Locating and Connecting Latin America and the African Diaspora

Second Call for Papers

Thursday, April 30th - Friday, May 1st, 2015

UNC Charlotte

 

Space plays a fundamental role in the study of the African Diaspora in the Atlantic world. Be it in Africa, in Latin America, in the Caribbean, in the United States, or in Europe, scholars from all disciplines have always discussed the role played by spatial dislocations during the era of the transatlantic slave trade in spreading African culture throughout the globe. Long after that era was gone, and well into the present, diasporic ideas and practices have bridged and re-interpreted spatial dislocations by tracing connections between seemingly disparate regions in the Atlantic basin, while formulating multiple political, economic, social, and religious linkages between those regions.

In this conference, community activists, entrepreneurs, scholars, students, and film directors will interrogate the importance of 'space' in understanding the African Diaspora, with a special focus in Latin America - the region with the largest number of Afro-descendants outside of Africa. How does the study of particular regions in the Atlantic world benefit from considering its diasporic connections? Conversely, how can the study of the African diaspora be challenged by studying the experiences of its members in specific spaces? How do these questions apply to the study of Afro-Latin America?

The conference organizers welcome paper and panel proposals on any aspect of Afro-Latin America, especially those with a comparative or a transnational focus implying a dialogue with other regions. Still, conference proposals are not required to address the theme. Please send a proposal of no more than 150 words to [email protected] , by Tuesday, March 31. Those interested in participating in the R�o de la Plata Workshop should contact Erika Edwards: [email protected] .

This two-day event is the result of the joint efforts made by the 13th Annual Africana Studies Symposium, organized by the Department of Africana Studies; the 2015 William Wilson Brown Jr. Conference, organized by the Program in Latin American Studies; the R�o de la Plata Workshop, organized by the History Department; and the Graduate History Association.

Confirmed speakers include Reid Andrews (U. of Pittsburgh), Alejandro de la Fuente (Harvard University), Jason McGraw (Indiana U.), Mariana Dantas (Ohio U.), Michele Reid-Vazquez (U. of Pittsburgh), Alex Borucki (U.C. Irvine), Tiffany Joseph (Stony Brook U.), Andrea Queeley (Florida International U.), Ted Richardson (Independent Photojournalist), Diane Ghogomu (Documentary director), Christopher Dennis (UNC Wilmington), and Charles Pinckney (UNC Charlotte).