13th Annual African, African American, and Diaspora Studies (AAAD) Interdisciplinary Conference

13th Annual African, African American, and Diaspora Studies (AAAD) Interdisciplinary Conference
Hosted virtually by James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA


February 14-17, 2023
Deadline: November 1, 2022


The African, African American, and Diaspora Studies Center at James Madison University invites proposals for its annual interdisciplinary conference, to be held from Tuesday February 14 to Friday, February 17, 2023. The conference brings together scholars and archivists from a wide variety of overlapping and intersecting fields. This year’s theme is “Roots, Limbs, and Leaves.”


This year’s conference will be held as a hybrid conference, based at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. We invite proposals for both virtual and in-person presentations. We welcome proposals from scholars in all relevant disciplines at any point in their scholarly careers. Proposals for individual presentations or pre-constituted panels could address, but are not limited to, topics such as these:

Africa and the Black Atlantic
Plants and Plantations
Roots and Routes
The Vegetal World
Black Geographies
Diasporas
Grassroots Organizing and Activism
Linguistic Roots
Non-Western Science and Medicine
Non-Binary and Transgender Approaches to Roots
Religions and Their Roots
Un-rootedness
The Grounding of Sovereignty
Tradition versus Traditionalism
Resource Networks and Infrastructure
Origins and Pre-Histories
Climate Justice
Feminist Traditions and Counter-Traditions
Navigating and Transforming Predominantly White Institutions
Black Digital Networks
Queering Roots
Ubuntu
Black Publishing Histories
Nurturing Life: Health and Healthcare
The Black Anthropocene
Farming and Gardening
Food Sovereignty


Please send any questions and/or 300-word presentation proposals (or 1000-word panel proposals) to aaadstudies@jmu.edu by November 1, 2022. Proposals should include a presentation and/or panel title, along with each presenter’s name, institutional affiliation, email address, and a brief bio. Please specify whether your proposal is for an in-person or virtual presentation.

Panel proposals must include at least three panelists. Further information and updates about the conference may be found at sites.lib.jmu.edu/aaadjmu.