9th Annual African, African American, and Diaspora Studies Interdisciplinary Conference, James Madison University, Feb 21-22, 2019

The African, African American, and Diaspora Studies program at James Madison University invites proposals for its annual interdisciplinary conference, to be held on the campus of JMU in Harrisonburg, Virginia on Feb 21-22, 2019. This year's theme is “Bodies in Motion.” Ranging across topics from the politics of migration to the aesthetics of black embodiment, from action films to political activism, the conference will bring together a group of scholars from a wide variety of overlapping and intersecting fields. We welcome proposals from scholars in all relevant disciplines at any point in their scholarly careers. Topics for 20-minute presentations or 60-minute panels could address topics such as these:

Action Films

Activism 

Agency

Circulation

Collectivities

Commerce

Embodiment

Environments 

Gesture

Healing

Humanisms

Migrations

Political movements

Art movements

Performance

Perfpmativity

Borders

Popular Culture

Posthumanisms

Revolutions

Cultural movements

Social movements

Riots

Rituals

Sexualities

Slave Trade

Sports

Transgression

Transportation

Violence 

The conference keynote will be delivered by Eric J. Montgomery (Cultural Anthropology, Central Michigan University), whose scholarship ranges from research on the 1967 Detroit Rebellion to publications on the migration of cultural practices across the Afro-Atlantic world.

Please send questions and/or 300-word presentation proposals (or 1000-word panel proposals) to aaadstudies@jmu.edu by December 1, 2018. Proposals should include a presentation and/or panel title, along with each presenter’s name, institutional affiliation, email address, and a brief bio. Panel proposals must include at least three panelists. Decisions will be made by Dec 14, 2018.

Please contact the conference coordinators, Dr. Emeka Anaza (anazaea@jmu.edu) or Dr. Talé Mitchell (mitch3at@jmu.edu), with any questions. Conference registration and accommodation details will be provided as the conference date draws near.