Black people have been in Canada since 1604. Their contribution to the nation-building process is, however, subject to erasure and their presence is often taken as a sign of trouble, “a problem.” Furthermore, African Canadians, in spite of their long history in Canada are seen as recent immigrants and thus not a part of the historical memory of the nation. Erasing the African Canadian presence retroactively liberates Canada from the context and rich histories of the Black Diaspora, and the Trans Atlantic World. Between erasure and perceptions of trouble, the richly textured lives of African Canadians and their contributions to Canada is emerging from a growing body of scholarship. The conference organizers welcome papers that examine any aspect, region or time period of Black Canada that advances the study of Black Canada by enriching examinations of the African Canadian experience and its connection to Africa and the Black Diasporic world. We welcome papers from a wide range of disciplines. Those seeking to participate may propose individual papers or panels of 3 or 4 papers. We also welcome proposals for roundtables. We encourage the participation of Francophone and other non-Anglophone communities and will provide limited translation services. The conference is open to undergraduate* and graduate students, academics, cultural workers and community scholars, etc. Undergraduates may apply to participate on the student initiative panel and must submit a letter of support from their supervising faculty member.
Topics and themes may include but are not limited to:
– Black leadership and ‘crisis’ in the Black community
– Canadian slavery and it legacies
– The role of the Black intellectual
– Black Canadian art and cultural production
– Narratives and memory
– Crime justice and the security state
– Minstrelsy in Canada
– Law, security and the neoliberal state
– Black Canadians and health
– Black/Native relations in Canada
– Education/Schooling and curriculum
– Un/Employment and labour
– African Canadians and technology
– Black youth
– Blacks, urbanization and immigration
– Gender/Women’s Studies and Black Canada
– African Canadians, religion and spirituality
– Interracial/mixed-race studies
– Sexuality, sexual identity and the Black community
Please forward: name, title, affiliation, maximum 250 word abstract, contact e-mail and telephone; *students should indicate their degree status
Reply to: bcsa2013@gmail.com (c/o Conference Committee)
Abstract Deadline: March 15th, 2013
Notification: Accepted abstracts will be notified by March 31st, 2013.
Website: http://blackcanadianstudiesassociation.weebly.com/
Conference Place and Dates: Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario. Canada, Friday, May 24th to Sunday, May 26th, 2013
Black Canadian Studies Association (BCSA) 