On October 24, 2019, The University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of History, Humanities, and Languages, and Center for Critical Race Studies is hosting a Symposium commemorating 400 Years of African American Life and History. This year, 2019, marks the four hundredth anniversary of the arrival of the first documented Africans to the North American continent. Undoubtedly, the past four centuries of African American life have been replete with trauma, struggle, and resiliency. The Symposium will examine the centrality of race and racism throughout United States history and ongoing efforts to dismantle structural systems of oppression. It will also highlight the myriad achievements and contributions African Americans have made to various sectors in the United States.
The Symposium aims to promote cutting-edge research in Africana studies produced by scholars and emerging scholars. During the symposium, we will also discuss effective transdisciplinary pedagogical strategies and creative methods that faculty might employ to enrich the educational experiences of students of color, especially transfer and first-generation college students.
2019 Call for Papers
The Symposium Committee welcomes paper proposals and abstracts on any of the following topics:
- Slavery and Resistance
- Citizenship and Armed Forces
- Race and Racial Formation/Identity
- African American Literature and Creativity
- Black Language/Dialect
- African and African American Art
- Entertainment (Music, Film, Dance)
- Civil Rights Movement
- Black and Brown Coalitions
- Education
- Afrocentrism
- Pan-Africanism
- The African Diaspora
- Black Greek Fraternities and Sororities
- #BlackGirlMagic
- #BlackBoyJoy
- Black Masculinity
- Black Feminism
- Queer Black Studies
- Race and Politics
- Black Religion
- Race and Sports
- Black Lives Matter
- Afrofuturism
Call for Papers Timetable:
Timely submission of papers is critical to the success of the Symposium. The procedures and timetable enumerated below will apply.
Deadline for Proposals and Abstract
By September 6, 2019, authors should submit a one to two-page proposal for their papers including: 1) the title of the paper; 2) a 500-word abstract. The abstract should provide a brief summary of the paper and include the paper’s purpose, methodology and design, major interpretations, and conclusions. Proposals, along with authors’ contact information, should be submitted via the Symposium Website.
Notification of Acceptance of Proposal
The Committee will contact authors regarding their proposals and presenting their papers at the Symposium on a rolling basis, starting August 1. By September 19, 2019, the Committee will make a decision on all proposals.
Please address questions to Dr. Jonathan Chism via e-mail at chismj@uhd.edu.