Call for Papers
“Black Churches and 21st Century Captivities” This conference will convene in the shadows of the slave castles to examine church responses to contemporary threats to black social, physical, and religious well-being, including political oppression or coercion; group conflict; co-optation of religious life; captivities of persons (e.g., modern slavery, human trafficking, mass incarceration); and economic distortions and dependencies. While focusing mainly on the 21st century, the conference will also explore historical backdrops and comparisons that inform understanding of the contemporary contexts in which these issues play out. We welcome conceptual, practical and theoretical papers; case studies; and comparative work exploring these or related themes. Please submit 150-250 word abstracts by Nov. 15, 2012 to Dr. R. Drew Smith (Morehouse College) rsmith@morehouse.edu; Dr. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu (Trinity Theological College, Ghana) kwabena.asamoahgyadu@gmail.com; and Dr. William Ackah (Birkbeck College, Univ. of London) w.ackah@bbk.ac.uk.