CALL FOR PAPERS
SORAC 2009 Three-Day International Conference
(Full details available on SORAC's Web site: http://www.sorac.net)
Conflict and Conflict Resolution in Africa: History, Myths and Realities
November 5, 6 and 7, 2009 Montclair State University
In November 2006, the Department of Modern Languages at Montclair State University
hosted a talk by a Rwandan exile on the theme of "Going Beyond Hotel Rwanda: Understanding
Ethnic Conflict in Africa." What transpired from this talk was the inability for the
Rwandans in attendance to agree on a definition of who they were as a people, and how it
came to be that they were at one another's throats, seeking to lay the blame of their
genocide(s) on one another instead of attempting to find a common discourse on how to
proceed from here. From this divisive (as opposed to constructive) display of African
ethnic politics on an American campus, SORAC derived the need to hold an international
event that would go beyond Rwanda and look deeper into the history of conflicts and wars
in Africa with a view to clarifying the notions of conflict and conflict resolution not
only within the context of African culture(s), but also within the framework of African
history itself as shaped by its indigenous as well as exogenous forces.
Looking at Africa today, especially after the recent unexpected outburst of political
strife and violence in Kenya and the DRC, it appears as though the continent has become,
in the minds of many around the world, synonymous with all that is wrong with humanity.
Genocides, wars, tribal strife, disease and humanitarian disasters seem to have taken,
therein and in the minds of many outsiders, a coloration that has reinforced the
multifarious stereotypes about Africa as a continent of misery, tribal wars and chaos.
Numerous questions do indeed come to mind when looking at the issue of conflict in Africa,
namely: What is conflict and how do Africans define, describe and/or understand conflict?
What are the causes of conflict in present-day Africa, and what were these causes in
pre-Muslim and pre-Christian Africa? How have Africans dealt with conflicts in their
pre-Muslim and pre-Christian past, and how have they dealt with them in their Muslim and
Christian present? What does/did conflict resolution mean in the African context? Are/were
there any principles of conflict resolution in African cultural ethos? Have any such
principles been successfully implemented at some point in the past and/or present of
Africa? Is/was there a philosophy of conflict and conflict resolution in African
culture(s)? How does/did it manifest itself? Are present-day conflicts on the continent
due to an inherent flaw in African culture(s) or have there been too many simplifications
in past and present understandings of conflict in Africa? The questions are too many to
list here, and the issues vast.
In order to begin an intellectual discussion of these complex issues, SORAC calls for
papers that would explore the themes of conflict and conflict resolution in Africa from a
variety of perspectives (historical, literary, political, etc.) and disciplines
(humanities, social sciences, diasporic studies, etc.). It is expected from participants
at SORAC 2009 that they will, from their own disciplines and perspectives, help to
illuminate not only the historical/chronological dimensions of conflicts in Africa from
ancient times to present, but also their cultural dimension, especially as they pertain to
the relationship between conflict and conflict resolution within the African context.
Interesting will also be approaches that will look at the links between Africa and black
people of the African diasporas around the world. As far as the African diasporas are
concerned, questions of interest could be: What historical as well as cultural
relationships can be established between the African spirit still alive in such diasporas
and their embattled (and non-embattled) situations in their new cultural universes? What
psychological and cultural ambivalences/crises have resulted from their diasporic
estrangement? What types of relationships and ambivalences have defined their ties with
the African continent, and informed the socio-cultural and political interactions within
their own communities? Etc.
Sample perspectives from which the participants will seek to approach the themes of
the SORAC 2009 international conference are:
Historical/Chronological
- Wars and Conflicts in Ancient Africa
- Ancient Egypt and Africa in Ancient Times
- Africa in The Middle Ages
- Pre-Islamic Africa and Pre-European Africa
- Islamic and Colonial Africa
- Post-Colonial Africa
- Ancient Migrations and Population Movements
- Wars of Liberation and Wars Independence in Africa
- Etc.
Cultural/Philosophical/Religious
- Concepts of Sin
- Concepts of Crisis, War, Conflict, Offense, Etc.
- Concepts of Peace, Reparation and Conflict Resolution
- Concepts of Crime, Prosecution and Punishment
- Gender Conflicts
- Religious Conflicts
- Cultural and Religious Identity
- Cultural and Religious Proselytism
- Conciliation and Reconciliation
- Concepts of Brotherhood and Enmity
- Concepts of Violence and Conquest
- Taboos and Concepts of The Taboo
- Concepts of Shame and Humiliation
- Conflicts of Generations
- Islam and Christianity in Africa
- Religion and Conflict
- Etc.
Art and Literature
- Literary Representations of Conflict in Africa (Individual, Personal,
Interpersonal, Social, Ethnic, Interethnic, Gender, etc.)
- Artistic Representations of Conflict N Africa (Individual, Personal,
Interpersonal, Social, Ethnic, Interethnic, Gender, etc.)
- Etc.
Social/Economic/Political
- Property and Property Rights
- Land and Land Rights
- Government and Law
- Sources of Conflicts
- Civil War, Wars of Rebellion, Insurrections
- War Technology and Strategy
- Genocide and Concepts of Genocide
- Concepts of The State, Army, Police
- Concepts of Chaos and Order
- Myths and Legends of Origin
- Concepts of Race, Ethnicity and Identity
- Trade and Conflict
- Trade and Culture
- Polygamy, Marriage and Marriage Rights
- Parental Rights and Expectations
- Concepts of The Foreign and of The Indigenous
- Concepts of Power, Democracy and Despotism
- Modes, Means and Systems of Government
- Modes, Means and Systems of Production
- African Notions of State and Government
- Slavery and Servitude
- Refugees, Exiles and Displacements
- Disease, Famine and Poverty
- Present-Day Migrations
- Arab Vs. Black in Africa
- North Africa Vs. Sub-Saharan Africa
- Class and Class Struggle
- Africa in The Era of Globalization and Multinational Capitalism
- Etc.
Diasporic/International
- Foreign Perceptions and Representations of Conflict in Africa
- Diasporic Perceptions and Representations of Conflict in Africa
- Expatriate Perceptions and Representations of Conflict in Africa
- Race and Class in The Americas
- Race and Class in Europe
- African Representations of Conflicts in The Americas, Europe, and The World
- Racism and Segregation
- International Migrations
- Notions of Race and Culture
- Perceptions of Africa in Relation to Slavery
- Etc.
Case Studies
- Genocide(S) in Rwanda and Darfur
- Wars and Conflicts of Secession (Casamance, etc.)
- Apartheid and Resistance in South Africa
- Etc.
U.S. - Africa Relations
- US-Africa Security Relations
- US Foreign and Military Policy Towards Africa
- AFRICOM (US Africa Command), the U.S. and Africa
- America and The War On Terrorism in Africa
Projections and Perspectives
- What Wars and What Conflicts For Africa in The Future?
- Positive and Negative Contributions of War in Africa
- Africa in The 21st Century
- What Future For Africa in General?
Disciplines
History, Anthropology, Sociology, Ethnology, Archeology, Egyptology, African Studies,
African-American Studies, Literature (African Literature, African American Literature,
Black Literature, Diasporic Literatures, etc.), Post-Colonial Studies, Classical Studies,
Biblical Studies, Philosophy and Religion, Political Science, Military and Weaponry, etc.
This list of potential areas of exploration is not exhaustive. If you wish to submit
a proposal and you are not sure if your paper would be appropriate for this conference,
send us your abstract anyway and we will let you know.
Deadline for Submission/Receipt of Abstracts:
If you propose to present a paper at SORAC 2009, either individually or as a panel, we must receive your abstract or proposal by August 30, 2009. (See Attached PDF file for more detail and better readability) (Full details available on SORAC's Web site: http://www.sorac.net)
Abstract Requirements:
Submit a 200 words abstract summarizing the content/theory/rationale of your presentation. Acceptance notices will be sent out to submitters as abstracts are received and processed. Speakers will be given 30 minutes for their talks, including question time, for their talks. See specific abstract-submission requirements on our Rules, Guidelines and Requirements page. (See Attached PDF file for more detail and better readability) (Full details available on SORAC's Web site: http://www.sorac.net)
Submission of panel proposals and themes is welcome. See specific abstract-submission requirements on our Rules, Guidelines and Requirements page. Acceptance notices will be sent out to submitters as abstracts are received and processed. This process may take up to 60 days, so submit your abstract well before the deadline of August 30, 2009. (See Attached PDF file for more detail and better readability) (Full details available on SORAC's Web site: http://www.sorac.net).