*** Extended deadline*** CfP ECAS 2023: Hidden and Counter Narratives of African Migration and Return
Apologies for cross-posting
Dear colleagues,
Please find below details for our panel at the upcoming ECAS conference in = Cologne (31st May - 3rd June 2023) on "Hidden and Counter Narratives of Af= rican Migration and Return". We hope this panel may be of interest to you!
The deadline for submissions has been extended to 23 January 2023.
Short abstract:
In an attempt to unsettle the language of crisis that is associated with Af= rican migrations, thereby re-interpreting the present in order to carve out= new futures, this panel presents narratives that portray a more nuanced an= d complex understanding of African, and diasporan, migrations and return.
Long abstract:
While there has been an increasing focus on the migration of Africans to Eu= rope, and elsewhere, Africa=92s return migrants and the =91return=92 of mem= bers of the African diaspora, have received significantly less attention. A= t the same time, the focus on crisis that frames dominant representations o= f African migration to Europe, and elsewhere, has the effect of reproducing= particular histories and forms of knowledge that are rooted in historical = processes of racialisation and subjugation. The invocation of crisis enable= s particular narratives, while precluding others. Such language is rooted i= n the coloniality of knowledge production which hides and disallows hidden = and counter narratives.
In an attempt to unsettle the normative language of crisis that is associat= ed with African migration, this panel presents narratives that portray a mo= re nuanced and complex understanding of African, and diasporan, migrations = and return. These include, but are not limited to: historical, contemporary= and future narratives (as imagined) of Africans as tourists, and adventure= rs seeking to fulfil personal ambitions; those engaged in professional and = educational migration; and circular migration both within the African conti= nent and beyond. By capturing hidden and counter narratives of migration an= d return we re-imagine the past, re-interpret the present and carve out new= futures.
The panel welcomes papers on narratives of migration and return that focus = on any of the following: motivations for returning; the work / education th= ey are subsequently involved in; their imagined futures; the effect of thei= r return on local communities; their transnational practices; and circular = migration.
Please submit your proposals, including a short abstract of fewer than 300 = characters and a long abstract of fewer than 250 words using the following = link: https://nomadit.co.uk/conference/ecas2023/p/12412
Best wishes,
Pamela Kea and Emma Abotsi
