4^th Women in Africa and the African Diaspora (WAAD) International Conference on

Education, Gender & Sustainable Development in the Age of Globalization

Abuja, Nigeria (August 3-8, 2009)

Professor Obioma Nnaemeka, Convener

E-mail: waadconf@iupui.edu; website: http://www.waadconf.org

CALL FOR PAPERS

BACKGROUND

For over a decade, the WAAD conferences have provided the space for researchers, students, policy makers, activists, women and men of different races, religious persuasions and ideological leanings to engage in vigorous and fruitful debates on issues relating to women in Africa and the African Diaspora. The first WAAD conference held in Nsukka, a small university town in rural Nigeria, gathered over 700 researchers, activists, policy makers, and students from five continents. The conference generated ten-volume proceedings of over 200 original papers and saw the beginning of the Association of African Women Scholars (AAWS). The second WAAD conference, held in Indianapolis (USA) in 1998, gathered hundreds of participants from 35 countries and 48 national and international organizations. The third conference in Madagascar was equally very well attended. The WAAD conference has succeeded in putting in place forward-looking strategies for continuing its work—it maintains a global network and has published three volumes of selected papers.

THEME (Education, Gender & Sustainable Development in the Age of Globalization)

The 4^th WAAD interdisciplinary conference will provide opportunities for constituencies inside and outside the academy—researchers, academicians, practitioners, policy makers, professionals, and students from various disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, pure and applied sciences, professional schools, etc.—to discuss the education of women and girls in Africa and the African Diaspora and explore its relationship to sustainable development in a rapidly globalizing, complex world. How can the acquisition of different forms of knowledge guarantee women’s participation in ensuring that today’s growth does not jeopardize the growth and possibilities of future generations and that “development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”?  What role would indigenous knowledge play in women’s participation? In disciplinary terms, the conference will examine the central role the arts and humanities can and must play in the global knowledge economy and their relevance to development discourses and practice. How can humanistic studies dialogue with scientific studies in addressing global issues such as social and environmental justice, gender/social inequality and knowledge gap, and education for 21^st century global citizenship?

SUBTHEMES

Autobiographies and Biographies

Capacity-building and Leadership

Civil Society, NGOs and Transnational Activism

Creativity (Oral & Written Traditions), Artistic Expressions and Development

Curricular Development and Reform

Democratization and Women’s Participation

Educating against War and Militarization

Volunteerism, Civil Engagement and Global Citizenship

Education Policy, Teacher Education, and National Development

Energy, Mineral Wealth and National Security

Engendering the Disciplines

Entrepreneurship and Small/Medium-size Businesses

Feminist/Womanist Interventions

Gendered Inequalities and Access to Education

Gendered Spaces and the Diaspora Question

Global Financial Institutions and Women in Developing Countries

Health, Medical Sciences and Health Education

Gendered Violence, Human Rights and Social Justice

Libraries and Archives

Mobilization and Transnational Social Movements

Peace and Conflict Resolution

Poverty Alleviation, Agriculture, and Food Security

Preserving the Environment, Saving Our Planet

Religion, Culture, and Indigenous Knowledge

Skills-Training and Economic Independence

Communications, Technology and the Digital Divide

The Economy and Global Capital

The Humanities, Development, and Globalization

Understanding Gender and Global Africa

Women in Higher Education: Research, Teaching and Administration

Youth Engaging Development Strategies

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Forms for paper, panel, roundtable and workshop proposals are available on the conference website: www.waadconf.org. Send as e-mail attachments the completed proposal form, abstract and curriculum vitae (as Word documents) by FEBRUARY 15, 2009 to the Convener at waadconf@iupui.edu. Selected papers will be published.

REGISTRATION

Registration form and fee schedule are available at the conference website: www.waadconf.org. All presenters whose proposals have been accepted must pre-register by MARCH 15, 2009 for their names to appear on the conference program.

CONTACT

Professor Obioma Nnaemeka, Convener

2009 WAAD Conference

Department of World Languages & Cultures

Indiana University

425 University Boulevard

Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA

Phone: 317-278-2038; Fax: 317-278-7375

E-mail: waadconf@iupui.edu; Website: www.waadconf.org

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