2009 Call for Papers
BODIES, BORDERS, AND RESISTANCE IN THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
AN INTERDISCIPLINARY CONFERENCE HELD
AT INDIANA UNIVERSITY-BLOOMINGTON
APRIL 9-10, 2010
Herman C. Hudson CFP (PDF)
What does it mean to be a Black person in diaspora, perpetually leaving home to recreate home someplace else? Who defines the borders that can be called home? Who determines what identities are acceptable? What parts of self do they take or leave behind each time they move or recreate? What do they resist most: remembering or forgetting? The graduate society of the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University seeks abstracts for the seventh annual Herman C. Hudson Symposium. This year our theme is “Bodies, Borders, and Resistance in the African Diaspora”. We are also excited to announce that the Honorable Cynthia Shepard Perry, former United States Ambassador to Burundi and Sierra Leone, will give the keynote address. We are interested in (but will not limit ourselves to) papers examining: the black body as a site of memory and sociopolitical capital; the intersections of class, mobility, and diasporic consciousness; the role of social institutions as resistance; the commodification of blackness in popular culture; the role of civil wars and transnational conflicts in redefining diaspora; national borders and immigration; the role of technology in creating global black communities; race, gender, and class in the 21st century; and the agency of black diasporic communities in defining borders and modes of resistance.
Interested panelists should submit a one-page abstract of an unpublished paper and a one-page CV. Presenters who are interested in displaying visual art should submit a digital CD of their work along with a one-page abstract discussing the details of their piece(s). Panel proposals should include a description of the panel’s theme, a one-page abstract from each paper, the name of the panel chair, and a one-page CV for each participant. All abstracts should include the academic affiliation of each participant.
Submission Deadline: January 31, 2010
Please email abstracts and accompanying information to the attention of: Shana Riddick at hchs@indiana.edu. If submitting a CD, please indicate this in your email. CD should be mailed to the attn of: Shana Riddick at the enclosed address.
"Constructions of Race and Identity in Diasporic Communities"
The sixth annual Herman C. Hudson Symposium hosted by the Graduate students of the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University is seeking abstracts of papers exploring issues of identity through culture, fine arts and the performing arts from interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary perspectives. This year our theme is, "Constructions of Race and Identity in Diasporic Communities." Our guest speaker for the conference is author/activist Chuck D.
We are interested in topics that explore questions pertaining to the cultural, intellectual, historical, social, and political experiences of people who are part of the conversation within the African Diaspora and the cultures that emerge from it. We are also especially interested in extending our scope to the performing and visual arts, as these are important forms of communication and expression within the Black Diaspora. Particularly, we are looking for ways to incorporate the voice/expressions of Black youth in this conversation.
These papers will be presented during the annual conference that takes place on Saturday, April 4th, 2009 at the Neal Marshall Black Culture Center at Indiana University, Bloomington.
Interested graduate and undergraduate student presenters should submit a one-page abstract and a one-page CV. Presenters who are interested in displaying visual art should submit a digital CD of their work along with a one page abstract discussing the details of their pieces. Panel proposals should include a description of the panel's theme, a one-page abstract of each paper, the name of the panel chair, and a one page CV for each participant. All abstracts should include the academic affiliation of each participant.
All materials should be sent to the attention of: Heather Essex at hchs@indiana.edu and postmarked, faxed, or e-mailed no later than, February 16, 2009.