12th Annual African, African American, and Diaspora Studies (AAAD) Interdisciplinary Conference
Hosted virtually by James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
Feb 16-19, 2022
Deadline Extended: November 1, 2021
The African, African American, and Diaspora Studies program at James Madison University invites proposals for its annual interdisciplinary conference, to be held virtually as a webinar series from Wednesday, February 16 to Saturday, February 19, 2022. This year’s theme is “Voices of Race, Modes of Advocacy.” Ranging across topics from scientific practice to social policy to cultural movements, the conference will bring together a group of scholars and archivists from a wide variety of overlapping and intersecting fields. The conference will feature a keynote presentation by scholar, activist, and social critic Dorothy Roberts (Fatal Invention, Killing the Black Body, Shattered Bonds).
We welcome proposals from scholars in all relevant disciplines at any point in their scholarly careers. Proposals for 20-minute presentations or 60-minute panels could address, but are not limited to, topics such as these:
- The Persistence of Racial Ideologies
- Narrative, Context, and Advocacy
- Technologies of Embodiment
- Law and Medicine
- Social Determinants of Health
- Climate Justice
- Race and Environment
- Black Geographies
- Navigating and Transforming Predominantly White Institutions
- Black Digital Humanities
- Activist Performances
- Postcolonial and Decolonial Knowledges
- Queer Knowledges
- Speculative Fiction
- Witnessing
- Black Lives Matter
- Aesthetic Realism and Anti-Realisms
- Political Post-Realism
- Ubuntu
- #BlackTwitter
- Black Periodicals and Publishing Histories
- Feminist Advocacy
- Prisons
- Resource Networks and Infrastructure
- Black Humanisms, Anti-Humanisms, and Post-Humanisms
- Indigenous Sciences and Technologies
Please send any questions and/or 300-word presentation proposals (or 1000-word panel proposals) to aaadstudies@jmu.edu by November 1, 2021. Proposals should include a presentation and/or panel title, along with each presenter’s name, institutional affiliation, email address, and a brief bio. Panel proposals must include at least three panelists. Further information and updates about the conference may be found at
sites.lib.jmu.edu/aaadjmu.