The 11th Annual Africa Conference at Tennessee State University

[aoye...@comcast.net]

Call for Papers

Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN, announces its 11th Annual Africa Conference on the theme, “Belief Systems and the Black Experience: Exploring Religion and Spirituality in African and African Diasporan Cultures,” to be held in-person from April 3–4, 2025, at Tennessee State University. We invite academics, independent scholars, policymakers, professionals, and graduate students to submit abstracts for the conference.

Religion, spiritualism, and other forms of faith expression play a significant role in shaping and defining societal and cultural identities. Christianity and Islam, in their varied denominations and sectarian units, are the dominant religions in Africa. However, indigenous or traditional religious practices continue to exist, although they are sidetracked to the margins.

In the diasporan cultures of the Americas, Christianity and, to some extent, Islam, have also played dominant roles in Black people’s religious and spiritual spaces. But in the Caribbean and Latin America, and some parts of the United States, African spiritual traditions are integrated into Catholicism and other faiths, creating unique syncretic religions such as Santería, Candomblé, and Voodoo.

Religion has not only shaped Black cultural identity but has also played a pivotal role in cultural preservation, resilience, and solidarity among people of African descent in their pursuit of liberation and justice. Faith-based organizations served as a foundation for spiritual activism and community building during both the civil rights movement and the anti-colonial liberation struggles across Africa and the African Diaspora. The intersection of faith and politics cultivated a strong sense of collective identity, empowering communities to confront systemic oppression and advocate for social justice and equality.

The theme of the 2025 conference provides an opportunity for critical dialogue, in broad terms, on the multifaceted dimensions of religion, religious beliefs, and spirituality in the context of Black culture, highlighting not only spiritual scopes, but how they intersect with historical and contemporary cultural, social, economic and political realities. Sub-themes and potential topics around which the conference is organized may include but are not limited to the following: 

·        Mythology and religion

·        Spiritual expressions: art, rituals, music, dance, and ceremonies

·        Religions and interfaith coalitions

·        Indigenous or traditional religions and belief systems

·        Religious syncretic practices in the Diaspora

·        Slavery and religion in antebellum South

·        Histories of religions in Africa and the Diaspora

·        Spiritual practices in pre-colonial Africa

·        Impact of Arab and European conquests on African spiritual traditions

·        Religion, politics, governance, and social justice

·        Fundamentalism, extremism, and religious conflicts

·        Pentecostalism in Africa and the Diaspora

·        “Reverse” evangelism: African immigrant churches in the Diaspora

·        Religion, health, and well-being

·        Traditional healing practices, modern medicine, mental health, and spiritual well-being

·        Religion, Black struggle, resistance, and empowerment

·        The civil rights struggle in America and the Black church

·        Spiritual activism, community building, and cultural identity in the Black freedom struggle

·        Liberation theology, religion, and social justice

·        Islam and Islamic culture in Africa

·        Islam and Black Muslims in America

·        Race, gender, sexuality, and religion

·        Traditional gender norms and women’s roles

·        LGBTQ+ identities and experiences in Black faith communities

·        Globalization, mass media, digital media, social media, and religion

·        Radical Islam and terrorism in Africa

·        African independent churches in colonial Africa

·        Past and present religious leaders

·        Gospel music and popular culture

·        Orthodox Christianity: The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Coptic Church, etc.

·        Religion and science and technology

·        Religion and legal frameworks: Sharia, etc.

·        Minority religions in Africa: Christian Science, Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaj, etc.

·        Religion, governance, the state, and civil society

·        Religious landmarks, sacred sites, and pilgrimages

·        Comparative studies of belief systems

·        Contemporary Black religious movements, social issues, and future direction of Black spiritual empowerment

Submission Guidelines
Each prospective presenter should electronically submit an abstract/panel proposal of no more than 500 words by Jan. 31, 2025. Abstract prepared as Microsoft Word document should include the following information: 

1.      Presenter’s first and last (surname) name

2.      Title of paper

3.      Institutional affiliation of each presenter

4.      Contact information (mail address, phone number, and email address).

Abstracts should be sent to tsuafrica...@tnstate.edu or submitted through the Conference website. Note that the submission of an abstract automatically grants conference organizers the right to publish it in the conference program and website.

Registration
Mandatory non-refundable registration fees for presenters are as follows:

1.      Regular: $100 by Jan. 31, 2025; late: $150 by Mar. 15, 2025.

2.      Graduate Students: $50 by Jan. 31, 2025; late: $75 by Mar. 15, 2025.

To register for the conference, go to the Conference website

Publication of Selected Papers
Conference papers will be eligible for publication in the bi-annual international academic journal, Global Africa: Journal of African and African Diaspora Studies.
All submitted articles are subject to peer review.

 

Conveners

Dr. Adebayo Oyebade

Professor of History

Tennessee State University

aoye...@tnstate.edu

 

Dr. Gashawbeza Bekele

Professor of Geography

Tennessee State University

gbe...@tnstate.edu

Questions

Please, direct all questions to the conference conveners via their email addresses above.

 All participants should note that the conference and Tennessee State University do not offer any form of financial assistance to participants. Thus, all attendees must provide their own funds to cover registration, transportation, and accommodation.