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. You may submit by email to Dr. Christine Loken-Kim at the e-mail address below. To be considered proposals must be received no later than October 15, 2002.