The African American Studies Program at Boston University invites
proposals for individual papers and complete panels for its second
annual international conference on global connections between Blacks and
Asians. Recent work in the fields of Asian American studies, African
American studies, Asian studies, and African studies has increased our
knowledge of the influence of African and Asian descent populations on
the creation of the modern world and called into question Euro-centric
models of historical development. Yet, scholars in each of these fields
may have little opportunity for sharing developments in the others that
could inform their own work. Therefore, this conference seeks to create
a forum for intellectual exchange that promotes cross-fertilization of
thinking, writing, and research between them.
The conference will center on connections between African and Asian
descent populations in the context of their impact on the modern world.
We welcome proposals for papers on these connections and comparative
papers on how Blacks and Asians have influenced world economic and
cultural development since the fifteenth century. We are also interested
in papers that critique the usefulness of concepts such as culture,
civilization, gender, race, and ethnicity for understanding the role of
African and Asian descent populations in history, and papers that
analyze collective identities. Although we strongly encourage the
comparative approach, we will review proposals for papers that focus on
either group, and we welcome proposals for panels of mixed presentations
on Blacks and Asians.
To submit, please send a 250 word abstract together with a current
curriculum vita to Ronald K. Richardson, Director, African American
Studies, Boston University, 138 Mountfort Street, Brookline, MA 02446.
You may submit by email to Dr. Christine Loken-Kim at (lokenkim@bu.edu).
To be considered proposals must be received no later than October 15,
2002.