My Mind Words Paper [Search results for conference papers] 

Deadline: 1 August 2011

All Entrants must complete this form and attach to front of hard copy of paper submitted at the time of the Conference, to the conference convener.

The AFSAAP Postgraduate Essay Prize will awarded to the best postgraduate paper(s) presented at the annual conference. The 2011 MONASH / AFSAAP Postgraduate Essay Prize of $3,000 consists of a return airfare from Australia to Johannesburg. Entrants must be willing to undertake the trip before November 31st 2012. The winner of the prize agrees to present their paper at Monash South Africa, and up to 2 weeks accommodation at the campus will be provided. The campus web site is located at http://www.monash.ac.za/ and final details will be arranged between the prize winner, AFSAAP and Monash University. The 2011 University of South Australia / AFSAAP prize winner will receive $500.

The winner(s) will also receive assistance in publishing their conference paper in AFSAAP's peer reviewed journal, the Australasian Review of African Studies, and will be awarded a certificate.

AFSAAP Postgraduate Essay Prize: Guidelines and procedures

Any student enrolled in a tertiary institution may submit a paper read at the AFSAAP Postgraduate Workshop or the annual conference for consideration for the AFSAAP Annual Conference Postgraduate Prize.

· The paper must be related to African Studies.
· Research proposals are not eligible.
· Written papers should be submitted as hard copy and electronic copies (in Word format) at the time of presentation to the conference convener, that is, during the course of the conference. The paper submission must be an essay in its complete form.
· The written paper should not exceed 4500 words (plus references and bibliography) and should be written in a style acceptable for publication in an academic journal.
· Papers should be submitted on A4 paper with double or one- and-half point line spacing and a 12 point Arial font typeface.
· Standard conventions for academic publishing should be followed.
· All papers should be accompanied by a declaration that the paper is the student's own work. Revision of work taking account of a lecturer's marking is valid, but papers should NOT have been submitted to formal review by or for an editor of a book, journal or working paper series.

Papers will be judged by a panel selected by the Executive Committee, to include, at least, two senior academic members of the Association. The decision of the panel is final, and if in their opinion, no entry is regarded as of high enough standard, they may decide not to award a prize.

Papers will be assessed according to the following criteria:

a) definition and justification of the topic and/or problem within the broader context;
b) understanding of the topic - including use of appropriate references;
c) analysis of key issues - including presentation of argument, discussion and conclusion;
d) level of scholarship - including originality and/or contribution to knowledge;
e) clarity of writing and structure; and
f) accuracy - including completeness and consistency in presentation and referencing.

All entrants will be advised of the successful postgraduate, and a notice will be placed in the Australasian Review of African Studies publication subsequent to a decision having been made by the judges.

Submissions: One hard copy must be submitted to the Conference Convener after presentation at the conference, and an electronic copy of your submission must be forwarded to the AFSAAP Secretary – email secretary@afsaap.org.au - at the time of the conference.

Download application form >>

Contact Information:

For inquiries: secretary@afsaap.org.au

For submissions: secretary@afsaap.org.au

Website: http://www.afsaap.org.au

Deadline: 31 July 2012

(Note: Aside from academic papers, the organizers are seeking proposals from artists and theatre poets who would like to participate/ present in the conference.)

Call for papers and proposals: ‘Disability’ and Citizenship - ‘From visions to action’

Conference Date: 9- 11 October 2012

Venue: University of Zimbabwe

University of Zimbabwe and its partners invites academics, students, researchers, professionals, artists, civil society and policy makers to present academic and/or policy related papers, posters, workshops and performances on disability and citizenship. In recognition of the fact that contemporary conceptions of citizenship centre around notions of human rights, responsibilities and ‘active’ participation in all spheres of human endeavours, this special conference is called to conceptualise/theorise, contextualise and proffer practical suggestions on negotiating ‘disability’ related challenges.

Cognisant of the fact that people with ‘disabilities’ have generally been perceived as marginalised and excluded from major social, political, economic and cultural practices, the conference seeks to further interrogate major barriers to the full participation of people with disabilities as citizens and to explore practical strategies of addressing identified issues and problems. We therefore encourage innovative insights and practices in the following conference thematic areas.

1. Disability, political participation and citizenship
2. Disability, law and citizenship
3. Media, disability and citizenship
4. Disability and student activism
5. Performance and Disability
6. Literature: metaphors and symbols of Disability
7. Sport, recreation and Disability: politics of participation
8. Visual Arts, disability and citizenship
9. Religion/spirituality and citizenship: past, present and future.
10. Disability, discourse/rhetoric and the politics of language
11. Education/critical pedagogy and disability
12. Historical/cultural narratives of disability: implications on citizenship
13. Disability research: politics of inclusion and exclusion
14. Medical science, disability and citizenship
15. The politics of the body and disability activism
16. Space and Environment: barriers and possibilities to participation
17. Disability, employment and the politics of empowerment
18. Gender, disability and politics of participation

Important information

• Presentations at the conference are encouraged and welcome in the following formats: academic/policy papers, posters, performances/workshops and visual exhibitions/displays. University and college students will have a special forum in which they will present
• All Proposals and Abstracts should be sent to nmuwonwa@gmail.com
• Abstracts should not exceed 300 words
• Visual displays (e.g. posters, short films, sculpture, electronic images)
• Workshops/ Performances - (e .g, dance, music, theatre poetry)

1) Reviewed papers will be published in a journal.
2) Policy Proposals will be presented to relevant organisations

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries/ submissions: nmuwonwa@gmail.com

Website: http://www.uz.ac.zw/

Deadline: 17 August 2011

Contributions are invited from participants who possess knowledge and practice/ life experience relevant to the conference program:

· Recognition, Social Inclusion and Capacity Building

· Contributions of people of African Descent to Australian society

· Stories of the people of African descent since the First Fleet and through the periods of the White Australian policy, Assimilation policy, integration and multicultural policy.

· The economic, social, cultural and political rights of people of African Descent in Australia

· Issues of identity, maintenance of identity and the impact of Diaspora on identity

· Exploration of Identity and community in a vastly diverse community in Diaspora.

· Creating spaces for advocacy.

Preparing an abstract

The abstract should outline the subject of the presentation in no more than 250 words.

Additionally, it should include a concise title and the full names and contact details of the authors. The lead author/presenter should be listed first as the key contact. Any additional authors should be listed in the space provided and be clearly identified if they will be co-presenting.

A brief personal biography (approximately 100 words) from the presenting author/s must also be included which can be used to introduce speakers at the conference.

Please do not include any acknowledgments, figures or references in the abstract. Please provide details if you have presented this paper previously (i.e. conference, conference location and date).

Please indicate on your abstract submission form if it should be considered for a 30-minute presentation (20 minutes presentation, 10 minutes questions). Timings are subject to change based on the final program and presenters will be notified of their allocated time.

The abstract will be published in the final conference program.

Submitting an abstract

Abstracts must be submitted electronically by 5.00 pm Wednesday, 17 August 2011 using the abstract submission form.

Completed abstract submission forms should be returned by email, to registration@africanwomenaustralia.org

The program advisory committee for the conference will consider all abstracts for potential inclusion in the conference program and authors will be notified of the outcome by 30 August 2011.

This is a community event, hence, all Authors of accepted papers are expected to register and attend the conference. All expenses associated with attendance are to be covered by the presenter.

CONFERENCE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION

You are invited to the National Conference to mark the 2011 International Year for People of African Descent: “People of African Descent: Recognition, Social Inclusion and Capacity Building” to be held at the Sebel Hotel 350 Church Street Parramatta New South Wales on 30 September, 2011. The conference is collaboratively organised by African Women Australia Incorporated, in partnership with The Hills Holroyd Parramatta Migrant Resource Centre, Australian Human Rights Commission and several African and African Descent community groups around Australia. The conference will be open to all government agencies, service providers, academics and the general community.

An Official Reception will be held 29th September 2011, 6:00pm at Bankstown Arts Centre, 5 Olympic Parade, Bankstown. This will include official speeches, a play, and performances

For inquires, please contact Dativah on e-mail address (info@africanwomenaustralia.org).

To register please read, complete, sign and return the registration, Proof of payment and application (where applicable) forms to the AWAU Inc. by e-mail: registration@africanwomenaustralia.org Receipt of each delegate’s Registration, Proof of Payment and Application Forms will be acknowledged within 5 working days.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE 2011 INTERNATIONAL YEAR FOR PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT CONFERENCE

The year 2011 was declared by the United Nations a International Year for the People of African Descent to strengthen national actions and regional and international cooperation for the benefit of people of African descent in relation to their full enjoyment of economic, cultural, social, civil and political rights, their participation and integration in all political, economic, social and cultural aspects of society, and the promotion of a greater knowledge of and respect for their diverse heritage and culture.

Conference Objectives:

1. Celebrate and acknowledge the presence of people of African descent in Australia raise awareness of the challenges facing people of African descent. It is hoped that the conference will foster discussions that will generate proposals for solutions to tackle these challenges.

2. Explore the collective depths of the delegates’ expertise and skills in order to inspire strategies for change that can advance the recognition for the people of African Descent.

3. And showcase contributions, explore issues and canvass strategies for the way ahead.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: info@africanwomenaustralia.org

For submissions: registration@africanwomenaustralia.org

Website: http://www.africanwomenaustralia.org

Deadline: 16 September 2011

Women and Film in Africa Conference: Overcoming Social Barriers, Conference organised by the Africa Media Centre, University of Westminster, Date: Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 November 2011, Venue: University of Westminster, Marylebone Campus 35 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5LS

This is a 1st Call for Papers for a conference on the contemporary and historical role played by women in the film, television and video industries in Africa. From the Arab North Africa, West Africa, Central and East Africa, through to Southern Africa, women have emerged from the double oppression of patriarchy and colonialism to become the unsung heroines of the moving image as producers, directors,actresses, script writers, financiers, promoters, marketers and distributors of film, television and video in postcolonial Africa. Sadly, such immense contributions by women are underrepresented, both in industry debates and in academic research. There are now many cases in which African women in front of and behind the camera have overcome social barriers and yet this is sidelined. This conference invites students, practitioners, academics and researchers to debate how women have contributed to film, television and video markets in Africa from pre-colonial, colonial to postcolonial periods. Existing industry and academic work should also discuss the ways female audiences in Africa have engaged with film, television and video texts. The conference will include a session with leading female filmmakers. Papers may include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following themes:

* The Influence of Feminism on African filmmakers;* Women in front and behind the camera in African film;* Women in the African feature film industry;* Women in technical roles in film, video and television in Africa;* Women documentary makers in Africa;* Gender and Representation of Women in African film;* Audiences for films by African women/Female audiences in Africa;* Case histories of leading African women film makers;* Women scriptwriters;* African women acting in video, film and television;* Censorship and the portrayal of African women in film and television;* The role of NGOs in commissioning women filmmakers and issue-based films;* How African governments have helped or hindered filmmaking by African women

DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS

The deadline for submission of abstracts is Friday 16 September, 2011. Successful applicants will be notified by Friday 23 September, 2011. Abstracts should be 200 words long. They must include the title of the conference, presenter’s name, affiliation, email and postal address,together with the title of the paper. Please ensure when saving your abstract that your name is part of the file name. Please email your abstract to Helen Cohen, Events Administrator at: (journalism@westminster.ac.uk).

PROGRAMME AND REGISTRATION

This two day conference will take place on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 November, 2011. The fee for registration (which applies to all participants, including presenters) will be £135, with a concessionary rate of £55 for students, to cover all conference documentation, refreshments and administration costs. Registration will open in September 2011

Contact Information:

For inquiries: journalism@westminster.ac.uk

For submissions: journalism@westminster.ac.uk

Website: http://www.wmin.ac.uk/

Deadline: 8 March 2012

The African Studies Association (ASA)-2012 Conference

Philadelphia, PA; November 29-December 1, 2012

In 1962 at the Kampala conference, participants engaged the first major debate on the ‘language question’ in African literature. For African literary critics, that conference was the first defining moment in the development and study of contemporary African literature. The second moment occurred in 1983 with the publication of Chinweizu’s /Toward the Decolonization of African Literature /which//helped boost emerging discussions on post-colonial studies in African literary criticism. That moment generated the impetus that has sustained the different cultural and theoretical approaches that continue to sustain debates in African literary studies.

Now, as we enter the second decade of the 21st century and its global proliferation of entry points and exits in the context of information technology, we need to assess the extent African literary engagement and production will enable clearer definitions of the different aspects of African literary studies. This means that the quality and nature of African literature in the information age needs to be more carefully addressed in ways that reaffirm our efforts to bring African literary studies into full prominence on the global stage. As practitioners, acknowledging the strengths and limitations in our current understanding of African literature will also show how vibrant and powerful a tool African literature is in the study of African societies and cultures.

This Call for Papers solicits papers for ALA panel presentations on the topics indicated below at the African Studies Association 2012 conference. Please indicate your interest by submitting
a one-paragraph abstract on a topic based on one of the panels listed below.

1.Roundtable: “African Literary Studies Today.”

2.Panel: “The Future of African Literary Studies.”

3.Panel: “Women’s Contributions to African Literary Studies.”

It is expected that all papers accepted for presentation will have been fully written and sent to the panel chair and discussants of the papers (no exceptions, please!) at least one week before the conference. Please submit your abstracts through email:

On or before March 8, 2012

To: Anthonia Kalu at: kalu.5@osu.edu
Anthonia Kalu, PhD
Professor
Department of African American and African Studies
486 University Hall
230 North Oval Mall
Columbus, OH 43210-1319
Phone: (614) 688-5779
Fax: (614) 292-2293
E-mail: kalu.5@osu.edu

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: kalu.5@osu.edu

For submissions: kalu.5@osu.edu

Website: http://www.africanstudies.org/

Deadline: 26 October 2012

The purpose of this conference – Examining Past/Defining Present: The Black Literary Aesthetic in the USA, Canada and Caribbean – is to highlight the centrality of literature written by people of African heritage during the 1960s and 1970s in the American, Canadian and Caribbean Literary Canons. Specifically, this conference seeks to open a revisionary aesthetic view on the literatures of Americans, Canadians, and Caribbeans of African descent.

The participants in the conference will present papers and discuss critical constructs which will produce revisionary definitions of a Black Literary Aesthetic. The work produced will move away from a mere examination of literary ideas towards a discourse that enables humans to study and critique literature written by Black Americans, Black Canadians, and Black Caribbeans as ‘beautiful’ [or not] using the full range of human emotions towards such critically aesthetic responses. A re-examination of past definitions of Black Literary Aesthetics will be central in the context of the conference.

Presentations – papers, roundtable discussions, and poster sessions – may be organized topically from [but are not limited to] the following questions:

1. Were the motivations and concerns of the literary artists (associated with Black Nationalism/Black Power Movements in the USA, Canada, and Caribbean) more monolithic or varied?

2. How were the literary expressions critiqued? What were the motivations and agents for such critiques? Was there significant ‘protest’ (during the Black Arts Movement) to the level and substance of those critiques?

3. How did gender in addition to race emerge as major or minor factors in both the creation and critique of the work, as well as the absence/presence of substantive critique?

4. What was the [space of the] divide (wide, narrow, etc.) in the critique of Black Literary production in the USA versus Canada and Caribbean? What were the reasons for such a divide and how is it reflected in the criticism?

5. How has the scholarly and critical response to a Black Literary Aesthetic evolved, increased, or decreased (for the works) in each decade: 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s?

6. What are the affects and effects of popular culture on the political and social aspects of contemporary literature written by Blacks in the USA, Canada, and the Caribbean? What new terminologies and critiques are required and/or are necessary in defining a Black Literary Aesthetic?

7. How effective is the use of social media in widening both the critical response to literature from the Black Arts Movement as well as creating venues for publication and critique of contemporary Black literary artists?

8. How will work in the Digital Humanities, which interprets the cultural and social impact of the new information age, provide new ways of critiquing historical literary works as well as contextualize new works? How will tools and methodologies such as three-dimensional visualization, data-mining, network analysis, and digital mapping assist in advancing research on the Black Literary Aesthetic?

Deadline for submission of abstracts and proposals: October 26, 2012.

Microsoft word attachments or PDF format.

Proposals must include Name, Title, Institutional Affiliation, and Categories of Presenter (as follows):

1) Undergraduate students
2) Graduate students
3) Faculty
4) Independent artists and scholars/researchers

Submit proposals to akilahw@msn.com or ewilliams@paine.edu

Location of conference: Augusta, GA (USA)

Specifications on conference fees, travel and lodging will be provided upon acceptance for presentation. Fees must be paid by February 2013 for conference participation. No financial transactions will take place at the conference other than book sales.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For enquiries/ submissions: akilahw@msn.com or ewilliams@paine.edu

Deadline: 30 June 2012

(Note: The contest is open to students, junior managers, and entrepreneurs from around the world who want to share their views on the changing structure and mindset of the workforce and the impact it will have on institutions and management.)

The Drucker Challenge Essay contest, organized by Peter Drucker Society Europe and now in its 3rd year, is about to raise awareness among young people of the works and ideas of Peter Drucker and a management philosophy that puts the human being in its centre.

Essays must have between 1.500 to 3.000 words and attempt to deploy your perspectives and experience that will be significant for an interested but primarily non-research oriented audience. Researchers are invited to participate in our «Call for papers», co-organized by Peter Drucker Society Europe and Management Research Review (Emerald Group Publishing).

The title theme of this year's Drucker Challenge is «Reinventing Work, Reinventing Organization» - a hot topic that will also be discussed at the 4th Global Drucker Forum in the context of Capitalism 2.0.

THEME & CONTEXT

In 1947 General Motors asked its employees to take part in an essay contest with the title theme "Why I Like My Job" An astonishing 174,854 workers at GM answered the call and submitted their essays. Peter Drucker, who just a few years earlier had systematically studied the inner workings at General Motors and had thereby "invented" the discipline of management, was one of the five judges who evaluated the essays and eventually picked the 40 winners.

Our jobs, i.e. the way we conduct our work and our overall concept of work have changed significantly, even dramatically since 1947. Peter Drucker anticipated and observed these changes - like the rise of the knowledge worker, the emergence of the entrepreneurial society, and the increasing need to "manage oneself" - and described them in detail in books like "Landmarks of Tomorrow" (1959), "The Age of Discontinuity" (1969), "Innovation and Entrepreneurship" (1985), "Management Challenges for the 21st Century" (1999), and "Managing in the Next Society" (2002).

Once asked about his prescience, Peter Drucker famously replied: It is in this spirit that we ask you: What do YOU see?

• How will the nature of work and the workforce look like a few years or decades from now?
• Will we still have the traditional corporations with their hierarchies providing the workplace for millions?
• How will SME’s be configured?
• Will all workers ultimately become knowledge workers?
• In which environment will knowledge workers conduct business? Still at a desk at the office, or rather from home? Will they work for one or for several companies and organizations - in a mixture of jobs and parallel careers?
• What will drive and motivate knowledge workers of tomorrow? A good pay? Or perhaps passion and purpose?
• To what extent will the traditional "employee society" evolve into an "entrepreneurial society"?
• Which will be the impact of these structural changes on companies, corporations and organizations and how can they best adapt?
• What role will social entrepreneurs and the non-profit sector play in the future? What regulatory power will governments and trade unions ideally have? And how will the education sector and, last but not least, business schools change - and indeed have to change - to address the challenges of tomorrow?

GUIDELINES

IMPORTANT DATES

• June 30, 2012: Deadline for essay submission
• Sept. 10, 2012: Authors of the winning essays will be notified about the Jury decision
• Sept. 15, 2012: Winners List published
• Nov. 15-16, 2012: 4th Global Drucker Forum

• File Type: Word for Windows: pdf
• Words: 1.500 - 3.000
• Font: “Times New Roman” or “Arial”, size 12, single line spacing
• Language: English
• Submission System: Please use the Electronic Submission Page

• Students
• Managers & Entrepreneurs

Co-authorship is permitted.

Please note the Drucker Challenge essay contest is geared towards a primarily non-research oriented audience (for research-based papers may we refer you to our "Academic Call for Papers". We suggest you write from your own background, experience and perspective, weaving together facts and figures with anecdotal evidence, and personal with general observations - similar to the way Peter Drucker himself used to write.

If you want, you can also envision and describe a day-in-the-life in the not too distant future to highlight the changes in our perceptions and practice of work that are already at work and beginning to shape the world that's to come.

JURY

• Lynda Gratton will serve as Head of Jury in this year's Drucker Challenge. She is Professor of Management Practice at London Business School, founder of the Hot Spots Movement, and was ranked 12th on the Thinkers50 2011 list of the world’s top 50 business thinkers. Her new book "THE SHIFT. The future of work is already here" " is for those who are keen to take charge of the future of their work. Watch the video with Lynda in the Financial Times;
• Deepa Prahalad Business strategist and consultant; author of “PREDICTABLE MAGIC: Unleash the Power of Design Strategy to Transform Your Business”
• John Peters CEO, GSE Research Ltd; former Chief Executive at Emerald Group Publishing
• Richard Brem Peter Drucker Society Europe, Project Manager Peter Drucker Challenge, coordinates the overall award program and facilitates the jury process.

There will be 3 rounds of judging. The jury process will be facilitated by Richard Brem, Drucker Challenge Project Manager.

First Round

During the First Round, a panel of curators will evaluate and attribute a score to each entrant’s Essay made up of scores based upon the below-listed criteria during the period beginning on July 1, 2012 and ending on August 2, 2012

Judging criteria:

A. Style, originality, passion for the theme
B. Formal structure of the essay
C. Logical coherence
D. To what extent does the essay deal with Druckerian themes?
E. How well does it address the theme of the 2012 contest?

The thirty (30) Essay submissions that receive the highest overall scores will qualify for the Second Round.

Second round

The thirty Essay submissions will be evaluated and attributed a score in early September by a panel of curators based upon the above-listed criteria, each of equal weight. The ten (10) Essay submissions that receive the highest overall scores will qualify for the Final round.

Final round

The ten (10) entries that receive the highest overall scores will be selected as the “Finalists.” Further, the Finalist that receives the highest overall score in each category will be selected as the First Prize Winner. In early September, the ten Finalists will be selected and notified by email. If a Finalist does not respond to the notification attempt within 4 days, then an alternate Finalist will be selected from among all eligible entries received based on the judging criteria described herein. Further, First Prize Winners and runners-up warrant that they are able to attend the public announcement on November 15, 2012. If one of them is unable to attend an alternate Finalist may be selected from among all eligible entries received based on the judging criteria described herein.

You can see a list of winners by mid-September, 2012, visiting www.druckerchallenge.org

PRIZES

Prizes are awarded to the two overall winners and the two runners-up in the two categories as well as up to 26 more winning papers. Depending on the quality and number of submissions, additional awards may be bestowed.

The overall winners in the students and managers/entrepreneurs category will be awarded:

• Money prize of € 1.000;
• Publications of essays on druckerchallenge.org and partner media;
• Free participation in the 4th Global Peter Drucker Forum on Nov. 15 - 16, 2012, including: participation in the Speakers reception on Nov. 14; all sessions and workshops on Nov 15 – 16; Gala Dinner on Nov 15 with awards ceremony; conference materials; lunch and coffee at the conference venue; up to three nights accommodation at the conference hotel; travel costs; an active role in a panel/workshop; Free membership to PDSA/PDSE in 2013

• Publications of essays on druckerchallenge.org and partner media;
• Free participation in the 4th Global Peter Drucker Forum on Nov. 15 - 16, 2012, including: participation in the Speakers reception on Nov. 14; all sessions and workshops on Nov 15 – 16; Gala Dinner on Nov 15 with awards ceremony; conference materials; lunch and coffee at the conference venue; 50% travel cost reimbursement; an active role in a panel/workshop; Free membership to PDSA/PDSE in 2013

• Publications of essays on druckerchallenge.org
• Free participation in the 4th Global Peter Drucker Forum on Nov. 15- 16, 2012, including: participation in the Speakers reception on Nov. 14; all sessions and workshops on Nov 15 – 16; Gala Dinner on Nov 15 with awards ceremony; conference materials; lunch and coffee at the conference venue; Free membership to PDSA/PDSE in 2013

• Free participation in the 4th Global Peter Drucker Forum on Nov.15 - 16, 2012, including: all sessions and workshops on Nov 15 – 16; Gala Dinner on Nov 15 with awards ceremony; conference materials; lunch and coffee at the conference venue

For inquiries: contact@druckersociety.eu

For submissions: enter the contest via the electronic submissions page

Website: http://www.druckerchallenge.org

Deadline: 11 January 2012

The Black Diaspora Conference is an annual interdisciplinary forum bringing together scholars and thinkers to reflect on issues and concerns related to people of African descent. The objective of the series is to promote and expand public awareness, scholarship and research in the area of Black Diaspora studies. Themes and discussions at the annual conference will focus on achieving a qualitative and quantitative impact on the various Black Diaspora micro-communities in the Diaspora as well as on the African continent.

The theme for the 8th Black Diaspora Conference is “Intellectuals of the Diaspora.” We invite submissions for papers and panels from scholars, faculty members, graduate and undergraduate students. While papers on any aspect of the theme are welcome, the organizers are particularly interested in papers that explore the experience of Black people as they have and continue to navigate the spatial world within the world of Black and pan-African reality in the following areas: history, culture, literature, religion, politics, social organization, race relations, gender, internet networking, psychology, performing arts, etc. Contributions may be historical, theoretical, empirical, or comparative. Innovative approaches are especially welcome.

Paper contributions should be for a 20-minute presentation. Acceptance of a submission implies a commitment to register for and attend the Conference. (Registration Fee: $100; $15 for students and retired scholars).

Dr. Obiwu Iwuanyanwu
Black Diaspora Conference
Department of Humanities
P.O. Box 1004
Wilberforce, Ohio 45384
Telephone (937) 376-6215; Fax (937) 376-6029
Email: oiwuanyanwu@centralstate.edu

Or

Dr. Anthony Milburn
Black Diaspora Conference
Department of Humanities
P.O. Box 1004
Wilberforce, Ohio 45384
Telephone (937) 376-6459; Fax (937)376-6029
Email: amilburn@centralstate.edu

Contact Information:

For inquiries: oiwuanyanwu@centralstate.edu or amilburn@centralstate.edu

For submissions: oiwuanyanwu@centralstate.edu or amilburn@centralstate.edu

Deadline: 30 September 2011

THE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, 7-9 FEBRUARY, 2012

In 1961, an Arabic unit was established in the University of Ibadan to assuage the desire of scholars who were desirous of accessing information on the history of North African societies most of which were written or documented in Arabic. Led by the famous American historian, John Hunwick, the Department later became a full-fledged Department in 1962. It began to cater for the needs of Nigerians and indeed West African scholars through its programmes in Arabic and Islamic studies broadly defined even as it has facilitated the establishment of similar Departments in Universities all around the country. This conference is, therefore, being organized to mark its golden jubilee anniversary. The conferences shall attempt to look back at the various patterns and contours in Arabic and Islamic culture and scholarship in Nigeria since 1962 and attempt to chart a new course for the future. The need appears to have arisen for us to do a critical appraisal of the current state, future destiny, fortunes and benefits in the study of Arabic/Islamic culture in an era in which globalization and the emergence of new state and non-state actors are shaping and re-shaping cultural and cross-cultural identities and politics. Of what use is Arabic-Islamic culture and scholarship to Nigerian and indeed African future? What new directions could be suggested for the teaching of Arabic-Islamic culture in the West-African region? How have the various departments of Arabic and Islamic Studies faired in Nigeria today, what are the challenges impeding their vision and mission and what prospects lie ahead of them? How might we begin to gauge the impacts of the graduates of Arabic-Islamic culture on national and international alliances and development particularly in the West African sub region since 1962? How might Arabic and Islamic culture be critical for the development of interdisciplinary studies in the academia all around the world? What are the fissures, contradictions and paradoxes that could be observed in-between Arabic-Islamic culture as taught inside the Ivory Towers and the culture outside the universities? The conference organizers would welcome papers which engage with these and similar issues. Such papers may benefit from the following sub-themes which are evidently not exhaustive:

• Arabic and Islamic Studies in Nigerian Universities since 1962.
• Arabic/Islamic Culture and Scholarship in West Africa in the contemporary period.
• Graduates of Arabic and Islamic Studies in Nigeria's Public and International Spheres since 1962.
• Arabic and Islamic Studies and the Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
• Arabic and Islamic Studies in the Arts and the Humanities.
• Arabic and Islamic studies in African Universities and non-formal Quranic Schools.
• En-Gendering Arabic and Islamic Studies in Nigeria.
• Muslim NGOs and Arabic-Islamic Scholarship in Nigeria.
• Arabic-Islamic culture and the Muslim Youth in Nigeria.
• New Strategies and directions in Arabic-Islamic culture and scholarship around the World.
• Pedagogy, epistemology and Arabic-Islamic scholarship.
• New horizons in graduate studies in Arabic-Islamic culture

1. Hasan Ahmed Ibrahim, Professor of African, Islamic and Middle Eastern History and Civilization, Dean, International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Title of Proposed Lead Paper: "The Role of Arabic/Islamic Sources in Enriching African Historiography and Historical Legacy".

2. Amidu Olalekan Sanni, Professor of Arabic, Department of Religious Studies, Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos, Nigeria.

Title of Lead Paper: Textual and Source Criticism in Modern Scholarship on Quranic Studies.

3. Ishaq. O. Oloyede, Professor of Islamic studies and Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria

Title of paper not yet decided

Languages of the Conference: Arabic and English

Abstracts of not more than 250 words should be sent to the conference Secretary/convener, Dr Ibrahim Uthman via the following e-mail address not later than 30 September 2011. fiftyarabicyears@yahoo.com. The Ag. Head of Department and Chairman of the Conference, Afis. A. Oladosu PhD, can be reached via the following e-mail addresses: arabic_studies@mail.ui.edu.ng afism3@yahoo.com. For phone contacts: The Chairman and Secretary can be reached through the following lines: +234-8055-11-5001/ +234-80-3620-1617

Registration fee: 100 Dollars

Contact Information:

For inquiries: arabic_studies@mail.ui.edu.ng or afism3@yahoo.com

For submissions: arabic_studies@mail.ui.edu.ng or afism3@yahoo.com

Deadline: 31 October 2011

The digital revolution is profoundly affecting African studies. New digital resources are making available large areas of content, as well as greatly improving access to bibliographies. In Africa, governments and NGOs are publishing online, some publishers are moving to print on demand and e-books, and international academic journals are increasingly becoming available in university and national libraries.

Yet the story, as is well-known, is far from straightforward or unproblematic. This conference will mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of SCOLMA by taking a critical look at the field of African studies and how it is changing. In particular, although there has been much discussion of new digital resources and what their creators plan to do, we have a limited understanding of their impact on their users and on knowledge production in general. For example, what are the implications for historical research of the availability of digitised sources, and of the choices made in their selection? How do social science researchers work in a field in which much, but not everything, is now available online? Are e-journals – or indeed mobile phones – beginning to change the research process in Africa? And, more generally, how have broader historical and political developments changed African studies and librarianship over the last half-century?

We welcome papers on these themes across the humanities, arts, social sciences and sciences. Papers may deal with digital content, whether digitised or born-digital, of any kind, e.g. archives and manuscripts; audio-visual material; maps; newspapers; books, journals and theses; photographs, prints, drawings and paintings; ephemera; statistical databases; and social media.

The conference will bring together academics and other researchers with librarians and archivists. We aim thus to have a productive exchange of expertise, experience and analysis on the question of knowledge production in African studies.

Themes may include, but are not limited to: • How scholars, researchers, librarians and archivists use digitised resources. • How African studies is changing, and the place of the digital revolution in these changes. • Access to, selection of, and training in the use of digital resources in the library context. Are resources under-used? • To pay or not to pay? How easy is it for researchers to find subscription e-resources? And for libraries to fund them? What is the balance of free and charged resources in the research process? How well do the models for making e-resources available in Africa work? • How well does user consultation work? • Access to the technology that underpins e-resources. • Digital scholarship: are scholars in African studies using digital collections to generate new intellectual products? • The impact of mobile phone technology on African studies. • How patchy is the creation of digital resources, and what – and who – is being left behind? • Language in Africa and new technology.

One-page abstracts of papers on these themes are warmly welcomed. If you would like to give a paper, please send your abstract to

Lucy McCann SCOLMA Secretary Email: lucy.mccann@bodleian.ox.ac.uk. Tel.: 01865 270908

THE DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS IS 31 OCTOBER 2011.

Papers in French are welcome if a summary is provided in English.

SCOLMA: The UK Libraries and Archives Group on Africa
50th ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE
Dis/connects: African Studies in the Digital Age
Oxford, 25–26 June 2012

Contact Information:

For inquiries: lucy.mccann@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

For submissions: lucy.mccann@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

Website: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/library/scolma/

Deadline: 5 April 2012

ICTs, New Media and Social Change in Africa

Conference organised by the Africa Media Centre

In Africa, as in many societies, new technologies increasingly play a prominent role in the production and exchange of information. In spite of their limited penetration on the continent, new information technologies are beginning to have a noticeable effect on politics, activism, culture, entertainment and many other facets of public and private life. There is frequent usage of the Internet and of mobile devices, the rise of influential blogs and news sites, evidence of social media that are more than tools for self-presentation together with the overreliance of major newspapers, radio and television on websites for a broader and more diverse reach in ways that suggest a paradigm shift and the alteration of social values in communication practices today. Evolving media policies, attitudes and use patterns in Africa and the Global South remarkably indicate that the benefits of ICTs and New Media are not confined to the Global North alone.

Key questions, however, relate to how new forms of communication technologies have advanced or subverted social change in Africa. The purpose of this one-day conference is to bring together African scholars from diverse disciplines to collectively explore the thematic issue of the transforming role of ICTs and new media. We are concerned to bring to the fore sub-themes of changing production environments, shifts in funding mechanisms, the role of audiences/users, regulation debates and the ICTs’ potential for human development. Wikileaks have, for example, shown how African governments have struggled to maintain transparency and uphold their citizens’ right to information.

The Arab Spring and other manifestations of tension and struggle among governments, citizens and terrorists, call for debates on social transformation in the context of new media and ICTs. To address these and similar issues relating to the theorisation of the role and influence of new media technologies in Africa, we invite scholars to submit panel proposals and/ or abstracts in the following and related areas:

• Theoretical and Conceptual Issues on New Media and Social Change
• Citizen empowerment, Diasporas and new media
• Social media for Social Change in Africa
• Mediating history in a digital era
• Human development and new ICTs
• New media tools in politics, persuasion and electioneering
• ICTs and Anti-Corruption Campaigns in Africa
• Health Communication, ICTs and New Media in Africa
• Old Media and New Media in Africa
• Regulation of ICTs and new Media in Africa
• Resistance, Activism and New Media Cultures in Africa
• New Media Practices and Organisations in Africa
• Journalism and Media Education in the Digital Age
• From Audiences to Consumer-Producers
• Mobile Phone Revolutions in Africa

The conference organizers welcome abstracts that feature high quality conceptual papers, as well as qualitative and quantitative empirical research papers. Abstracts from individuals including graduate students are welcome.

The deadline for abstracts is Thursday 5 April 2012. Successful applicants will be notified by Monday 16 April 2012. Abstracts should be 300 words long. They must include the presenter's name, affiliation, email and postal address, together with the title of the paper. Please send abstracts to Helen Cohen at journalism@westminster.ac.uk

PROGRAMMES AND REGISTRATION

This one day conference will take place on Friday 15 June 2012. The fee for registration (which applies to all participants, including presenters) will be £95 with a concessionary rate of £45 for students, to cover all conference documentation, refreshments and administration costs. Registration will open in April 2012.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: journalism@westminster.ac.uk

For submissions: journalism@westminster.ac.uk

Website: http://www.westminster.ac.uk/research/a-z/africa-media-centre

Deadline: 8 June 2012

Evolving African Film Cultures: Local and Global Experiences, a conference organised by the Africa Media Centre, University of Westminster

Date: Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 November 2012

Venue: University of Westminster, Regent Campus, 309 Regent Street, London, W1B 2UW

This is the first call for papers for a two-day conference on changes in African film and television production and, of equal importance, the transformation of African film audiences in local and global contexts. African film production, distribution and consumption have been more noticeable in the West African region, as showcased by biennial exhibitions at the FESPACO festivals in Burkina Faso. Arguably, such festivals have encouraged a type of production that is admired by Europeans, but which is rarely available to, or appreciated widely by audiences in those productions’ countries of origin. Portuguese and Arab-speaking regions in Africa have also developed diverse and high quality film cultures, but their experiences need to be debated within a wider context. More recently, Anglophone regions, led by Nigeria, have developed popular commercial film models which have been enthusiastically received by African audiences. One could say that African film markets have been rapidly expanding, with many implications for film and policy makers, distributors and audiences.

Since 2000, audiences for African film elsewhere in the world have grown in size. Such expansion has implications for film content, form, production strategies, distribution mechanisms and policy frameworks. African filmmakers have to delicately negotiate widening markets, for instance, by paying more attention to the political economy of film consumption in the rapidly changing local and global contexts. The digital economy, especially the internet, has opened up huge opportunities for the wider distribution of African film. Papers may focus on, among other topics, the following:

• Production cultures and circulation of film;

• History, myth and identity in African film;

• The representation of African cultures in film;

• Audiences, reception and sites of spectatorship;

• Indigenous language films and the problems of subtitles and illiteracy.

• Morality and spirituality in African cinema;

• Exhibition, financing and distribution of African film;

• Cinema and digital technologies;

• Film festivals and the development of national cinemas in Africa;

• Revenue, business models and piracy

• Auteur, film genres and form

• Collaborative filmmaking in the global north/trans-national collaborations

• African film philosophy

• The image, sound, written and spoken word in filmic narratives

• Institutions, policies and film agencies

DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS

The deadline for submission of abstracts is Friday 8 June, 2012. Successful applicants will be notified by Monday 18 June, 2012. Abstracts should be 300 words long. They must include the title of the conference, presenter’s name, affiliation, email and postal address, together with the title of the paper. Please ensure when saving your abstract that your name is part of the file name.

PROGRAMME AND REGISTRATION

This two day conference will take place on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 November, 2012. The fee for registration (which applies to all participants, including presenters) will be £140, with a concessionary rate of £60 for students, to cover all conference documentation, refreshments and administration costs. Registration will open in September 2012.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries/ submissions: Helen Cohen, Events Administrator, at journalism@westminster.ac.uk

Website: http://www.westminster.ac.uk/research/a-z/africa-media-centre

Deadline: 13 April 2012

South African Translators’ Institute
Triennial Conference
The Role of Translation and Interpreting
in Language Development
Date: Saturday 29 September 2012
Venue: University of Johannesburg
Second Call for Papers

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

Professor Sihawu Ngubane
Chairperson: Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB)
“The Role of Translation and Interpreting in Language Development”

PLENARY SPEAKERS:

Ms Landela Nyangintsimbi
Tshwane Metro Language Division
The role of local government in language development
Professor Nathi Ngcobo
Department of Linguistics, University of South Africa

The conference, which also celebrates International Translation Day 2012, includes the presentation of the prestigious SATI Prizes for Outstanding Translation and Dictionaries for 2012. These awards were introduced by SATI in 2000 as a means of promoting the publication of translated works in the South African official languages.

We are delighted to announce that world renowned expert on editing Brian Mossop will run a workshop as part of the day’s proceedings.

Parallel sessions will be held following the plenary addresses.

We are most encouraged by the range of abstracts already received. Proposals will be accepted until 13 April 2012. Possible subjects include:

♦ How statutory requirements influence language development
♦ Government initiatives and support for language development
♦ Translation as an ideological tool
♦ The political dimensions of translation
♦ The practical intent of translation and interpreting
♦ Educational interpreting
♦ Translation in publishing
♦ Language development: The role of terminology and lexicography
♦ The marginalisation of translation and interpreting in contemporary South Africa

Prospective contributors should submit their abstracts (500 words) (include contact details, a 150- word bio of the presenters, and the knowledge level of the participants you wish to address: basic, advanced or all participants) to seminar@translators.org.za. The conference language is English. The following formats are possible: Presentations (30 minutes, including time for questions) | Panel discussions (90 minutes) | Seminars (90 or 180 minutes) | Workshops (90 or 180 minutes).

BACKGROUND TO THE CONFERENCE

South Africa's multilingual dispensation is supported by language provisions in the Constitution, language legislation such as the Pan South African Language Board Act (1995), and government policy statements such as the Language-in-Education Policy (1997), the Language Policy for Higher Education (2002) and the National Language Policy Framework and its Implementation Plan (2003). Against this backdrop of enabling policy and statutory measures language development is clearly an important imperative for both government and the language professions and industry.

The South African Translators’ Institute (SATI) is a well-established association that has been serving the translation and interpreting profession for more than 50 years. It has a code of conduct, self-regulation through a voluntary system of accreditation (in a broad range of languages), development projects (a bursary scheme to assist translation and interpreting students working in African languages; a prestigious translation prize awarded for outstanding published translations in the official languages) and involvement in forums and projects at national and international level such as the International Federation of Translators (the only translation association from Africa to serve on its governing body).

SATI is still the only comprehensive non-profit professional organisation for language practitioners in South Africa, with some 800 members across the spectrum of language mediation activities such as translation, interpreting, text editing, terminology and lexicography. Also, whereas initially SATI’s members were translators working almost exclusively in English and Afrikaans, its focus has now shifted significantly and as a result its members are now representative of activities in some 50 languages, including all the official African languages and South African Sign Language, as well as other languages such as French, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin.

The role of translation in the development of languages and literatures has been well documented by, among others, Toury (1995), Cronin (1995) and Woodsworth (1996). However, the same does not apply to the South African context, notwithstanding that the translation and interpreting profession has made and will undoubtedly continue to make important contributions in these areas. In addition to being tools to facilitate communication, translation and interpreting also serve as pivotal language development tools in the sense that they create ‘discursive space’ and grow socio-cultural domains for ‘lesser used’ languages. The developmental capacity of translation and interpreting manifests, among other things, in the growth and elaboration of corpora by introducing new registers and linguistic items (also through the labour of terminologists and lexicographers) and ultimately the introduction of new genres (both literary and non-literary) and discourses. Since language development is essentially a transformational activity, translation and interpreting are also important reconciliatory tools in promoting tolerance, understanding and mutual respect in expanding and consolidating democracy.

Much work is being done in this field, but much remains to be done. As regards government’s obligations, the conspicuous absence of the proposed South African Languages Act and the South African Language Practitioners’ Council Act is of particular concern to stakeholders across the board. It has been argued that language policy implementation has become trapped in the gap between ‘intention’ and ‘performance’, also as far as the provision of translation and interpreting infrastructure is concerned. It seems as if the translation and interpreting profession has been marginalised and its beneficial language development and empowering role ignored.

The SA Translators’ Institute, as one of the key actors in the language professions and industries in South Africa, invites researchers and members of these and related disciplines and industries to submit proposals for presentations, panel discussions, seminars or workshops on the conference theme. There will be several parallel sessions following the plenary presentations, with the themes dependent on the proposals submitted.

Questions and queries? Contact the SATI Office at seminar@translators.org.za or 011 803 2681.

Late submissions will be accepted up to 13 April 2012. Submit abstracts (500 words) to seminar@translators.org.za. The conference language is English. The following formats are possible:

♦ Presentations (30 minutes, including time for questions)
♦ Panel discussions (90 minutes)
♦ Seminars (90 or 180 minutes)
♦ Workshops (90 or 180 minutes)

KEY DATES:

• Deadline for submissions: 13 April 2012
• Submissions informed of acceptance: 30 April
• Provisional programme published: 31 May 2012
• Early Bird registrations open: 1 May 2012
• Late registrations open: 1 July 2012
• Submission of full version of papers for inclusion
• in conference proceedings: 31 August 2012
• Final programme published: 1 September 2012

For inquiries: seminar@translators.org.za

For submissions: seminar@translators.org.za

Website: http://translators.org.za

Deadline: 30 June 2011

The Moroccan Culture Research Group (MCRG) at the Faculty of Letters & Human Sciences, El Jadida is organizing its 1st. International conference on Cultures and Languages in Contact, 23-24 November, 2011.

The main goal of this symposium is to bring together scholars working on some of the issues that are being addressed within the context of languages, culture, and intercultural communication. Specifically, the symposium seeks to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art, explore new directions and emerging trends in cultures and languages.

Thematic areas include (but are not confined to):

1. Language, Culture and Identity
2. Cultural Representation & Cultural Translation
3. Literacy & Ethnography
4. Language Policy and Planning
5. Multilingualism and Education
6. Intercultural Communication & Globalization
7. Intercultural Rhetoric & Discourse

Presentations will be allowed 20 minutes plus an additional 10 minutes for discussion. Please submit a 250-word abstract by 30th of June 2011 to Pr. Abdelkader Sabil (abdelkaders@gmail.com). Abstracts should include: Title of Paper, Family Name (s), First Name (s), Institutional Affiliation, Current Position, an email address and at least 3 keywords that best describe the subject of your submission.

Notifications of acceptance will be sent out on July 30th. 2011.

Selected papers will be published in Special Volumes of Conference Proceedings.

The conference registration fee is 50 Euros, covering access to all sessions, 2 lunches, coffee breaks and conference materials. Special arrangements will be made with local hotels for a limited number of rooms at a special conference rate.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: abdelkaders@gmail.com

For submissions: abdelkaders@gmail.com

Deadline: 28 June 2012

The Drama for Life Africa Research Conference constitutes one of the foremost platforms for Applied drama/theatre research and practice on the African continent. The DFL conference has grown in international stature since 2008 to create an inter-continental and international dialogue about the significant role applied drama and theatre can play in social regeneration. The conference will provide opportunities for Applied Drama, Drama in Education, Drama Therapy, Psychology, and Social Work scholars, researchers, practitioners, activists, Government and NGO trainers and community workers to engage in compelling and critical dialogue regarding their work.

The focus of the conference is to engage with the growing trends of global intolerance, conflict and violence with a view of forging innovative artistic interventions as a form of social activism. The conference will reflect on, and interrogate, the relationship between applied drama and the potential of the intersection of these fields of study in facing the challenge of trauma in post-conflict communities and social contexts. It will explore applied drama/theatre-based pedagogies as pedagogies that build critical reflective practice toward social change and social cohesion.

Papers and workshops on the following topics are invited:

• In what ways has applied drama responded to conflict contexts?
• How has applied drama reflected violence and trauma emanating from conflict?
• How can applied drama be used as an effective pedagogy to address the inherent contributing factors toward conflict?
• In what ways can applied drama be used as an effective conflict management strategy?
• What role can indigenous cultural performances and rituals play in post-conflict contexts?
• How can applied drama contribute toward notions of peace building and social transformation in post-conflict contexts?
• In what ways can applied drama contribute toward the development of socially responsible artists?

All interested parties are invited to submit a proposal. Application forms will be uploaded shortly. The deadline for proposals is 28 June 2012.

(We will update this listing when the application forms have been uploaded on the source website and when the submissions details are already available.)

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Website: http://www.dramaforlife.co.za

Deadline: 27 May 2011

SAHARA seeks to appoint a Journal manager for its flagship, accredited quarterly, multilingual journal, the Journal of Social Aspect of HIV/AIDS/ Journal des Aspecs Sociaux du VIH/SIDA (SAHARA J), from 01 July 2011 for a period of two years. The successful candidate will be based either in Pretoria or Port Elizabeth. The scope of the journal covers all fields of social aspects of HIV/AIDS and reflects the Network’s own inclusive understanding of ‘social science’ as empirical enquiry in understanding issues of HIV/AIDS. The journal is highly ranked internationally: indexed among others in IBSS and Thompson ISI.

Key responsibilities:

* Register new paper submissions;
* Identify additional expert reviewers (in area of paper) from internet search;
* Send out papers for review (each: 3 reviewers, 2 from editorial board & 1 additional expert)
* Tracking and follow-up of reviews;
* Submit completed reviews to editor;
* Correspondence with authors on editor’s summary report;
* Tracking of revised papers;
* Send revised paper to reviewers;
* Submit completed second review to editor;
* Correspondence with authors on editor’s second report;
* Tracking of second revision of paper;
* Follow-up on remaining formal aspects of paper submission, e.g. biographic notes, key words, references;
* Send paper to English language editor;
* Send paper to French language editor, French abstract translation;
* Tracking of English language editing, French abstract;
* Correspond with authors on queries from language editors and technical editing;
* Compile a table of contents;
* Send table of contents for French translation;
* Submit final version of papers to the publishers;
* Correspond with publishers on queries;
* File all correspondence, papers systematically;
* Update editorial board, address changes, and any other changes in journal;
* Table submitted, accepted, rejected papers;
* Identify books and conferences and other events in the area of social aspects of HIV/AIDS from publishers and the internet;
* Order book review copies from publisher;
* Send books to the book review editor;
* Assist in tracking book reviews;
* Submit completed book reviews to editor;
* Correspond with author of book reviews on editor’s report;
* Send book reviews for language editing and track them;
* Submit retrieved conference and other event information to the editor;
* Send conference information, etc. for language editing, possibly translation and tracking;
* Send reviews and information to publishers and respond to queries;
* Organise and prepare minutes of editorial board meetings;
* Send out information about the journal (guidelines to authors) to requests from authours;
* Deal with copyright requests from authors.

Key requirements:

* Masters degree in social sciences;
* Appropriate experience of, and involvement in managing scholarly journal(s);
* Research experience and publications in the field of social aspects of HIV/AIDS will be highly recommended.

Package

The HSRC offers attractive, market-related packages, depending on qualifications and experience.

Applications

In your application, please include: your CV, a letter of motivation, and the details of three recent referees (with telephone, fax and e-mail contact details). Ensure that you indicate the reference number. The HSRC will only consider applications that comply with the above requirements. Applicants may be required to undertake a written exercise in the competencies required for the position.

Please submit your application to: Mrs. Beth MacGregor, Private Bag X 9182, Cape Town 8000. E-mailed and faxed applications will not be accepted. For further enquiries, please contact the SAHARA Director, Prof Refilwe Nancy Phaswana-Mafuya on +27 (0) 41 399 8700 /8702 / 8704.

The HSRC is committed to accelerating the improvement in the proportion of its senior managers and research and administrative staff who are black, female or disabled.
Closing date: 27 May 2011. We encourage applicants to submit before that date.

Applicants who have not been contacted within eight weeks should assume that their applications have been unsuccessful. Only candidates who are interviewed will be advised of the outcome of their application.

APPLICATIONS FROM RECRUITMENT AGENCIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: contact the SAHARA Director, Prof Refilwe Nancy Phaswana-Mafuya on +27 (0) 41 399 8700 /8702 / 8704

For submissions: Mrs. Beth MacGregor, Private Bag X 9182, Cape Town 8000

Website: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/

Deadline: 1 August 2011

SOCIETY OF MOVIE SCHOLARS (SoMS) in collaboration with NATIONAL FILM AND VIDEO CENSORS BOARD (NFVCB) and ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA THEATRE ARTS PRACTTIONERS (ANTP) INVITES THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE THEORIZATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF AFRICAN REGIONAL MOVIES

Background

African movies across its regions have grown to the extent that there is need to critically do their in-depth studies with the purpose of generating theories on their packaging, analysis and proper classification into genres. Most movies produced in Africa are packaged without recourse to definite theories. Broadly speaking, most of the movies can be categorized into three groups namely, cultural or epic; modern and religious movies. While the religious and cultural movies could be in local or foreign languages, modern movies are so described because they are often located in the context of urban or rural populace and are produced in foreign or local languages, treating themes bothering on modern issues. But where they are in local languages, they are often lazed with Pidgin English or code mixed. However, these groupings possess the tendency to overlap if these categories are to be retained. Thus, it is difficult to arrogate to these groupings as genres on their own, more so that these grading are not guided by definite theories.

To define these groups effectively therefore, it might be necessary to do a close survey of their constituents. This is when the components can be highlighted into specific genres for stimulating and rich academic exercise. It is expected as the outcome of the exercise that specialization, originality and scope-widening and thus further ground for employment creation and legitimacy of production and its development would be engendered. Then practitioners’ specializations on specific genres would increase, and the tendency to recycle old ideas for new creations would be reduced.

This conference is therefore organized with the intent of gathering interested scholars and practitioners within and outside Africa to rub minds so as to evolve specific theories of packaging, analysis, and map out what genres African movies could be grouped. Taking a leap from the fact that movies are audio-visualisation of literature and literary texts and are analysed based on definite theories, the objective therefore is to cut a niche for African movies like literature, and place them strategically in the world movie categorizations but based on African development ideals and thus globalise what hitherto were local mediations.

CALL FOR PAPERS

In view of the above, abstracts are invited from academics, media industry professionals, movie producers, distributors, government agencies, policymakers, movie regulators, agencies, donors, civil society organisations, independent consultants, research groups and students, on any aspects of the under listed sub-themes. Such abstracts which should not exceed 200 words should be based on the analysis of select movies that fall within the sub-themes. This would eventually argue out the basis for specified theories and why the movie should be classified within the genres that the scholar is advocating. Contributors should however not forget to state under which sub-theme they are submitting their abstract.

Abstracts are to be sent to our E-mail address: moviescholars@gmail.com on or before August 1st 2011, while full paper must reach us before September 1st, 2011.

Sub-themes

Below are the likely, but by no means the only sub-themes on which abstracts can be submitted.

1. Trends in movie Theories.
2. Existing Literary Theories and the need or not, for distinct African movie theories.
3. Generating theories on African movies.
4. Emergent genres in African movies.
5. Movies and the relevance of African-specific genres.
6. Classifying African urban and rural movies.
7. Gender and social issues in African movies, need for classical genrization.
8. War and crime movies and proper classification.
9. Travel movies and issues of depiction.
10. African movies and the global media culture.
11. Representation of economic, social and political issues in African movies
12. Africans’ contributions to the Theories of Gaze.
13. Sociology and Psychology of African movies.

Proposals should include abstract title, author's name, address, telephone number, email address, and institutional affiliation.

Conference fee: A non-refundable registration fee of N10, 000 or (USD 200, BP100 for participants from the US, Europe, and other African countries). This must be paid immediately when an abstract is accepted. It is expected that all participants will raise the funding to attend the conference please.

LEAD PAPER: Professor Ahmed Yerima, Head of Department, Department of Theatre and Performing Arts, Kwara State University Malete Kwara State (Title of Paper: African Movies: The needs for unique identities)

GUEST OF HONOUR: Emeka Mba, Director General, National Film and Video Censors Board, Abuja

KEY NOTE ADDRESS: Comrade Victor Ashaolu, National President, Association of Nigeria Theatre Arts Practitioners, National Theatre, Lagos

Conference Dates:

• Arrival- October 24th, 2011
• Opening and plenary sessions 25th--27th October, 2011

Enquiries:

For more details, please visit the website: www.moviescholars.org OR contact any of the following:

*Kayode Animasaun, PhD: Osun State University, Ikire Campus, Ikire. Chairman LOC: +2348073787551, drkayanimasaun@gmail.com

*Gloria Ernest-Samuel, Imo State University Owerri- Secretary. LOC: +2348035085625, gloimsu@yahoo.com

*Ameh Akoh PhD H.O.D Languages and Linguistics Department, Osun State University, Ikire Campus, Ikire- Convener : +2348035992490, amehakoh@yahoo.co.uk

Contact Information:

For inquiries: drkayanimasaun@gmail.com

For submissions: moviescholars@gmail.com

Website: http://www.moviescholars.org/

Deadline: 1 June 2011

In an extension of the extremely successful symposium held at the University of Haute Alsace, France 18-20 March 2011, titled “Asian American Literature and Maxine Hong Kingston’s Legacy”, the University of Jendouba co-organizes with UHA an International Conference, titled “Science, Art, and Gender in The Global Rise of Indigenous Languages” to be held in Jendouba, 26-29 October 2011, paying homage to the Tunisian Revolution in January 2011 and honoring the presence, participation and related works of Noam Chomsky and Maxine Hong Kingston (on the usage board of The American Heritage Dictionary of The American Language). The aim of the conference is to address indigenous issues, while also remaining within the continuity of Maxine Hong Kingston’s gender-sensitive literature.

The encounter shall examine the contemporary rise of fully indigenous languages and dialects surviving up and through colonial, technological, mercantile, religious and other dominating languages. All suggestions in relation to these issues are welcome, though we are particularly interested in papers falling under the following panels:

-What makes an indigenous language indigenous?
-Legacy and residuals of indigenous languages from Britain to Brittany, Turkey to Tunisia, Algeria to America.
-Relationship between Arabic and Berber in North Africa.
-Gender issues and representations in literatures about indigenous languages and people.
-Indigenous resistance.
-The School of Genetic Linguistics/ Linguistic Genetics and new colonialism.
-The colonial language layers on indigenous linguistic treasures.
-Similarities between Algonquian Blackfoot and Cree with Hawaiian and Uto-Aztecan.
-Perils and promises of Indigenous languages of the Americas.

Confirmed speakers and paper-providers include Noam Chomsky (who will be at the conference by way of his paper, and possibly by way of a teleconferencing or skyping process), Maxine Hong Kingston, Louis Buff Parry, Yann Kerdiles, Sämi Ludwig, Edward Sklepowich, Mounir Triki, Abderrezak Dourari, Nessima Tarchouna, Leona Makokis/Leona Carter, Lynn Hannachi, Crystal S. Bull and Lewis Cardinal.

To submit a proposal, please email in a word format an abstract (150 words including the title) and a brief biography (50 words) ON or BEFORE June 1st to the following contacts:

-Louis Buff Parry: info@louisbuffparry.com
-Sihem Arfaoui Abidi: aa_sassou@yahoo.com

June 5th notification of selection.

October 24th complete papers.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: info@louisbuffparry.com or aa_sassou@yahoo.com

For submissions: info@louisbuffparry.com or aa_sassou@yahoo.com

Website: http://www.uj.rnu.tn/

Deadline: 30 August 2012

Among the hottest topics of discussion in the Middle East media circles is the proliferation of universities and training centers that offer journalism and mass communication programs. Thousands of young communicators are graduated every year into an uncertain job market, possessing various skills levels, and lacking career focus. Communications programs are among the most popular majors at universities, especially for women, and are often the largest program in schools. But what are the realities of the marketplace, and what attributes of graduates are professional media outlets seeking? To help answer these questions, the American University of Sharjah is sponsoring a two-day conference in English and Arabic for educators, media professionals, and students.

Papers and panel proposals in English or Arabic are being solicited that address, among other topics:

· Best practices in mass communication research and teaching

· Preparing students for the world of work in mass communication

· Status of ethics and law courses in the region: How important are they?

· Teaching students international standards of reporting and news writing

· The carrying capacity of the job market: Are we churning out too many students?

· Teaching broadcast students to write for print, and print students to broadcast: what’s the status of convergence media programs and multi-platform news centers?

· Fighting the last war: Are we teaching journalism conflict studies properly?

· Strategic communication: it’s not just advertising and public relations any more.

· Graduate school for mass communication students: go abroad and study at home

· What do they want from us? The people who hire our students speak out.

· What’s new? Changing curricula to reflect changing interests and trends in communication.

· Social networking in classes: good, bad or just ugly.

· Is a university j-school degree necessary to work in mass communication? Professionals and educators continue the debate.

· It’s what you know not who you know: changes in traditional hiring practices.

Deadlines: Paper abstracts and Panel Proposals, August 30, 2012

Completed papers in English or Arabic November 1, 2012 (for publication in Spring/Summer issue of Global Media Journal—Arabian Edition)

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: contact Dr. Ralph D. Berenger, conference coordinator, American University of Sharjah via e-mail at rberenger@aus.edu

Website: http://www.aus.edu/

Deadline: 9 December 2011

The story of Africa in the world is in some ways a history of crime: from the Atlantic slave trade to the Nigerian “419” email scam, violence and illegality have often been the means by which the continent is inscribed in the Western imagination. On a more local level, crime has also served as the medium through which Africa and its peoples have negotiated engagement with globalization. Besides the obvious movement of illicit goods onto the global market, this is evident in the intricate international networks for smuggling people across the Sahara; in the prostitution rings that link parts of Africa to parts of Europe; and in the poaching syndicates driven by Asian demand for exotica such as rhino horn. The problematic role of law and/or its absence has long been the focal point of historical and social scientific work on Africa, though not without controversy over the line between voyeurism and observation.

Increasingly, fiction writers and literary scholars have also got in on the act. In South Africa, authors such as Deon Meyer and Margie Orford have topped the best-seller lists with their crime fiction, and the genre has gathered steam across the continent. What explains this development? What, if any, is the connection between the boom in writing about crime, and the problem of crime as it is experienced day to day? Finally, how can we both acknowledge crime’s dominant place in African narratives (and narratives about Africa), and question the limitations of this negative paradigm?

We invite scholars from across the disciplines working on crime in Africa and related subjects to a conference at Yale University on March 23rd, 2012. Young and established scholars are welcome at what we hope will be an open and informal forum for pondering these issues. Those interested in delivering papers as part of themed conference panels should submit abstracts to crimeinafrica@gmail.com by no later than December 9th, with copies of accepted papers to be submitted no later than March 16th.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: crimeinafrica@gmail.com

For submissions: crimeinafrica@gmail.com