Over 1,000 scholars meet in Washington at largest conference on Africa
More than 1000 people are converging today in Washington DC, USA, for the world’s largest gathering of scholars, researchers and experts on Africa.
The conference, “50 Years of African Liberation,” is organised by the African Studies Association (ASA), the leading North American organisation that promotes the study of Africa in all academic disciplines and for contemporary practitioners, in cooperation with major colleges, universities and museums throughout the United States and Canada.
A press release announcing this says the conference will feature more than 200 panels, roundtables and plenary meetings, with participants from North and South America, Africa, Asia and Europe.
It also informs that more than a thousand papers will be presented on topics as diverse as agriculture, the arts, culture, economics, education, the environment, gender, health, liberation movements, and politics.
Several tributes and honours will as well be presented during the event, including the annual Distinguished Africanist Award, which recognises scholars who have contributed a lifetime of outstanding scholarship and service.
The recipient of the this year’s award, Dr. Toyin Falola, Professor of History at University of Texas at Austin, has published more than one hundred books spanning a wide variety of disciplines, from history to poetry and was a long-time editor of African Economic History Review and contributed to many other important publications.
He is also being honoured for his role in mentoring young scholars and ongoing promotion of African studies.
Some high-level U.S. officials are expected to attend the conference including Assistant Secretary of African Affairs, Johnny Carson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Vicki Huddleston, and U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan, Princeton Lyman, together with Ambassadors from six African nations.
Commenting on the conference, Judith Byfield, ASA President and Professor of History at Cornell University said, “We are fortunate to have such a concentration of experience, knowledge and understanding on such a wide array of African issues here.”
She asserted that “With the Arab Spring, elections in Liberia, and recent independence of South Sudan, this is a critical time for Africa. Governments around the world are as deeply engaged in the continent as they have ever been, from the U.S. military intervention in Uganda, to the international response to the famine in the Horn of Africa.”
To Byfield, their policies unfortunately are sometimes not as effective as they could be because they can be based on fundamental misunderstandings, adding, “The research and expertise available at this conference will provide valuable insights for improving international cooperation in Africa”.
The African Studies Association (ASA) was Founded in 1957 and has an international membership of approximately 1,700 individual members and institutional subscribers, is a nonprofit organisation and a member of the American Council of Learned Societies.
The mission of ASA is to bring together people with a scholarly and professional interest in Africa and is open to all individuals and institutions interested in African affairs.
By Edmund Smith-Asante
Over 1,000 scholars meet in Washington at largest conference on Africa
More than 1000 people are converging today in Washington DC, USA, for the world’s largest gathering of scholars, researchers and experts on Africa.
The conference, “50 Years of African Liberation,” is organised by the African Studies Association (ASA), the leading North American organisation that promotes the study of Africa in all academic disciplines and for contemporary practitioners, in cooperation with major colleges, universities and museums throughout the United States and Canada.
A press release announcing this says the conference will feature more than 200 panels, roundtables and plenary meetings, with participants from North and South America, Africa, Asia and Europe.
It also informs that more than a thousand papers will be presented on topics as diverse as agriculture, the arts, culture, economics, education, the environment, gender, health, liberation movements, and politics.
Several tributes and honours will as well be presented during the event, including the annual Distinguished Africanist Award, which recognises scholars who have contributed a lifetime of outstanding scholarship and service.
The recipient of the this year’s award, Dr. Toyin Falola, Professor of History at University of Texas at Austin, has published more than one hundred books spanning a wide variety of disciplines, from history to poetry and was a long-time editor of African Economic History Review and contributed to many other important publications.
He is also being honoured for his role in mentoring young scholars and ongoing promotion of African studies.
Some high-level U.S. officials are expected to attend the conference including Assistant Secretary of African Affairs, Johnny Carson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Vicki Huddleston, and U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan, Princeton Lyman, together with Ambassadors from six African nations.
Commenting on the conference, Judith Byfield, ASA President and Professor of History at Cornell University said, “We are fortunate to have such a concentration of experience, knowledge and understanding on such a wide array of African issues here.”
She asserted that “With the Arab Spring, elections in Liberia, and recent independence of South Sudan, this is a critical time for Africa. Governments around the world are as deeply engaged in the continent as they have ever been, from the U.S. military intervention in Uganda, to the international response to the famine in the Horn of Africa.”
To Byfield, their policies unfortunately are sometimes not as effective as they could be because they can be based on fundamental misunderstandings, adding, “The research and expertise available at this conference will provide valuable insights for improving international cooperation in Africa”.
The African Studies Association (ASA) was Founded in 1957 and has an international membership of approximately 1,700 individual members and institutional subscribers, is a nonprofit organisation and a member of the American Council of Learned Societies.
The mission of ASA is to bring together people with a scholarly and professional interest in Africa and is open to all individuals and institutions interested in African affairs.
By Edmund Smith-Asante