 |
 |
Seeking Panelist for "Wars and Conflicts in Africa" Panel on an International conference on African Predicament.
| Location: | Germany |
| Conference Deadline: | 2009-05-17 (Archive) |
| Date Submitted: |
2009-02-12 |
| Announcement ID: |
166920 |
|
Panel Proposal on Wars and Conflicts in Africa
Wars and conflicts are two phenomena that have affected and shaped African histories significantly. Although death, destruction, and displacement, as consequences of wars and conflicts, have contributed significantly to the retardation of socio-economic development of Africa; wars and conflicts have nevertheless shaped state formation, boundary consolidation, cultural harmonization, identity definition and commercial relations. At the root of these conflicts are factors such as inherited colonial boundaries, authoritarianism, problems of religion and ethnicity, competition over scarce resources, socio-economic problems, state failures, etc. Currently in Africa, fifteen countries are involved in war, or are experiencing post-war conflict and tension. In West Africa, these countries include Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo. In East Africa; Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda while in Central Africa; Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda are notable examples. In North Africa, the countries are Algeria and Sudan while in Southern Africa; Angola and Zimbabwe are notable examples.
Consequently, a mapping of conflict landscape in Africa reveals that African countries could be divided into countries-in-conflict, countries-out-of-conflict and countries-with-relative-peace. While death, destruction, refugee crises and other complex humanitarian emergences dominated both countries-in-conflict and countries-out-of-conflict, countries-with-relative-peace are today homes to refugees and Internally Displaced Persons from countries of the two other categories. No African country is therefore insulated from the effects of wars and conflicts in Africa.
Therefore, to advance knowledge on African wars and conflicts, it is important to understand the contents of their occurrence, the patterns of their prosecution, and methods of their resolution. Not only these, there is also the important dimension of external influences in African conflicts and wars. During the pre-colonial period, external influences in Africa followed precisely along the ideological lines of the Cold War. Ideological wars were the raison d’être for Africa’s wars and conflicts. Internal and external factors have collaborated, most notably in war situations to milk Africa’s rich natural resources such as timber, coltan, oil, gold, diamonds, etc. These have been compounded, in many cases, by the foreign extractive industries presence, their obscure, unreported payments to the governments and the governments’ obscure, unreported use of the money to create and fund wars. Wars and conflicts therefore serve the purpose of creating a distraction, as the countries and their fleeing, displaced citizens are robbed of their countries’ natural resources, easily converted to cash, for the personal use and fortunes of not just the ruling parties, but also of foreign governments and corporations.
As part of a conference on problems of (under)-development in Africa, to be held in Germany later in the year, this panel seeks for four or five papers exploring the different issues involved in the constellation of wars and conflicts in Africa. The panel seeks not only papers that significantly explore how wars and conflicts have under-developed Africa but also papers that pay specific attention to contents of most wars and conflicts’ occurrence, patterns of their prosecution, and methods of their resolution. Such papers, to contribute significantly to the conference, must not only recognize the problems bedeviling development but must also engage new means and measures of combating, resolving and managing wars and conflicts in Africa.
Interested scholars, researchers, conflict and security studies experts should direct their abstracts of not more than 300 words to Oyeniyi Bukola Adeyemi, formerly Ag Head, Department of History and International Relations, Redeemer’s University, Nigeria at oyeniyib@gmail.com. Ensure to cc (send) a copy of the same Abstract to africaberlin-conference@mediateamit.com on or before 30th April, 2009.
The conference, with the general theme “Overcoming the African Predicament”, will be hosted on the 29/10/2009 by the Africa Berlin International Conference, an affiliate of Mediateam IT Educational Centre, Berlin, Germany. A copy of the general call for paper is pasted below.
For further information about the conference, write to:
Dr. Tony Agwuele,
Institute for Philosophy,
University of Leipzig, Beethovenstr, 15,
04107, Leipzig
Email: africaberlin-conference@mediateamit.com
H-Net Announcement: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Overcoming the African Predicament
Location: Germany
Conference Date: 2009-10-29
Date Submitted: 2008-09-20
Announcement ID: 164102
The African predicament comprises of problems, processes and issues that engender desperate human conditions in Africa. This includes sub-par performance at socio-economic, political, and technological levels that bring about lack of development. Why is Africa an exception to the typical process of development observed in other continents? What is failing Africa? Nature? Nurture? World Order? Multilingualism? Cultural diversity? How is African predicament portrayed in the literature? What are the conceptual and theoretical frameworks for discussing the African predicament? What is, if any, the colonialist foundation of the African predicament? How can Africa move from information society to knowledge society? We are also interested
in papers examining, but not limited, to the following issues:
* The blueprint for development in Africa
* The role of external actors in resolving the African predicament
* Wars and conflicts in Africa
* Secularity and religiosity tangle
* Anti-corruption crusade
* Migration/Brain drain
* Internal displacement
* Human Trafficking
* Gender Imbalance
* Female Genital Mutilation
Hosted by Africa Berlin International Conference, an affiliate of Mediateam IT Education Center, Berlin, the conference will address primarily and exclusively the African predicament with the aim of assessing the prospects of overcoming it. It comprises of the discussion of talks and papers and provides participants, drawn from broad geographical and academic spectrum, an ample opportunity for intellectual exchange. Graduate students working on issues related to Africa are encouraged to participate.
Intending participants can apply by sending in their paper proposals on or before April 30th, 2009. These should not be more than a 250-word abstract and title, as well as the author's name, address, telephone number, email address, and institutional affiliation. Completed papers must be submitted before August 30th, 2009. Abstracts and full papers must be submitted by electronic mail to africaberlin-conference@mediateamit.com
Submitted papers will be assigned to particular panels according to similarities in theme, topic, discipline, or geographical location. Additionally, selected papers will be published in book form.
The conference is from 29th to 31st October, 2009
Coordinator
Tony Agwuele, Ph.D.
Institute for Philosophy
University of Leipzig,
Beethovenstr, 15,
04107, Leipzig
Dr Tony Agwuele
%Mediateam IT Educational Center
Lahnstr. 23
12055, Berlin, Germany
Phone: ++ 49-30-68083073
Fax: ++49-30-68224864
Email: africaberlin-conference@mediateamit.com
|
|
Oyeniyi, Bukola Adeyemi
Dept of History, University of Ibadan
P.O.Box22115, UIPO, Ibadan,
Nigeria
2348062909894
Email: oyeniyib@gmail.com
|
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Try our power search! |
Return to the top of this page
Return to announcements home
|
Send comments and questions to H-Net
Webstaff. H-Net reproduces announcements that have been submitted to us as a
free service to the academic community. If you are interested in an announcement
listed here, please contact the organizers or patrons directly. Though we strive
to provide accurate information, H-Net cannot accept responsibility for the text of
announcements appearing in this service. (Administration)
|
|
