Africa: Climate Change, the Environment and Afrofuturism
When: Saturday October 13, 2018 | 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Where: Discovery Centre MacOdrum Library, Carleton University
Keynote by: Chris Russill, School of Journalism and Communication
The Institute of African Studies (IAS) at Carleton University is hosting its 4th Annual IAS Undergraduate Research Conference, organized by the Institute of African Studies Students Association (IASSA). The goal of this one-day interdisciplinary conference is to provide a platform for emerging researchers in the field of African Studies.
This year’s Theme: Africa: Climate Change, the Environment and Afrofuturism, seeks to encourage interdisciplinary discourse among a new generation of continental and diasporic Africans on the topical global and continental agendas of climate change, environmental sustainability, and Afrofuturism. The conference is intended to offer a space for discussions concerning the ever-changing relationship between Africans and their environment. The goal is to conceptualize environment and climate change in terms of how they challenge us to imagine alternative futures for the African continent in geographic, political, economic, techno-cultural, and epistemological terms. We seek to discover ways in which, among others, climate change affects themes such as Health care, Resource Management, Infrastructural development, Economic advancement, Food Security, Human Rights, Migration and Refugees, Community Development, Social Cohesion, Gender Politics, and Innovation. We are also interested in exploring social policy implementation, technological advancements, and communal efforts as they relate to everyday continental African and/or Afro-diasporic experiences.
Papers within the scope of African Studies and the foregoing fields will be presented:
• Renewable and Sustainable Development in Africa
• Digitalization of Africa: Globalization and popular culture
• African cities of the future
• Youth and the environment
• Food security
• Technology and cultural aesthetics
• Gender and reproductive rights for Sustainable Development in sub-Saharan Africa
• Conservation of Energy and Waste Management
• Ecotourism in Africa
• Fantasy, eco-literature, and ecocriticism
• Environmental degradation and its impact on migration
• Climatic change as a disruptive effect of social cohesion
For participating students, this conference is an excellent opportunity for professional development and network, as well as for improving academic portfolios, especially for those interested in future graduate studies or a career that requires writing reports or policy papers for international agencies, government establishments, NGOs, etc.
There will be prizes for the best papers at the conference, including being awarded publication opportunity in Nokoko, the open-access academic journal of Carleton University’s Institute of African Studies.
See Poster for more information or email the organizing committee at communications.iasconference@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter.
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