International Conference on Igbo Studies, 04/03

International Conference on Igbo Studies, April 4-5, 2003

International Conference on Igbo Studies: A Tribute to Simon Ottenberg

Friday and Saturday 4th and 5th of April, 2003 Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

The Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University is hosting an International Conference on Igbo Studies. The conference is being organized torecognize Simon Ottenberg's contributions to Igbo Studies. Professor Ottenberg is a leading Africanist scholar and a pioneer of modern Igbo studies. He has published extensively on the Igbo people, and has mentored many specialists in Igbo studies.

Another aim of the conference is to bring together under one roof all scholars interested in Igbo studies. It is also an effort to revisit all the endeavors made during the twentieth century to understand the Igbo society. We hope to use the occasion to recognize the efforts being made by scholars to promote Igbo studies, and to examine the future direction of the field.

The proceedings of the conference will be held at the Clarion University Hotel, North Triphammer Rd.,Ithaca, NY 14850 (Tel. 607-257-2000 or 1-800Clarion). The conference opens with the arrival of participants on the evening of Thursday the 3rd of April, and closes on Sunday morning, April 6, 2003. Presenters are not required to pay any registration fee, but non-presenters are expected to pay a token registration fee of $50.00 to cover part of their meals.

The Clarion Hotel and the nearby Ramada Inn charge $99.00 per night plus 13% NY State tax. This is the negotiated conference rate whose cut-off date is March 7. Participants are expected to make their own hotel and travel arrangements. When booked well in advance, airfares tend to be less expensive. Please note that only one airline (US AIR) flies into Ithaca, New York. For other hotels in the Ithaca area consult Ithaca Yellow pages or <http://www.visitithaca.com>

We invite you to attend this conference, whose scope ranges from history, politics and anthropology, to sociology, economics, religion, culture, gender, agriculture, urbanization, archaeology, art, architecture, language, literature, oral tradition, and so on. Papers on the Nigeria-Biafra War and the sate of Igboland since then will be read. The proceedings of the conference will be published with the title, "Igbo Studies in the Twentieth Century: A Tribute to Simon Ottenberg."

All inquires regarding this conference as well as the subsequent publication of the proceedings, should be addressed by E-mail to: do20@cornell.edu. Website: http://www.asrc.cornell.edu

Don Ohadike, Director Africana Studies & Research Center Cornell University Phone: 607-255-0532