JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin, (07/22/2010)

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
SEMIMONTHLY BULLETIN
Issue No. 1, Summer 2010
22 July, 2010

Dear JUA Readers,

Below, you will find the first edition of JUA for the summer of 2010. You can also find acopy of this and previous archived issues on our website: http://www.africa.upenn.edu/africa/jua.html. Because it is summer and there are few goings-on in the academic world, we plan to do only one more edition before the begining of the school year, but once the school year commences, we will resume our semimonthly posting.

Your submissions are always welcomed, so please send your announcements to pennjua@gmail.com by 16 August, as the tentative date for our next publication is 23 August. Furthermore, if you want to learn more about Penn African Studies and other happenings in the Northeastern African community, check us out on Twitter (http://twitter.com/PENNAFRICA), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Philadelphia-PA/African-Studies-Center-University-of-Pennsylvania/39236452998), and Tumblr (http://jua.tumblr.com/).

Cheers,

Zachary Propert,
JUA Editor

EVENTS
CALL FOR PAPERS
FELLOWSHIPS & GRANTS
ACADEMIC JOBS

EVENTS

1st Annual Conference of the American Council for Medicinally Active Plants

July 20-23, 2010
Rutgers-New Brunswick
The 2010 annual conference will provide two days of scientific presentations delivered as oral lectures, seminars and poster contributions, a number of specialized handson workshops, and a third day of tours. The field tour will visit one of the Rutgers agricultural experiment stations where you will see ongoing MAP studies including herb variety trials, plant breeding with herbs, a 500 liter portable field distillation unit, walk-in herb dryer converted from the older style. Powell tobacco dryers; and site visits to commercial nursery specializing in exotic MAPs from around the world and a visit to an organic botanical manufacturing facility in New Jersey.

Schomburg Center's Summer Education Institute 2010

26-28 July, 2010
Schomburg Center, New York, New York
BLACK HISTORY 360: Connecting Black American History to the Global Black Experience. The Schomburg Education Institute will convene for 3 days to unite educators (school teachers, college faculty, and community educators) and college students with premier historians and scholars to explore the history and cultures of African Americans and African peoples throughout the Diaspora. Participants will engage in dynamic learning experiences - lectures, interactive workshops, curator talks and community walks - that are connected to the Schomburg's current exhibitions, permanent collections, and vast digital resources.

Global Health & Innovation Conference 2011

Presented by Unite For Sight, 8th Annual Conference at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, Saturday, April 16 - Sunday, April 17, 2011. Unite For Sight's must-attend, thought-leading conference convenes leaders, changemakers, and participants from all fields of global health, international development, and social entrepreneurship. The conference convenes 2,200 people from all 50 states and from 50 countries. Conference registration is now open. Register during July to secure the lowest registration rate. The registration rate increases after July. For more information, please see the website: http://www.uniteforsight.org/conference. Moreover, if you are interested in presenting at the conference, please refer to the posting in our Call for Papers.

CALL FOR PAPERS

Ethnic Canons in Global Contexts - April 7 - 10, 2011

THEME: Ethnic Canons in Global Contexts
As an ongoing and vital process through which societies and cultures have become integrated through a globe-spanning network of communications, economics, and politics, globalization addresses the transnational circulation of ideas and languages. Its impact on literature is manifold, with both positive and negative associations, wherein cultures receiving outside influences ignore some, adopt others as they are, and then immediately start to transform others. Certain aspects of globalization - such as hybridity and multi-rootedness - are increasingly present in literary texts as we witness ways in which they shape new literary forms, interrogate existing canons, and explore the emergence of ethnic canons. We invite paper abstracts and complete panels, workshops, and roundtable proposals on all aspects of the multi-ethnic literatures of the United States and elsewhere. We are particularly interested in proposals that explore globalization in terms of its influence on ethnic canons, and vice versa, and encourage presentations on all global frameworks of analysis, such as Atlantic studies, global feminisms, pan-Africanism, postcolonialism, transnationalism, global indigenous studies, etc. Submissions should detail requests for specific audiovisual equipment, if needed. We also ask that a proposal for a complete panel, roundtable, or workshop include a short description of the central topic, supplemented by brief abstracts of individual speakers' contributions. This conference will be held at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. Deadline for abstracts and proposals (250 words in Word or rtf format): NOVEMBER 15, 2010. PLEASE NOTE: e-mail abstracts to: John Hawley at jhawley@scu.edu

Crime and Crime Narratives in Postcolonial Societies, Deadline 11-01-2010

An upcoming issue of the Journal of Postcolonial Cultures and Societies will focus on crime in those cultures and societies. In addition to the Caribbean region, Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific region, articles may focus on how the topic applies to "minority" populations in European nations, Australia and New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. Papers from all disciplines related to the topic are welcome: from sociological studies of incidence, causes, and effects to criminological studies of law enforcement methods, the judiciary, and penology; from studies of popular culture, especially films and television programming, to analyses of crime narratives, from reportage and nonfiction books to treatments in "serious" and genre fiction. A few topic-related creative works-including creative nonfiction, as well as short fiction and poetry-will be included in the issue. Papers should range from 3,000 to 7,000 words, should be prepared in Microsoft word with minimal coding, and should be documented in current MLA or APA style. The deadline for submissions is November 1, 2010. Submissions should be directed to the issue editor, Martin Kich, at martin.kich@wright.edu. Inquiries are welcome. The journal is peer-reviewed, and publication will occur within one year of the deadline for submissions.

Migrancy and the Text (Postgraduate), Deadline: 27 Sep 10 Event: 6 November

Keynote Lecture by Professor Robert Eaglestone (Royal Holloway) 'Migrancy, Newness and the Problems of Tradition' Saturday 6th November 2010, 9.30am - 5.00pm Kingston University, Penrhyn Road Campus, London, KT1 2EE, UK This one day-conference aims to provide an interdisciplinary forum for postgraduate students and early career researchers working in literary, cultural, media and film studies, creative writing and critical theory. The conference aims at exploring the concept of migrancy in literary, critical and cultural texts and critically investigates the usefulness of the concept. How has migrancy been represented and/or appropriated by 'migrant' and other writers, artists and intellectuals in their work? How useful is the concept of migrancy when it becomes cut off from the lived experiences of migration and different histories of movement? We invite 20-minute papers, as well as 60-minute panel proposals, from postgraduate students and early career researchers across the arts and humanities, that engage with various interpretations and representations of migrancy. Deadline for abstracts: 27 September 2010. Submission method online at: http://fass.kingston.ac.uk/activities/conferences/abstracts/

World Literature/Global Empathy, NeMLA (April 7-10, 2011, New Brunswick, NJ)

42nd Annual Convention, Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA) April 7-10, 2011
New Brunswick, NJ - Hyatt New Brunswick
Host Institution: Rutgers University
This panel invites papers that seek to understand the ways in which imaginative literature, in Jeremy Rifkin's words, "allows empathic consciousness to grow and develop." If literature is a vehicle for extending empathy and expanding human consciousness, how does reading literature from around the globe contribute to a "biosphere consciousness" (Rifkin), the belief that "each human being has responsibilities to every other" (Appiah)? Papers from a variety of perspectives and disciplines--sociology, anthropology, biology, political science, etc.--are welcome. Benjamin Carson benjamin.carson@gmail.com

Reading the Postcolonial Other in Contemporary Film

2011 Northeast Modern Language Association, April 7-10, New Brunswick, NJ Roundtable participants should examine one specific film (Hollywood, independent or international) and its methods used (thematic, cinematic, narrative) in treating the theme of postcolonial other. Preference will be given to under-represented and multi-language perspectives treating this topic in contemporary Africa, Americas, Australia/New Zealand, Europe, and South Asia films. 500 word abstract/CV by 9/30 to Sophie Lavin, NeMLA Women's Caucus Rep, SUNY Stony Brook: blavin@optonline.net.

Economies of Witchcraft in African Literature (April 7-10, 2011)

Although recent studies in the social sciences have begun to focus on connections between witchcraft and the turbulent political economies of sub-Saharan Africa, studies in African literature have yet to fully confront this sensitive topic. The goal of this panel is to provide a forum for exploring intersections between witchcraft, the political economy, and African literature. The panel will convene, if accepted, at the 42nd Annual NeMLA (Northeast Modern Language Association) Conference at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, from 7-10 April 2011.

Call For Authors: Culture of the Middle East, Asia and Africa

In our age of globalization and multiculturalism, it has never been more important for Americans to understand and appreciate foreign cultures-how people live, love, and learn in areas of the world unfamiliar to most U.S. students and the general public. The Cultural Sociology encyclopedia takes a step forward toward presenting concise information with historical and contemporary coverage of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, as four volumes of area studies illuminate the powerful influence of culture on society. Each title comprises approximately 200 articles organized chronologically and alphabetically, addressing such academic disciplines as sociology, political science, women's studies, business, history, religion, law, health, education, economics, and geography. It is the intent of the encyclopedia to convey what daily life was/is like for people in these regions. Each article ranges from 600 to 3,000 words. We are now making assignments due October 1, 2010. This comprehensive project will be published by SAGE Reference in 2012 and will be marketed to academic and public libraries as a print and digital product available to students via the library's electronic services. The General Editor, who will be reviewing each submission to the project, is Dr. Orlando Patterson at Harvard University. If you are interested in contributing to this cutting-edge reference, it is a unique opportunity to contribute to the contemporary literature, redefining sociological issues in today's terms. Moreover, it can be a notable publication addition to your CV/resume and broaden your publishing credits. SAGE Publications offers an honorarium ranging from SAGE book credits for smaller articles up to a free set of the printed product or access to the online product for contributions totaling 10,000 words or more. The list of available articles is already prepared, and as a next step we will e-mail you the Article List (Excel file) from which you can select topics that best fit your expertise and interests. Additionally, Style and Submission Guidelines will be provided that detail article specifications. If you would like to contribute to building a truly outstanding reference with the Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa: An Encyclopedia, please contact me at culturalsociology@golsonmedia.com. Please provide a brief summary of your academic/publishing credentials specific to the region.

Unite for Sight's Global Health & Innovation Conference 2011

If you are interested at presenting at this conference at Yale on April 16-17, you can do either of the following: 1) Call For Abstracts: Do you have an abstract for oral or poster presentation? Submit your abstract for presentation. The first abstract deadline is August 15, 2010. Complete details are on the conference website: http://www.uniteforsight.org/conference 2) Call For Social Enterprise Pitches: Do you have an innovative idea or a new program in development? Submit your idea for presentation. Social enterprise pitches are accepted on a rolling application deadline, and the first quality pitches will be accepted for oral presentation. When the social enterprise pitch spots are filled to capacity, applications will no longer be accepted. See social enterprise pitch instructions on the conference website.

Past and present African experiences everywhere in the world

Our goal is to provide proper and fair representation of past and present African experiences. We need you -- if you are passionate about the country you live in, country of origin, or a country that you are familiar with -- to write a few pages about historical and contemporary African experiences in that country. See samples of our country pages and writing guidelines. See what¹s in it for you and how you can participate. A beta version of the much awaited African Views framework was launched on June 15th, 2010. Please visit http://www.africanviews.org to assess the framework and learn about the writing guidelines. You will gain instant access to over 100 indicators including the African Views indicator, which uses a factor of 100 current vital indicators to create a unique index. The AVI (African Views Index) ranks each country's capacity to promote human development without prejudice based on race, creed culture, religion or gender among its people. The index not only reflects Africans experiences in every country but also provides indicators that reflect the values of each country's culture and society comparatively.

GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS

Penn Humanities Forum - Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Humanities

The Penn Humanities Forum awards five one-year Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships each academic year to junior scholars in the humanities who are not yet tenured (may not be tenured during the fellowship year). The Fellowship carries an annual stipend of $46,500 plus health insurance and a $2500 research fund, requires that the scholar spend the year in residence at the University of Pennsylvania, and is open to international applicants. The current Call for Applications is for the 2011-12 fellowship year, when our topic will be Adaptations. Applicants must be no more than eight years out of their doctorate (e.g., for the 2011-12 Fellowship year, you must have received or will receive your Ph.D. between December 2002 and December 2010). The Ph.D. is the only terminal degree eligible. The broad interdisciplinary nature of the program allows fellows to become fully integrated into the life of Penn. Fellows conduct research that relates to the Forum's topic of study for the year in residence, participate in the Forum's weekly faculty research seminar where they present their research, and teach one undergraduate course on a subject that relates to the annual theme. Preference will be given to candidates whose proposals are interdisciplinary, who have not previously used the resources of the University of Pennsylvania, and who would particularly benefit from and contribute to Penn's intellectual life. Please see the following website for more information: http://www.phf.upenn.edu/mellon_description.shtml

Kay Postdoctoral Fellow - Brandeis University

Brandeis University invites applications for a two-year Kay postdoctoral fellow working on culture and politics in the francophone world, to begin in Fall 2011. Areas of interest could include, but are not limited to, legacies of colonialism and post-colonialism, literary and cultural representations of the immigration experience, or language, culture and politics in francophone countries. Every year, the fellow will teach one class in French in the French and Francophone Studies program and another in English in the International and Global Studies Program and receive a stipend of $54, 807, plus a research fund of $4,000. Please send dossier, teaching materials, and three letters of recommendation to Michael Randall, Chair, Kay Fellowship Search Committee, Shiffman 102, MS 024, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454-9110. First consideration will be given to applications received by December 1, 2010.

Doctoral Research Fellowship On Return Migration To Burundi

The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) invites applications for a doctoral researcher positions to study return migration from Norway and the United Kingdom to Burundi. The position is part of a large, multi-method comparative project on return migration, led by Senior Researcher Jørgen Carling. PRIO is an independent, international and interdisciplinary research institute that combines academically oriented research with short-term policy-oriented projects. The institute has a well-established migration research team that the doctoral research fellow will join. (A parallel fellowship for studying return migration to Iraq is announced simultaneously.) The position requires several months of fieldwork in the UK and Burundi and residence in Oslo for the remainder of the project period. Knowledge of French and/or Kirundi is required; knowledge of Norwegian is a significant advantage, but not a requirement. Additional requirements are specified in the full announcement. Salaries start at approximately NOK 377 000 (USD 57 000). See www.prio.no/migration for further details and application form. The application deadline is Monday 16 August 2010. The starting date for both positions is 1 February 2011.

Council of American Overseas Research Centers

American Overseas Research Centers foster international scholarly exchange, primarily through sponsorship of fellowship programs which allow pre-doctoral and senior scholars to pursue independent research important to the increase of knowledge and to our understanding of foreign cultures. These non-governmental institutions are seen by their host countries as the official arm of American higher learning. The private structure of the centers and the unbiased research they promote make them respected foci of American academia in the countries in which they operate. Please see the following website for information about the grants: http://www.caorc.org/

Fulbright Student Program

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers fellowships for U.S. graduating college seniors, graduate students, young professionals, and artists to study or conduct research abroad for one academic year. In addition, Critical Language Enhancement Awards are available to grantees for study of critical need foreign languages before or concurrently with their grant period. More than 1,500 Americans receive grants to study abroad with either full or partial support from the Fulbright Program. Please see the following website for more information: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/home.html

African Women Public Service Fellowship

The African Women Public Service Fellowship, made possible by a donation from the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, offers African women the opportunity for graduate study at Wagner to prepare them for public service in their home countries. Please see Wagner's website for more information: http://wagner.nyu.edu/international/fellowships.php

Rockefeller Foundation

Through grantmaking, the Rockefeller Foundation works to spread the benefits of globalization to more people in more places around the world. The Foundation is a proactive grantmaker. We seek out opportunities to fund work that addresses the Foundation's areas of focus and contributes to one or more of our initiatives, rather than simply reacting to unsolicited proposals. Only proposals that fall within the Foundation's initiatives are considered. The Rockefeller Foundation does not give or lend money for personal aid to individuals, or, except in rare cases, provide general institutional funding, contribute to endowments, or support building or operating funds. Please see the following website for information: http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/grants

Africa-Related Fellowships and Internships at the Wilson Center

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars offers a number of residential fellowships for the study of Africa, and internship opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students. Unless otherwise noted, all awards are open to citizens of any country. Brief information about each of these fellowship programs appears below, along with links to application materials and further details, where available. For more information and application guidelines please contact the Center at: Tel: 202-691-4170; Fax: 202-691-4001; E mail: fellowships@wilsoncenter.org. You can also consult the following website: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1417&fuseaction=topics.item&news_id=161820

JOBS

University of Notre Dame: Assistant, Associate or Professor, International Development

The Ford Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity and the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame invite applications from tenured and junior scholars who work on themes related to international development. We have a strong preference for someone who has done field work in sub-Saharan Africa. This position is one of many faculty appointments that the Ford Program, the Kellogg Institute, and other academic units at Notre Dame are making related to international development. Please send letters of inquiry or nomination and a c.v. to: Ford Program Search Committee Kellogg Institute for International Studies 130 Hesburgh Center University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN 46556

Central Washington University: Full-Time Lecturer, African History

African/Middle Eastern History: The History Department at Central Washington University invites applications for a full-time lecturer in African History (specialization open) to begin September 2010, January 2011 or March 2011. The Ph.D.is required; applicants who are ABD nearing completion will be considered. Evidence of successful college-level teaching required. The successful candidate will contribute to the department's 100-level World History courses and upper-division courses in their area of specialization, which will be cross-listed with the Africana and Black Studies Program. To apply, complete all online application requirements listed for the position at http://jobs.cwu.edu. In addition, please have three letters of reference sent directly to : Dr. Roxanne Easley, African Search Committee Chair, Department of History, Central Washington University, 400 East University Way, Ellensburg, WA 98926-7553. Inquiries may be made to easleyr@cwu.edu. Review of applications will begin on August 1 and will continue until the position is filled. CWU is an AA/EOE employer.

Morgan State University: Instructor, African Diaspora (one year appointment)

Morgan State University seeks an instructor to teach four sections of a survey in the history of the African Diaspora per semester to undergraduates. Candidates must have at least an M.A. in an appropriate field. Ph.D. preferred. Teaching experience at an urban institution a plus. Very competitive pay. Possibility for renewal or permanent appointment. For best consideration send C.V. and recommendations by July 23, 2010. Morgan State University is an AA/EO employer.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Visiting Assistant Professor of African Art History

The Art History Division at the School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign seeks a full-time, visiting assistant professor in African Art History for the Fall 2010 term. Responsibilities will be to teach two undergraduate courses for the fall term, ARTH 113, Introduction to African Art, and ARTH 310, African Art and Society I. A PhD is preferred, ABD is also acceptable, with specialization in African art history. Preference will be given to candidates with teaching experience. For more information, please consult the following website: http://www-files.art.illinois.edu/headlines/Visiting-Assistant-Professor-African-Art-History-Fall-2010.pdf

Teachers College at Columbia University: Lecturer

This position will be full-time in International and Transcultural Studies department and deal with humanitarian issues and/or international affairs. Prospective applicants should refer to the webstite for more information: http://www.tc.columbia.edu/its/.

Page Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Ph.D.