African Studies Association 54th annual meeting workshops

The African Studies Association is pleased to announce three pre-conference workshops to be offered on Wednesday, 16 November 2011. Participants will have the opportunity to explore governance and development at American University in depth or go behind the scenes to learn about the resources employed by The Library of Congress and the Museum of African Art. Because this is the first time workshops are being offered they will be offered at no fee. The deadline to register is 1 September 2011. Click here to register.

The Library of Congress: African and Middle Eastern Division

The workshop will focus on information resources for research on East Africa, the Horn of Africa, Southern and Lusophone Africa, and Western Africa including the Francophone countries. Workshops will include resources such as newspapers, serials, maps, law publications, photographs, rare books, and videos. Materials from a number of libraries and organizations will be displayed on-site. The sessions will be led by Angel Batiste, Eve Ferguson, Marieta Harper, Laverne Page, and Mary-Jane Deeb. All are librarians in the African and Middle East Division. This workshop will be held from 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM.

The Smithsonian National Museum of African Art: ASA Museum Day

The National Museum of African Art is hosting workshop which will focus on education, curating, research, and gallery tours. Educators will share their experiences with new technologies and how these effect art education activities such as teaching, student learning, and collaboration between different museums. Participants will have the opportunity to participate in gallery tours, guided collection storage visits, as well as tour the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives. The workshop will also focus on coordinating with local communities in Africa to demonstrate the impact of globalization on information sharing. The workshop will be led by the curators of the museum who are members of ASA and the Arts Council of the African Studies Association. This workshop will be held from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM.

American University: Governance and Development: Reassessing and Reinventing Power Sharing and Decentralization in Africa

USAID is partnering with the School for International Service at American University to discuss contemporary approaches to governance in Africa. Workshop participants will analyze recent power sharing agreements and critically evaluate decentralization reforms. Senior staff will identify comparative lessons learned and explore how these particular reforms impact democracy and economic development on the continent. This workshop will be held from 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM.