ASC Hosts Student Conference on African Studies
This weekend will see the 23rd annual graduate student research conference in African Studies hosted by the African Studies Center, an affiliated center of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University.
“Globalization, Permeation, and Exchange: Africa and the New World Order” will take place Friday, March 27 at the BU Photonics Center and Saturday, March 28 at the African Studies Center. It will bring together student researchers and organizers from across the country to present their findings on the latest implications of African geopolitics.
“In our minds, the conference is based on an important topic. Globalization is currently en vogue, and we want to get people to think of Africa’s place in the larger world,” said Kristen Carey, one of the organizers of the conference. “Countries, and continents, aren’t insular. Just as we have to think about them in a global context, so the conference’s focus on student interaction across disciplinary lines creates a really open discussion.”
In total, 23 papers will be presented over five panels. The conference’s keynote address will be given by Dr. David Northrup, professor emeritus at Boston College, at 5 p.m. on Friday at the Photonics Center. A reception will follow.
“This conference will be great for networking; as a young scholar, sometimes it’s good to hear what people your age are doing. We’re so used to getting great works in classes, and it can seem a little daunting to fit your research into the broader academic dialogue,” Carey said. “Since this conference is in its 23rd year at the African Studies Center, it is very well established as a fruitful ground for cutting edge student research.”
In addition to the African Studies Center, further conference sponsors include the Department of History, Department of Anthropology, Department of Political Science, Department of Sociology, Pardee School of Global Studies, Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, and Office of the Dean, College of Arts and Sciences.