Africa in World Politics
CALL FOR PAPERS

Due November 31, 2010

2011 Africa Conference At the University of Texas at Austin

Theme: Africa in World Politics
Dates: March 25-27, 2011
Venue: The University of Texas at Austin
Convener: Toyin Falola

We are inviting scholars to submit conference papers for the 2011 conference on Africa in World Politics. The goal of this conference is to create an interdisciplinary dialogue concerning Africa's contemporary and historical place in world politics. Africa is too often regarded as being on the periphery of the world political arena, when in fact the nations of Africa have played an important, although often tactically manipulated, role in global affairs. What was Africa's historical place in world politics? How did independence and the Cold War change this locality? What is Africa's role today and what needs to be done to insure that the African voice is heard in international forums in the future?

Some potential paper topics may include:
- Africa in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds (Africa in the Medieval Islamic World, Indian Ocean trade, Egypt and Carthage in the Classical World)
- The politics of the Atlantic Slave Trade and slavery in the Atlantic world
- Pan-Africanism and its global political implications (for instance, the creation of Liberia)
- African colonies' role in the new European nationalism of the late nineteenth century
- Africa and Africans in the World Wars
- Africa in the United Nations and the United Nations in Africa
- Strategic political alignment during the Cold War
- Africa and the Non-Aligned Nations
- African nations as "third world" or "developing" nations
- Africa's changing role in the context of North-South relations
- Africa's relations with the United States, EU, and the individual countries of Europe in the post-Cold War geopolitical situation
- The rise of Asian interests in Africa and their political implications, including those of China, India, and Japan
- Africa, Africans, and the politics of transnational communities
- African representation in international institutions, ranging from the economic (IMF and World Bank) to those concerned with health and human services (The Red Cross/Crescent and WHO)
- The effectiveness and role of African political institutions such as the African Union (AU) and the previous Organization for African Unity (OAU)
- Cultural expressions of political realities, including political protest in the forms of music, literature, film, art, etc., both in Africa and throughout the Diaspora

- Forms of transnational political protest
- The concern over global terrorism and the instability of African nations
- Africa in the international courts, addressing issues of piracy, crimes of pharmaceutical companies, genocide, etc.
- The political implications of past and present world financial crises

As with all our previous conferences, participants will be drawn from different parts of the world. Graduate students are encouraged to attend and present papers. The conference will provide time for scholars from various disciplines and geographical locations to interact, exchange ideas, and receive feedback. Submitted papers will be assigned to particular panels according to similarities in theme, topic, discipline, or geographical location. Additionally, selected papers will be published in book form.

The deadline for submitting paper proposals is November 31, 2010. Proposals should include a 250-word abstract and title, as well as the author's name, address, telephone number, email address, and institutional affiliation. Please submit all abstracts to

Toyin Falola: [email][email protected]
and
Jessica Achberger/ Charles Thomas: [email][email protected]

A mandatory non-refundable registration fee of $95 must be paid immediately when an abstract is accepted. Go to the Conference Shop where you can pay with a VISA, Mastercard, or Discover card. If you prefer to send a check, select the pre-pay option. Write the check out to the "University of Texas" and enter "Conference" on the memo line. Please be sure that your name is somehow printed on the check so that we can easily correlate your payment with your abstract.

It is expected that all participants will raise the funding to attend the conference. The University of Texas at Austin does not provide participants with any form of funding support, travel expenses, or boarding expenses.