The 9th Toyin Falola Annual International Conference on Africa and the African Diaspora (TOFAC 2019)
Theme:
RELIGION, THE STATE AND GLOBAL POLITICS
Venue: Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria
Date: July 1-3, 2019 (arrival, June 30; departure, July 4th)
Abstract Submission Deadline: 01 April 2019
This conference will examine all the major narratives and theories of religion and politics produced by scholars and policy-makers over the years. It will encourage intellectual collaboration and production from within and/or focused on Africa and the African Diaspora. It will also contribute to contemporary discourse on religion, the State, and Global Politics, in order to illuminate Africa's position in global religions, international policy, and national development and identity formation. Participants are expected to critically question and hopefully set aside misleading representations and narratives on African religious experience.
In the past, scholars of African religion and politics have engaged topics such as missionary activities, colonialism, and the spread of religion in Africa, as well as questions of cultural survival or defeat. In Western societies, policies and narratives regarding religion are often produced under the assumption that the Church and the State remain fundamentally and ideologically separate. Meanwhile, the connections between religion and state are becoming increasingly relevant worldwide. The global community is being confronted with violent terrorism, which is often tied to organized religion, wrongly or rightly by the media, the State, and international government and non-governmental organizations. Therefore, in the contemporary geopolitical landscape, state policymakers and scholars of politics, state formation, international relations, and globalization can hardly ignore issues of religion, raising questions of religious freedom, tolerance, violence, and oppression. In light of the oversimplified, popular rhetoric surrounding religion and state policy, scholars and policymakers are tasked to think conceptually and empirically about the role of religion in the state and in international affairs.
Whereas Western scholarship has necessarily focused on the tensions between religions and secularisms at the State and international level, and on producing responses to religious terrorist movements such as ISIS and Boko Haram, there is also the need to explore alternative indigenous religions and spiritualities in Africa and the African Diaspora, to uncover local expressions and practices of religion in Africa and their impact on State policy, social organization, and/or global connections, and to analyze recent developments by African states to foster or hamper religious movements and understandings in Africa. It is also useful to consider the Diasporic movement of religious ideas and practices across national boundaries. Approaching these issues from within the African and African Diasporic context, it is important to reconsider hegemonic understandings of religion, as well as hegemonic understandings of nationalism, policy, and development.
The conference will attempt to push the boundaries of Western epistemology and engage African knowledge as a means of working through popular assumptions and contentious debates about the past, present, and future of Africa, African religions, spiritualities, and secularisms, and the connections between local, national, and global politics. While many participants will present in English, we encourage presentations in other languages, most notably in Ajami, Arabic, and French.
A cross-disciplinary approach is necessary for understanding the entanglement of religion, the State, and global politics in Africa and the African Diaspora. Therefore, this conference welcomes paper submissions from a variety of disciplines, including but not limited to history, political science, sociology, religious studies, philosophy, economics, international relations, peace and conflict studies, literary and cultural studies, communication and language studies, education, management sciences, and area studies. We encourage scholars, activists, politicians, policy makers, and other contributors to the conference to consider the following sub-themes:
African and African Diasporic Religions
African and African Diasporic Religious Art, Music and Performance
African and African Diasporic Religious Knowledge
African and African Diasporic Religious Leaders
African and African Diasporic Religious Philosophy
Children in Religion
Christian and Islamic Bodies
Colonialism and Religion in Africa
Comparative case studies in religion and the state
Contemporary Youth Cultures
Continuity, Change, and Survival Strategies
Ecumenical Exchanges and Interactions
Expressions and Practices of Spirituality
Global Religions in Local Context/Local Religions in Global Context
Globalization and Religion
History of Religion in Africa and/or the African Diaspora
Islamophobia
Law and Religions
Law, Politics, and Religions
Literary Studies
Local Politics in Global Context/Global Politics in Local Context
Masculine Spiritualities/Feminine Spiritualities
Methodological Approaches to the Study of Religion in Africa
Nationalism and Religion in Africa
Plural Secularisms/Plural Religions
Political Theology
Post colonialism and Religion in Africa
Private Faiths, Public Religions
Private Politics, Public Policies
Recent Policy Changes on Religion in Africa
Religion and Empowerment
Religion and Ethics
Religion and Gender
Religion and Human Rights
Religion and Judicial Systems
Religion and Languages
Religion and Literary Expressions (Poetry/Prose/Drama)
Religion and Migration in Africa and the African Diaspora
Religion and Modernity
Religion and Nollywood
Religion and Poverty
Religion and Security issues
Religion and Terrorism
Religion and the Multimedia (musicals, films, etc)
Religion and the Social Media
Religion and Theories of the State in Africa
Religion and Violent Groups (e.g., ISIS, Boko Haram, The Lord's Resistance Army, etc)
Religion and World Civilizations: Architecture; Art/Visual Art; Science and Technology
Religion and Youth Culture (e.g., Islamic Religious Culture: (Aid groups, musical ensembles, Muslim Students' Society, NACOMYO, Da'awa, etc.)
Religion as Identity Politics
Religion in African Schools and Universities
Religions, Race and other Identities
Religious Connections in the African Diaspora
Religious Conversion Mechanisms
Religious Culture in Africa
Religious Literatures
Religious, State, and Global Human Rights Movements
Religious/Political Freedom in Africa
Religious/Political Oppression in Africa
Religious/Political Pacifism in Africa
Religious/Political Violence in Africa
Slavery, Religion, and Politics
State Policy on Religion
State Secularism
The Vatican and Global Politics
Theocracy and Global Democracy
Transnational Religious Organizations
Other relevant topics
SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Submission is open now. Proposals for paper presentations, panels and/or performances should include a 150-200-word abstract and title, as well as the author's name, institutional affiliation/address, email address(es) and telephone number. All proposals for presentation and eventual publication must be the original work of the author/artist. The deadline for the submission of abstracts is April 1, 2019. All abstracts should be sent to tofac2019@gmail.com and also copied to tofac2019@babcock.edu.ng.
REGISTRATION DETAILS
A mandatory, non-refundable registration fee must be paid as soon as an abstract is accepted. The registration fee for Nigeria-based scholars will be N17,500 and N10,000 for graduate students, while all international participants will pay $100. This conference fee includes admission to all panels, conference materials, lunch and breaks, and the conference banquet. A late registration fee of N2,500 applies for any payments made after the close of registration, including for those who choose onsite payment.
Payment information
Nigeria-based participants are advised to pay registration fees into the following account and obtain a bank teller or receipt clearly showing the name of the conference participant and the amount paid.
Account Name: BU Veronica Adeleke School of Social Sciences
Account No: 1014485614
Bank: Zenith Bank
International participants are expected to pay in US Dollars. Those whose abstracts are accepted will receive information concerning payment method.
IMPORTANT DATES/DEADLINES: Below are the deadlines for each of the activities listed, showing the last day for intending participants to act:
Abstract Submission 01 April 2019
Notification of acceptance of Abstracts 30 April 2019
Registration & Payment 31 May 2019
Late Registration begins 1 June 2019
Arrival for conference 30 June 2019
Departure from conference 04 July 2019
Full draft paper submission Pre-conference, 31 May 2019
Full corrected paper submission Post-conference, 05 August 2019
CONFERENCE LOGISTICS
Hotel rates: Options for conference accommodation are of three types:
(a) Babcock student hostels, shared en-suite rooms, N2,000-N5,000/night
(b) Babcock Guest House (BGH), prices starting from N15,000/night
(c) Hotels in nearby towns (transportation provided), prices starting from N10,000/night
All prices listed above are subject to change. The Local Organizing Committee will communicate more detailed list of hotels and negotiated prices closer to the conference dates to persons whose abstracts have been accepted.
Airport Pick-Up: International participants will be picked up from the airport, while others from around the country will be provided with information concerning how to reach the University and hotels in later logistics updates.
Tourism: We are making arrangements to include a sight-seeing trip in the conference program, and will provide information ahead. Interested conference participants may be required to pay a small fee for logistical arrangements.
Other conference updates will be shared with participants as time goes on.
CONFERENCE OUTCOMES
The research papers presented will be reviewed for publication by editorial teams. Accepted quality papers will form part of edited book series. Other chosen papers will also be recommended to special issues of relevant journals. It is expected that all publication processes will be completed within a year of the end of the conference, all things being equal.
LOCAL ORGANISING COMMITTEE (Details to be provided)
For enquiries, contact the following:
Conference LoC: Dr Jane Adebusuyi, LoC Chair (+234-803-326-6754) & Dr Uduak Edy-Ewoh, LoC Secretary (+234-812-908-9044)
LoC email addresses: tofac2019@gmail.com, tofac2019@babcock.edu.ng
Convener: Dr Olajumoke Yacob-Haliso, Dean, Veronica Adeleke School of Social Sciences (VASSS), Babcock University; tofac2019@babcock.edu.ng or jumoyin@gmail.com
Co-Convener: Professor Mobolanle E. Sotunsa, Coordinator, Babcock University Gender and African Studies Group (BUGAS); bolasotunsa@yahoo.com
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