AUGUST 2011: The Africa Media & Democracy Conference invites papers for its annual Africa Media and Democracy Conference, to be held from 17th -19th August 2011, Accra – Ghana. The theme for the Conference is: “Media & Democracy towards sustainable stability”.

BACKGROUND: Africa’s emerging democracies in the last two decades have had to co-exist with a vibrant media contestation. The media has relatively emerged as a formidable constituent as it vie for legitimacy in representing the broad masses. This contestation provides the framework for critical examination on how the media impacts on the democratic process. The Conference therefore aims to address and examine various issues of media in the practise of democratic governance in Africa. The event is open to academics, media industry professionals, government agencies, policymakers, regulators, UN agencies, donors, civil society organisations, independent consultants and research groups and students.

Papers are also invited on the following sub-themes listed below; submissions could be made from a range of issues in relation to democracy & media practices in Africa. It must address specific media practices in the context of democracy in Africa, such as the role of radio commercials as political communication tool in electioneering, the corrosive effects of partisan media practices in popular democracy or the role of the media in the concept of popular democracy etc.

Sub-Theme

• Media, language and democracy
• Media, language and symbolic power
• Media, political rhetoric’s and political violence
• Media and political communication
• Media, democracy and traditional governance
• Media, national institutions and democracy
• Media and the conception of national agenda
• Media, democracy and governance
• Media, ethnic identity and democracy
• Media, religious conflict and political stability
• Media, conflict and crises management
• Media ownership, democracy and governance
• Media, concept citizenry and democracy
• Media and the concept ‘good of governance’
• Media and coupe d’états
• Media reportage and democracy
• Media, democracy and political education
• Media, political activism and governance
• Media, democracy and aid
• Media law and regulation
• Media, gender and democratization
• Media, democracy and human rights
• Community media and democracy
• Media and Ethics
• Media and African centeredness
• Media and cultural politics
• New Media and democracy
• New Media and the renewal of local democracy
• New media, democratic theory and public sphere
• Digital media and the renewal of local democracy
• Development democracy and the media
• Media, African centeredness and democracy

In addition to those listed above the organisers will consider other relevant sub-themes from contributors.

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION:

ABSTRACTS & PAPERS: Please email abstracts (maximum one page) along with contact information and a 500-word bio to: info@amdmc.org.

All Abstracts must be in English, full papers may be submitted in either English or French.

• Deadline for receipt of abstracts: 22nd April 2011
• Notice of acceptance of abstracts: 22nd May 2011
• Deadline for receipt of full papers: 22nd June 2011
• Notification of Acceptance of Paper/Panel/Workshop: 30th July 2011

Guidelines for Papers and Presentations

For further information and other enquiries please contact Conference Team.

ENQUIRIES HOTLINE 24HRS: MOBILE: + 233 200723197

More information here.

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Call for Papers - Confluences: University of Cape Town School of Dance Conference (South Africa)

Deadline: 14 February 2011

With much that has already been written around the topic of the training regimen, specially of the Western dancer/ athlete, little theory exists of his/ her presence in the performance context and even less from the viewpoint of the African dancer/-athlete.

In re-viewing/ re-searching the notion of being 'in the zone' or at the pinnacle of performance what are some of the issues that surface within the ever changing and intersecting contexts of Culture, Gender and understandings of Health (mental, physical, social, spiritual and emotional). As South Africa's interaction with the world continues to reflect simultaneous images of poverty and wealth - AIDS orphans and glistening five-star hotels -- what are the multiple roles for dance educators, administrators, pedagogues, teachers, arts critics, sports coaches, hysiotherapists; biokineticists, master class coaches, Pilates instructors et al for the range of bodies with whom we interact and the multiple needs of these dancers and athletes as end users?

Some of the questions one could consider include:

· How do dancing bodies that are not normative stereotypes shift a body aesthetic? Who determines how these bodies should look like or move like?
· Is cultural specificity a useful indicator in assessing Dance in the post-colonial performance arena?
· When does an aesthetic shift occur and by whom is it initiated or dissolved? What lurks behind the positioning of the 'African Venus' in the concert hall or stadium?
· How should we as a dance community respond to issues surrounding performance altering drugs?
· Is there a space for a range of human experience, or to share the diversity of human stories (compare Buckroyd)?
· How might the relationship of food and the [non]use of food supplements help us understand gendered identities in the student dancer?
· What are the intersections of eating disorders, wealth and class?
· How is physicality embodied through competitions and festivals (compare Merleau-Ponty)?
· Which parallels or divergences exist for the [e]motional preparation of the peak performance by the dancer and/ or athlete?

We invite the submission of proposals with an abstract (max 250 words) and rationale that includes your name, institutional affiliation, email address and contact details. Your proposal should outline whether you intend to make a joint presentation (max. 30 mins) or individual paper (max. 20 mins). As far as possible individual papers will not run concurrently in the conference programme. You may also wish to offer a performative experience and/or workshop (max.1hour). All proposals will be reviewed by the Programme Committee.

Please send your submission(s) as email attachments in MS Word to Gerard.samuel@uct.ac.za.

Deadline for submissions 14 February 2011.

More information here.

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Call for Papers: North Eastern Workshop on Southern Africa

Deadline: 8 September 2011
Contact: whaugh@stlawu.edu

CALL FOR PAPERS

The tenth North Eastern Workshop on Southern Africa (NEWSA) will take place on Oct 21-23, 2011 at the Bishop Booth Center in Burlington, Vermont, USA.

Northeast Workshop on Southern Africa 2011 Call for Papers

This is the first call for papers and discussants for the tenth North Eastern Workshop on Southern Africa (NEWSA). We encourage scholars from all disciplines who are currently working on southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe) to submit proposals. The meeting will be held at the Bishop Booth Conference Center in Burlington, Vermont (USA), October 21 through 23, 2011. Located on 130 acres of forest with its own secluded beach, the center is an ideal location for scholarly conversation.

The NEWSA conference is organized around intensive discussion of pre-circulated papers. There are also many opportunities for informal conversation about work in progress. Drawing on the successful precedents of the former Southern African Research Program at Yale and the Canadian Research Consortium on Southern Africa, this program is designed to give southern Africanists the opportunity for close and intensive discussion of work across a wide variety of scholarly fields. We aim to prioritize scholarship, regardless of discipline or topic, that is evidence-based and grounded in analysis of African discourses and concepts, and which elucidates local worldviews and experience.

We encourage the presentation of previously unpublished work, and submissions from graduate students and junior faculty in particular. We especially encourage participation from professionals, scholars and graduate students in Africa, as well as those located in Europe, Canada, and the United States.

There are multiple ways to participate in the NEWSA conference. Participants may:

a) present a paper
b) propose a panel of three papers
c) serve as a discussant

Because of the high demand for participation relative to the size of the conference facility, and our desire to maintain the workshop atmosphere, we can only allow attendees who are presenting papers or serving as discussants.

If you wish to give a paper, your proposal should include your name, academic affiliation and status, paper title, and abstract. Your abstract should explain the argument you intend to make, the source of your evidence (e.g., archival, fieldwork, survey), and the contribution your paper makes to understanding significant problems in southern Africa, to furthering conceptual debates, and/or to producing new knowledge in Southern African Studies. The maximum length for the abstract is 500 words.

If you wish to organize your own three-paper panel, your proposal should include all the authors’ names, titles and abstracts for all three papers, as well as a brief rationale for how the papers complement each other. The organizers will be happy to negotiate alternative panel formats (such as open discussions of a current issue).

If you wish to serve as a discussant, your proposal should indicate the areas of southern African studies on which you are most prepared to comment. Once the conference participants are selected and organized into panels, each panel will be assigned a discussant. Discussants read the pre-circulated papers by the participants in their session, and at the conference give a 10-15 minute constructive criticism/comment on the papers individually and collectively. Discussants also coordinate discussion of the papers amongst those attending the panel.

The deadline for paper and/or panel proposals, or to volunteer as a discussant, is March 31, 2011. Please send proposals to Wendi Haugh at whaugh@stlawu.edu.

Completed papers, not to exceed 8000 words, will be due September 8, 2011, so that the papers can be pre-circulated on this conference website ahead of the meeting. For more information, please visit other pages on this NEWSA web site.

More information here.

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Call for Papers: Children’s Literature and Reading in and of Africa (IBBY Africa conference, Swaziland)

Deadline: 15 June 2011
Contact: vdwaltb@unisa.ac.za

The Traveling of Stories: Children’s Literature and Reading in and of Africa

Call for Papers

1st Biennial IBBY Africa Conference

21-23 September 2011

Venue: Pigg’s Peak Hotel, Swaziland

Organised by the Children’s Literature Research Unit, University of South Africa on behalf of the IBBY Branches of Africa.

Abstracts of not more than 250 words that address particular issues regarding reading and children’s literature related to Africa and the developing world are welcomed.

The following topics serve as suggestions:

1. The travelling of stories across borders and cultures
2. Children’s literature in translation
3. Folktales and imagination
4. Writing in indigenous/colonial/minority languages
5. Colonialism and post-colonialism in children’s literature
6. Traditional folktales and the modern tale
7. Cultural relevance of children’s books
8. The distinction between African children’s and adult books
9. Oral narratives and literary research
10. Converting oral literature into written literature
11. Literature for didactic purposes
12. The African diaspora and children’s literature
13. Reading across cultures
14. Library services for children
15. Reading in the information age
16. Comparative research in children’s literature and reading
17. Depicting reality in children’s books
18. Reading preferences of African children
19. Teaching children’s literature
20. Storytelling for young people
21. Publishing for children in the 2rd World

Closing date for submissions: 15 June 2011

Mail abstracts and direct enquiries to:

Prof Thomas van der Walt, CLRU, Department of Information Science, University of
South Africa, PO Box 392, 0003 Pretoria, South Africa

Fax: +27 12 4293792

e-mail: vdwaltb@unisa.ac.za

More information here.

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Call for Papers: Migration, Gender and Diversity in Eastern Africa

Deadline: 9 February 2011

Call for Papers: Migration, Gender and Diversity in Eastern Africa

An International Conference by invitation at Ahfad University for Women, Omdurman, Sudan

3 to 5 May 2011

Background

Eastern Africa is strongly affected by internal displacements and forced migration. The region experienced various forms of migration, flight and refuge, historically as well as contemporary, including permanent, internal and external, documented and un-documented, conflict-induced and labour transitory migration. The Sudan in particular is strongly affected by internal displacement related to conflicts in Darfur and the long-lasting north/south divide of the country. In this regard, issues of political exclusion/citizenship, the incorporation of certain groups into a particular national entity and culturalisation of conflict are of outstanding importance.

Still – and although global interest in migration processes is rising – African migration processes are underrepresented in migration research and in the global migration discourse. Migration, despite its critical relevance to Africa’s development, is often hardly recognized in academic contexts. Theorizing migration and challenging predominant images of the migrant from African perspectives, by African scholars, is not yet prevalent.

Besides, apart from the humanitarian concern for women being the main victims of forced migration related to armed conflicts and natural disasters, the gender dimension of the issue is still unaccounted for. Gender relations and women’s rights are contested areas in contemporary societies and they are at the core of discourses on modernity and tradition. On an international and national level, the state of gender equality is closely linked to development and increasingly considered one of its key indicators.

Objective

The conference aims at contributing to further develop the agenda for research accounting for knowledge and capacity building in the field of African migration research and gender studies as intersecting areas. We especially welcome papers that focus on:

 Review of the development of theoretical and methodological approaches to African migration, including the gender dimension,
 The review of prevalent research paradigms and research findings on Migration in Africa,
 Population Mobility Dynamics and Impact,
 Gender and Migration,
 Challenges of Multiculturalism, Diversity and Nation/State Building

We are pleased to announce our Call for Papers, any original research on migration in sub-Saharan Africa will be considered, preference is given to contributions on Eastern Africa and contributions addressing gender issues.

This is the final in a series of three conferences on African Migration and Gender, organized by the EDULINK partnership IMMIS. The conference will take place in Omdurman, Sudan, from 3 to 5 May 2011. For more information on the project please visit www.regionalgenderinst.edu.sd or www.immis.org. We specifically encourage young and/or international academics to apply. Conference organizers try to subsidize travel costs, accommodation and meals.

Abstracts in English, measuring 300 – 500 words, should be accompanied by a short CV including contact details. Please send your files to abstracts@regionalgenderinst.edu.sd or abstracts@immis.org until 9 February 2011. Applicants will be notified in March, full papers are due 20 April 2011.

Contact Information

RIG/DPR, Dr. Omeima Scheikh-Eldin
Ahfad University for Women, Omdurman, Sudan
omeima@regionalgenderinst.edu.sd

The conference is hosted by the EDULINK Project IMMIS (African Migration and Gender in Global Context – Implementing Migration Studies) – a joint project by Ahfad University for Women (Sudan), Humboldt University Berlin (Germany), Makerere University (Uganda), Mbarara University of Science and Technology (Uganda), Oldenburg University (Germany) and Stavanger University (Norway).

More information here.

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