CFP: South East Regional Seminar in African Studies (SERSAS) & Southeast Africanist Network (SEAN)

Annual Joint Meeting, 7-8 February 2020
University of Florida

Co-sponsored by the African Studies Center, UNC-Chapel Hill and the Center for African Studies, University of Florida

Visions 2020: The Past and Present of Afrofutures

Twenty-odd years ago, as a new century and new millennium approached, several African governments rolled out ‘Vision 2020’ policy documents that attempted to chart a path for the coming decades. More than previous five year plans and the like, these vision statements presented a holistic set of goals, including such key terms as “good governance,” “knowledge-based economy,” “high value and marketoriented,” as well as “regional and international integration.” In 2013, the AU released a comprehensive ‘Agenda 2063’ aka “the Africa we want.” Such imagining of African futures has an extensive history. From civilizing mission to modernization to democratization to millennium goals to demographic dividend, changing and competing frameworks situate the trajectory of social, economic and political change. Now that 2020 has arrived, how do we assess past visions of the future? How is Africa’s future – for 2063 and beyond - imagined in 2020?

The coordinators of SERSAS/SEAN cordially invite you to present your work within the wide parameters of the conference theme. Submissions from any academic discipline are welcome but must be accessible to a diverse set of participants. The spring 2020 SERSAS/SEAN Conference seeks to give faculty, independent scholars, and graduate students the opportunity to share scholarship within a collegial atmosphere. The coordinators cordially invite you to present your work within the wide parameters of the conference theme. SERSAS and SEAN pride themselves on providing an open and collegial forum for the exchange of ideas. This includes providing opportunities for advanced graduate students to present their work and to win the SERSAS Prize for the best graduate student paper. We therefore encourage graduate students and their faculty mentors to consider putting forward paper and/or panel proposals.

Pre-conference publishing workshop

New for 2020, the African Studies Quarterly - an online, open-access, fully peer-reviewed multidisciplinary journal published by the University of Florida – will sponsor a pre-conference workshop for emerging scholars (advanced graduate students or doctorate awarded in past 3 years). Participants will precirculate a draft article for review by other emerging scholar participants and a lead faculty critic for each paper. Each submission will then receive seminar-style discussion during the workshop session. Article drafts must be submitted for circulation by 24 January. Space is limited!

Preliminary schedule

Friday 7 February

3:00-5:30 emerging scholar publishing workshop (pre-registered participants only) – 471 Grinter Hall

5:30-7:30 registration & opening reception – 427 Grinter Hall

Saturday 8 February

8:30 registration and coffee – 427 Grinter Hall

9:00 opening remarks – 404 Grinter Hall

9:15-10:45 session 1 – 404 Grinter Hall/471 Grinter Hall

10:45 break

11:00-12:30 session 2 – 404 Grinter Hall

12:30 lunch – 471 Grinter Hall

1:30 SERSAS business meeting – 404 Grinter Hall

2:00-3:30 session 3 – 404 Grinter Hall

3:30 break

3:45-5:15 session 4 – 404 Grinter Hall/471 Grinter Hall

7:00 closing dinner

Deadline for conference paper/panel submissions and pre-conference workshop registration:

16 December

Please send proposals of 250 words to: tleedy@ufl.edu

Accommodation: The meeting co-sponsors have secured funding for a limited number of hotel rooms to support workshop participants and those presenting papers during the meeting. Details on hotel booking will accompany notification of accepted proposals.

Conference fee: Onsite registration for faculty is $20 (cash or check only). There is no fee for students.

Todd H. Leedy, Ph.D.
Associate Director Center for African Studies
University of Florida

Editor, African Studies Quarterly

427 Grinter Hall
PO Box 115560
Gainesville, FL 32611
vox 352.392.2183
fax 352.392.2435