13th Annual African, African American, and Diaspora Studies (AAAD) Interdisciplinary Conference

Hosted by James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

February 14-17, 2023

Deadline EXTENDED: November 15, 2022

The African, African American, and Diaspora Studies Center at James Madison University invites proposals for its annual interdisciplinary conference, to be held from Tuesday, February 14 to Friday, February 17, 2023.  The conference brings together scholars and archivists from a wide variety of overlapping and intersecting fields. This year’s theme is “Roots, Limbs, and Leaves.”

This year’s conference will be held as a hybrid conference, based at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. We invite proposals for both virtual and in-person presentations. We welcome proposals from scholars in all relevant disciplines at any point in their scholarly careers. Proposals for individual presentations or pre-constituted panels could address, but are not limited to, topics such as these:

Africa and the Black Atlantic

Plants and Plantations

Roots and Routes

The Vegetal World

Black Geographies

Diasporas

Grassroots Organizing and Activism

Linguistic Roots

Non-Western Science and Medicine

Non-Binary and Transgender Approaches to Roots

Religions and Their Roots

Un-rootedness

The Grounding of Sovereignty

Tradition versus Traditionalism

Resource Networks and Infrastructure

Origins and Pre-Histories

Climate Justice

Feminist Traditions and Counter-Traditions

Navigating and Transforming Predominantly White Institutions

Black Digital Networks

Queering Roots

Ubuntu

Black Publishing Histories

Nurturing Life: Health and Healthcare

The Black Anthropocene

Farming and Gardening

Food Sovereignty

Please send any questions and/or 300-word presentation proposals (or 1000-word panel proposals) to aaadstudies@jmu.edu by November 15, 2022. Proposals should include a presentation and/or panel title, along with each presenter’s name, institutional affiliation, email address, and a brief bio. Please specify whether your proposal is for an in-person or virtual presentation. Panel proposals must include at least three panelists. Further information and updates about the conference may be found at sites.lib.jmu.edu/aaadjmu.