The African Studies Association (ASA) Annual Meeting serves as the largest global gathering for Africanist scholars and represents the association's flagship event. The 2025 ASA Annual Meeting will be held in Atlanta, GA at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis from November 20 - 22. The Pre-conference PIPES Workshop will be held November 19. More information on hotels and travel can be found here.
The ASA is dedicated to creating the possibility to embrace diverse ways of knowing, and resist the essentialization of African experiences through narrow, externally imposed lenses. This requires crossing multiple boundaries: disciplinary, geographical, and epistemological. The ASA Annual Meeting provides a platform for scholars, practitioners, and students to engage with critical issues, share research, and foster collaboration.
The call for papers for the 68th annual meeting of the ASA invites participants to reflect on the politics of knowledge in African studies. We aim to engage with the structural inequalities and erasures that continue to exist within our fields of study; and to interrogate the relevance of African studies for Africa and the world. Critical voices have addressed these issues within and through African studies time and time again. A few years ago, James Pritchett and then Jean Allman used the ASA presidential lectern to remind us about the decades-old marginalization of Black voices within African studies. In the call for papers for the 63rd annual meeting of the association, Prinisha Badassy and Carina Ray centered the persistence of racialized structures of power in the study of Africa.
The African Studies Association (ASA) is excited to continue our AfricaNow! format to accommodate emerging issues on our Annual Meeting program. These sessions will feature current events, new practitioner work, discussion of preliminary research, informal art analysis, non-traditional presentation formats (eg: photo essays, spontaneous poetry, movement exhibition, etc.), memorials, and spark thesis presentations.
Here are some of the diverse topics and themes that are explored during the ASA Annual Meeting:
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Agrarian Transformations and the Race Question
This panel invites submissions that centre the race question in exploring new directions in Agrarian.
Education and Social Change
This panel examines the transformative role of education in shaping social change across African nations.
The Horn of Africa: Colonialism, Conflict, and Complex Histories
The Horn of Africa has long been shaped by complex histories of colonialism, conflict.
Speculative Narratives and Western Rule
Over centuries of Western rule, speculative narratives about the social systems and political movements.
Political, Material, and Environmental Crises
Our time is one of intersecting political, material, and environmental crises - many of which.
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The Discursive Construction of the ‘Settler’ and the ‘Native’ in South Africa
The discursive construction of the ‘settler’ and the ‘native’ in South Africa is at the.
Polysemy in Natural Language
Every natural language is afflicted and privileged with polysemy. In English, pleasure is synonymous with.
African Developers and Algorithmic Systems
As African developers and users forge intimate, contested, and creative relationships with algorithmic systems in.
Healing in Africa
The study of healing in Africa has long been trapped within constraining binaries: traditional versus.
Clean Energy Sources in Africa
Across the African continent, the pursuit for clean energy sources to accelerate the transition to.
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Religion and Counter-Hegemony
This panel seeks to explore the relationship between religion and forms of counter-hegemony in the.
Web 2.0 and the Participatory Web
Over the past decade, Web 2.0-often referred to as the participatory or social web-has dramatically.
The Gender Backlash
The Gender Backlash is no longer a novel phenomenon, both in Africa and globally.
Northern Nigeria’s Intellectual Traditions
This panel invites submissions that seek to highlight Northern Nigeria’s intellectual traditions-rooted in indigenous systems.
Democratic Process of Creative Self-Making
This panel invites proposals for studies of the democratic process of creative self-making and popular.
Environmental Violence and Migration in West Africa
This panel seeks to highlight the connection between Environmental violence and Migration in West Africa.
UN Report Finds Migrants Face Violence by African Officials
Feminist Perspectives and Practices
This panel invites scholars to explore the multifaceted intersections of feminist perspectives and practices articulated.
China-Africa Socio-Economic and Political Relationships
The socio-economic and political relationships between China and the continent of Africa continue to bolster.
Mining in West Africa
Potential presenters are sought for the West Africa Research Association’s (WARA) co-sponsored panel on “Mining.
Pre-Colonial Gender Studies
How has research in pre-colonial gender studies affected current research? How have approaches to gender.
Digital Technologies
According to Jonathan Dotse (2016), because digital technologies have become an integral feature of many.
Gender, Tradition, and "Customary" Governance
We invite abstract submissions for a panel that explores the relationships between gender, tradition, “customary.
The Written Text in African Literature
The written text in African literature has a rich history even though pioneering works can.
Social Movements
Main argument: Studies of social movements mostly focus on Western (primarily)theories and structural arguments; relatively.
Culture
We are looking for co-panelists working in a range of disciplines who explore how culture.
Global Mobility Regimes and Border Security Practices
The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally reshaped global mobility regimes and border security practices, with particularly.
African Storytelling
At an African studies conference 2023, we called for a panel on African Storytelling where.
Autobiographies of Politicians
What can we learn about history, governance, and democracy from the autobiographies of politicians? This.
The Colonial World
Our understanding of the colonial world is mediated. Within visual and textual archives, knowledge of.
Western-Centred Discourses and Theories Regarding Gender
Over the last decades, African scholars have subjected Western-centred discourses and theories regarding gender and.
Migration and Return Migration
Within African literary discussions, migration and return migration stand out as critical themes that interrogate.
Oral Traditions and Warfare
This panel invites submissions that explore the relationship between oral traditions and warfare in African.
Feminist Ethics of Care
With an emphasis on Africa, this study explores the feminist ethics of care as a.
Urban Studies of Africa
In recent years, urban studies of Africa have grappled with a persistent epistemological challenge: how.
The Multifaceted Nature of Food in Africa
This panel is looking for presenters exploring the multifaceted nature of food in Africa.
These diverse panels and presentations at the ASA Annual Meeting create a rich and engaging environment for scholars and practitioners to share their work, learn from others, and contribute to the ongoing development of African studies.
Digital Cultures, Voice and (New) Forms of Civic Participation in Africa
The Social Science Research Council’s (SSRC’s) African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) programs hosted two panels at the 2022 African Studies Association (ASA) Annual Meeting in Philadelphia on November 17-19. The first panel, titled “Digital Cultures, Voice and (New) Forms of Civic Participation in Africa,” was chaired by Dr. Duncan Omanga and featured Dr. Charles Prempeh (Next Gen fellow, 2016), Dr. Toyin Ajao (Next Gen fellow, 2015 and 2017), and Dr. Mohamed Bakhit (APN fellow, 2019).
Dr. Prempeh’s presentation, titled “Digital Spaces, Democracy and Local/Diaspora Voices in Ghana,” began with a historical overview of youth participation in Ghanaian politics. He then identified the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act of 2019 as a watershed moment that led to youth political participation migrating to online spaces. Dr. Prempeh then highlighted the #FixTheCountry movement as evidence of how online civic activism has “broadened the frontiers” of political spaces and demanded accountability from Ghanaian political elites.
Following Dr. Prempeh was Dr. Toyin Ajao, who discussed her paper titled “Citizen’s Collective Post-#ENDSARS Organizing: Lessons and Opportunities for Future Governance in Nigeria” and spoke to the criticality of the online aspect of the #EndSARS protests given the violent repression of protesters by state security forces. Dr. Ajao also discussed how the EndSARs movement’s decentralized nature and use of digital currency (Bitcoin) enabled protestors, particularly the feminist, youth-led coalition, to evade some of the state’s repressive tactics. She argued that digital platforms provided a forum for engaging in post-violence healing, trauma recovery, and collective well-being and mental health.
Dr. Mohamed Bakhit presented his paper titled “A Revolution from the Centre: The Role of Digital Culture in Promoting Resistance During Uprising in Sudan 2018-22,” on the 2018-19 protests in Sudan, which led to the overthrow of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir, and revealed distinct differences in political participation by different socioeconomic groups. He engaged with the idea of “center versus periphery” in order to explain variations in how wealthier citizens in central Khartoum and “peripheral” groups in poorer, outer regions of the city engaged in the pro-democratic revolution. Dr. Bakhit pointed to how social media use among wealthier Sudanese and university students in Khartoum during the protests gave them a disproportionately loud voice, while those on the “periphery” relied more on “resistance committees” and family networks to sustain protests. He noted that the use of social media by wealthier groups risks privileging elite voices and prolonging the unaddressed grievances of marginalized populations.
Youth, Urban Mobilities and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Emerging Trajectories for Peace and Development in Africa
The second panel, titled “Youth, Urban Mobilities and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Emerging Trajectories for Peace and Development in Africa,” was chaired by Dr. Cyril Obi and featured Dr. Irene Mngutyo (Next Gen fellow, 2015), Dr. Ibrahim Bangura (APN fellow, 2016), Dr. Simbarashe Gukurume (Next Gen fellow, 2015 and APN fellow, 2021), and Dr. Robert Ojambo (Next Gen fellow, 2012 and 2014).
Dr. Mngutyo’s presentation on “Invisible Urbanites: Displaced Youth Mobility and Imperatives for Development, Peace, and Security in Nigeria” began by discussing conceptualizations of “youth” in Nigeria as an “under-utilized resource,” simultaneously seen as a strain on resources and the future of economic growth. Her paper focused on youth in the area surrounding Makurdi in central Nigeria, particularly those who have relocated to the city due to displacement by perennial flooding. Dr. Mngutyo emphasized how the camps where displaced youth live are devoid of economic opportunities and hostility from host communities, causing them to look towards Makurdi city in search of work, usually low-paying menial labor.
Dr. Ibrahim Bangura began by highlighting how Sierra Leone’s prior experience with civil war and the Ebola epidemic had made the government and citizenry wary of Covid-19, which ultimately culminated in a harsh government response. In his paper titled “Navigating a Complex Space: Youth, Urban Mobility and Marginality in COVID-19 Affected Sierra Leone,” His paper focused on how state response impacted urban youth largely employed in the transport industry, particularly based on the use of commercial motorbikes. It explored how young Sierra Leoneans struggled to maintain their livelihoods under repressive governance and arbitrary mobility restrictions. His presentation also traced the pre-existing and growing rifts between the youth and the central government, a dynamic which has only heightened tensions in economically unstable pandemic and post-pandemic conditions.
Dr. Gukurume’s presentation focused on Mbare, one of the suburban areas of Harare, and how youth operating in informal economies survived during the pandemic. Following Dr. Bangura was Dr. Gukurume, who presented his paper on “Negotiating Livelihoods in Pandemic Times: Experiences of Urban Youth in the Informal Economy in Zimbabwe.” He began with a thorough historical description of Mbare as a town originally created to house male laborers during the colonial period and later a center for political resistance during the 1990s. The presentation also identified the impact of the state’s restrictive policies imposed on the country in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic in exacerbating unemployment and poverty among urban youth. After detailing how the closure of businesses deemed “non-essential” and travel restrictions harshly impacted youth in Mbare’s informal economy, Dr. Gukurume provided a rigorous theoretical grounding in structuration theory and theories of agency, navigation, and everyday peacebuilding.
The final panelist, Dr. Ojambo, presented his paper titled “The Fight against COVID-19: Youth and the Emerging Trajectories for Peace and Development in Urban Spaces in Uganda,” which provides a context for the harsh lockdown instituted by the Ugandan government. The presentation explained that the state’s response to the public health crisis was based on a militarized approach wherein elements of state security forces handled health emergencies and operated health facilities. Echoing the previous presenters, Dr. Ojambo pointed to the impact of the state’s response to Covid-19 in the form of rapid and widespread unemployment of urban youth. He also highlighted lengthy school closures, which forced many young women to turn to prostitution and young men into delinquency and crime. Additionally, his presentation touched on the harsh usage of the pandemic to gag political opposition and forcibly detain critics of the government which, at some points, resulted in more deaths than the virus itself.
