Emory University and Kennesaw State University cordially invite you to submit your proposals for seminars, roundtables, and panels at
the African Literature Association 2016 Conference
Justice and Human Dignity in Africa and the African Diaspora
Venues: Marriott Marquis and National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia. USA.
April 6-9, 2016
Conference Website: ala2016.com
Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Stride Toward Freedom the Montgomery Story –
Chapter XI Where Do We Go From Here?
Inspired by the words of Atlanta’s most famous contributor to the civil rights movement and the pursuit of justice, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this year's theme is Justice and Human Dignity in Africa and the African Diaspora. Historically, the pursuit of justice and dignity connects Atlanta to the varied experiences of African peoples, as the US Civil Rights Movement drew inspiration from struggles for decolonization and in turn inspired these struggles.
Justice and human dignity have long remained central tenets of cultural production from Africa and the African diaspora in the quest for freedom and recognition. Artists, filmmakers, writers, and intellectuals from Africa and its diaspora often explore the possibilities for justice and the challenges to human dignity in the face of various forms of oppression. Whether they work as creators of fictional worlds or as critics of the worlds they inhabit, these artists and scholars launch a call for critical rethinking and socio-political action. The just treatment of human beings and the preservation of their dignity on the African continent and beyond recur as images, motifs, and concepts for urgent consideration, critical re-imagination, and scholarly enquiry. These literary and cultural texts offer visions that counter the often myopic and prejudicial media portrayals of Africa and its people.
Recognizing the many challenges to justice that remain—and the complicated, mediated avenues by which the arts and scholarship engage with these challenges— the 2016 conference theme of justice and human dignity is an opening to critically reflect on, as well as celebrate, the current state of creative and scholarly work from Africa and the diaspora.
We encourage you to share your scholarship on topics including, but not limited to:
- African and African diaspora arts, literature, and intellectual work as practices of
social justice and dignity - Re-imagining rights, law, justice, and/or dignity in Africa and the diaspora
- African & diaspora women writers, social justice, and human dignity
- The aesthetics, forms, and/or genres of justice
- African human rights systems and precursors to human rights in Africa and the diaspora
- Colonization, neo-colonization, trauma, and human rights violations
- War, peace, conflict management, and human dignity in Africa
- Ecological threats and environmental justice in Africa and beyond
- Education and human rights advocacy in Africa and the diaspora
- Civil and human rights movements in Africa and the diaspora
- Labor, migrant/immigrant experience, and human dignity
- Identity formation and inequality (gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, age, ability, socioeconomic status)
- Globalization, the digital age, justice, and human dignity
- Health systems, access, and justice
- Language politics and multilingualism in Africa and the diaspora
- Progress and human rights in Africa and the diaspora
This conference will feature three modalities for presenters to share their work: panels, roundtables, and seminars. In order to enrich the diversity of scholarship and accommodate the largest possible number of presenters, individuals will be limited to presenting in a maximum two sessions.
You must be a member of the African Literature Association in order to participate in any capacity.
Paper
Individual paper proposals are welcome. We strongly encourage submissions in panels (see below). If accepted, an individual proposal will be assigned by the conveners to a panel of three-four presenters. When submitting an individual paper proposal, please include your own name, institutional affiliation, and email address, as well as an abstract of up to 250 words and an indication of any requests for A/V equipment. All individual paper proposals must be submitted by November 15th, 2015 to atlanta@ala2016.com.
Panel
We strongly encourage full panel submissions. We recommend that panels bring together scholars from multiple institutions. A full panel proposal should include a title, a description of the panel topic, the names of up to four panel participants, including their institutional affiliations and email addresses, abstracts of up to 250 words for each paper, and an indication of any requests for A/V equipment. All panel proposals must be submitted by November 15th, 2015 to atlanta@ala2016.com.
- Please see this list of proposed panels that are looking for potential presenters.
Roundtable
A roundtable will consist of a chair, who organizes the roundtable, and no less than four and no more than six presenters. To submit a proposal for a roundtable, please submit a title, a description of the roundtable topic, a brief summary of the main questions to be explored, the names of the proposed roundtable participants, including their institutional affiliations and email addresses, and an indication of any requests for A/V equipment by November 15th, 2015 to atlanta@ala2016.com.
Seminar
The ALA seminar consists of 2-3 panels on a theme or cluster of related themes. The panels will be held once a day over 2-3 days. Seminar leaders must define the seminar issue, recruit participants, and propose panels, including abstracts of all papers, by November 15th. Each seminar proposal should be submitted by two organizers and each panel should have no more than four presenters. To enhance the intellectual diversity of presentations, we strongly encourage proposals that bring together scholars from multiple institutions. While seminar leaders normally serve as panel chairs, a seminar leader who is presenting a paper cannot chair more than one panel of the seminar. Pre-circulation of papers among seminar participants is strongly encouraged; full written-up presentations are required. All seminar participants are expected to attend all panels in the seminar.
To submit a proposal for a seminar, please submit a title, a brief description of the seminar as a whole and of each panel, the names of all participants, including their institutional affiliations and email addresses, abstracts of up to 250 words for each paper, and an indication of any requests for A/V equipment by November 15th, 2015 to atlanta@ala2016.com.
Information for ALA-Approved Caucuses:
ALA-Approved Caucuses are advised to write to their members a call for papers for the 2016 conference that concerns the central theme of Justice and Human Dignity in Africa and the African Diaspora. Chairs of the ALA-approved caucuses must submit full panels bringing together scholars from multiple institutions. A full panel proposal should include a title, a description of the panel topic, the names of up to four panel participants, including their institutional affiliations and email addresses, abstracts of up to 250 words for each paper, and an indication of any requests for A/V equipment by November 15th, 2015 to atlanta@ala2016.com.
Conveners’ Statement on Deadlines
Due to the popularity of the ALA 2016 location and in order to provide adequate time for participants to plan to attend the conference in early April, the conveners will be unable to consider submissions received after the November 15th, 2015 deadline. Only proposals received by the deadline will be considered for acceptance.
You will be notified of the status of your submission by Jan 15th, 2016.