Association for the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora

2021 Virtual Symposium

Rising for Survival: Black Resistance, Political Projects and Democracy in Times of "Crisis"

November 4-6, 2021

We struggled with multiple crises across the African world during 2020, and we convened various fora to grapple with the nature of the devastation within Africa and across its diaspora. The pandemic and its effects on people of African descent globally, the protests against police brutality from Nigeria to Colombia, the on-going upheaval in Ethiopia, and creeping authoritarianism worldwide, among other realities, continue to give us much to consider. The past year calls us to think collectively about our current predicaments and struggles. Yet, this moment also asks that we pause to consider both the generative power of our responses to crises, and the insights we have gained for future innovation.  

The theme of this year’s virtual symposium, to be live-streamed November 4-6, 2021, is "Rising for Survival: Black Resistance, Political Projects and Democracy in Times of 'Crisis.'" We will think together about the assumptions that undergird our reactions to problems across the African world, about what we stand to learn from past efforts to address similar challenges, and about how contemporary truths demand new approaches to our conception of what it means to think collectively about Africa and its diaspora.   

To see the symposium plenaries and panels, please click here: 2021 Virtual Symposium Program

Virtual Symposium Registration Notice:

In keeping with commitments we have made to ASWAD members currently living and working in the Global South, all students and retirees living in the Global South will have their conference registration fees covered by ASWAD. Please note that this benefit is only intended for students and retirees living currently in the Global South (e.g., South America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and Oceania). Also, even though registration will be free or subsidized for students and retirees living in the Global South, every attendee of the virtual symposium will be required to complete the registration process for security purposes.

To register for the symposium, please click one of the links below:

  1. Symposium Registration Form (for ASWAD Members Living in the Global North)
  2. Symposium Registration Form (for ASWAD Members Living in the Global South)
  3. Non-ASWAD Members Registration Link (CommPartners)

All symposium inquiries should be forwarded to: [email protected].