African Feminist Initiative Call for Papers

The African Feminist Initiative (AFI) at Penn State University will host a small conference on current debates in African feminist thought from September 23 to 24, 2016 at the University Park campus. This will be the first in a series of conferences and workshops at which scholars and graduate students interested in the burgeoning field of African feminist studies can present their work. We welcome scholarly and artistic presentations that highlight state of the art feminist theory, activism, and practice on the continent and beyond. Please send abstracts consisting of 250 words and a list of works cited, and brief CV or bio, to gxb26@psu.edu and acdecker@psu.edu by June 1st, 2016.

The African Feminist Initiative was established in April 2015 as an intellectual hub for African feminist research and teaching in North America. In addition to sponsoring scholarly and creative presentations, the AFI will host an annual conference focusing on critical and emerging themes in African feminism. They will also engage in research projects and capacity-building activities with colleagues, both in the United States and at various African universities.

Gabeba Baderoon and Alicia C. Decker, Associate Professors in the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and the African Studies Program at Penn State, are co-directors of the African Feminist Initiative. The Steering Committee consists of the co-directors and five additional Penn State scholars who work in the area of African feminist thought: Maha Marouan, Hoda El Shakry, Ebony Coletu, Rosemary Jolly and Iyun Osagie. The AFI Advisory Board includes leading African feminist scholars from around the world. Current members include Akosua Adomako Ampofo, Theresa Barnes, Kum-Kum Bhavnani, Mary Hames, Amina Mama, Patricia McFadden, Awino Okech, Margo Okazawa-Rey, Fatima Sadiqi and Sylvia Tamale.

We hope you will join us. Limited funding will be available to offset costs for selected participants.