MAY 24–26, 2018          PÉCS (HUNGARY), UNESCO GLOBAL LEARNING CITY

Call for Papers

The Africa Research Centre of the Department of Political Studies, University of Pécs (HU), in co-operation with Metropolitan State University Denver (USA), also co-sponsored by the Polish African Studies Centre at the Uni- versity of Wroclaw (PL), the Jagellonian Research Centre for African Studies in Cracow (PL) and the Centre of African Studies at the University of West Bohemia (CZ) will host an international interdisciplinary conference on Africa’s changing international relations and realities. The working language will be English.

The conference focuses on discussing Africa’s potential place and role in international politics and the inter- connected global economy of the z1st century, as much as how the enhanced dynamics of external actor engagements affect daily realities across the continent. It will offer the ground to present both macro and micro perspectives and to analyze the various interactions among different entities and stakeholders. One of the key questions will be how a confident ‘African agency’ can determine the most desirable path of develop- ment for Africans and what types of partnership African peoples want for their own future.

A special event will close the conference: part of the official program of the rotating presidency of the Visegrad Four held by Hungary in zo17-18, a V4 Political-Scientific Symposium on Africa Policies and African Studies will be organized in collaboration with the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

 Proposed Panels

1. History (colonialism, imperialism revisited, decolonization, military conflicts and their aftermath, new imperialism, second scramble for Africa)
2. Politics (civil wars, nation-building and ethnic cleansing, fragile states, African ownership,  African Union, decentralization, regionalization, role of INOs, GOs, NGOs, security issues, political culture, Africa   in world politics, women in politics)
3. Economics (development plans and failures, old and new venture forms, strategic resources, raw materi- als and value-added production, old and new investors, FDI, ITC, from zero sum to win-win, impact of the global crises, emerging economies in Africa)
4. Sociology (interethnic co-operation, impact of education, illiteracy, new elites–old poverty, reconciliation, demobilization, child soldiers)
5. Humanitarian aid and voluntary action (role of INOs, GOs, NGOs, assessment)
6. Anthropology (social- and cultural anthropology, new and old folklore, tradition and tourism)
7. Medicine (evolution of tropical medicine, AIDS prevention, virology, epidemiology, threats, prevention, health migration issues)
8. Diaspora (global African migrations, refugees, diasporas and development, diaspora involvement and foreign policy, diasporas and peacemaking)

Registration and Participation

Those interested in presenting their research findings and scientifically-backed opinions are requested to take the steps of registration as follows:

1. Send your abstracts of maximum 3oo words to tarrosy.istvan@pte.hu no later than midnight 20 March 2018. The final selection will be concluded by the Scientific Board of the Conference until 1 April zo18.
2. After having been selected for the conference, arrange your accommodation. The organisers will assist you with information on optimal bookings and related issues.
3. Arrange your travel The organisers will help you find the best ways to get to Pécs.
4. After having arranged the necessary administration with the conference organisers, and your travel and accommodation are settled, participate in the conference, after which submit your papers to the above e-mail address by midnight 3o July 2018. We plan to publish a special issue of the Hungarian journal of African Studies [Afrika Tanulmányok] by early

Provisional program

24 May Thursday

09:00–10:00       Registration
10:00–10:30       Welcome addresses
10:30–11:30       Keynote address including debate
11:30–13:00       Panel sessions
13:00–14:30       Buffet lunch
14:30–18:00       Panel sessions
20:00        Conference dinner

25 May Friday

09:00–12:30       Panel sessions
12:30–14:00       Buffet lunch
14:00–17:00       V4 Symposium 17:00–18:00       “Füssi Nagy Géza” Memorial Lecture
18:00–18:30       Final remarks and future follow-up
20:00        Conference dinner

26 May Saturday

Optional Programme in the City of Pécs

09:30
Cultural tour in the City Centre, UNES- CO World Heritage Sites and galleries, the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter and lunch with wine-tasting

Contact

István TARRÓSY, Ph.D., tarrosy.istvan@pte.hu Department of Political Science and International Studies,

Africa Research Centre, Faculty of Humanities, University of Pécs organiser of the conference, director of the Africa Research Centre