The Department of Black Studies, University of Missouri, 2023 Annual Fall Conference

Peace and Security in Africa and the African Diaspora (Local, National, and Global Perspectives)

Call for Papers

The initial peace and security research has been dominated mainly by the realist approach to state security, which considers states the main actors in peace and security matters. However, gradually peace research involved broader structural factors such as inequalities among groups, basic needs, gender issues, and other factors which transcend communities, identity groups, and different sections of societies at local, national, and global levels. Among the peace and security research agendas, Black community issues have received international attention over the last decades. Black communities worldwide have historical roots in Africa. Still, the growing African diaspora contributes to the continuation of cultural and economic ties between African societies and Black communities across the globe.

However, despite Western countries’ promotion of democracy globally, racial inequality and intolerance have remained some of the main challenges for Africans and African descendants. As a result, deeply rooted systemic discrimination and identity-based conflicts have given rise to structural and direct violence in countries worldwide. According to the recent Human Rights Council Report (2022), though several governments have implemented initiatives to address racial discrimination, the impact has become minimal and gradual. Moreover, the initiative falls short of comprehensive, evidence-based approaches, which contribute less to dismantling entrenched structural, institutional, and societal discrimination that has existed for centuries.

Hence the effort requires local, national, and global engagement not only by states, international organizations, and civil society organizations such as the Black Lives Matter Global Network but also by a concerted effort of academic and research institutions from Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America, North America, Europe, and Asia.

Objectives of the Conference

The Department of Black Studies, University of Missouri, will host its 2023 Annual Fall Conference as the first international conference on Peace and Security in Africa and the African Diaspora on October 12-13, 2023. The conference aims to make the Black communities’ peace and security a global research agenda, contribute to knowledge generation, and influence national policies. Moreover, the conference aims to create a sustainable global network of institutions and scholars along the research agenda. It attempts to complement the initiative that can be taken by academic and research institutions located in Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America, North America, Europe, and Asia. 

Thematic Areas for the Conference

• Theoretical and conceptual approaches to understanding conflict and peace in Africa and the African diaspora
• Policing, conflict, and peace in Africa and the African diaspora
• The role of race, ethnicity, class, and religion in conflict and stability in Africa and the African diaspora
• Regional and economic communities in peace and security in Africa
• The role of the diaspora in the peace and security of Africa
• Migration, conflict, and peace in Africa and the African diaspora
• The part of corporations in peace and conflict in Africa and the African diaspora
• The impact of foreign states on African peace and security

Venue: The University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri

Format: Hybrid (Online and In-Person)

Date: October 12-13, 2023

Paper proposals are due on March 31, 2023, by 5:00 PM CST. Submissions should be made via email to Dr. Mesfin Woldegebriel at mgwoldegebriel@missouri.edu and copied to Mr. Shawn Hall at hallshaw@missouri.edu

Accepted proposals will be confirmed by April 30, 2023. Post-conference peer-review consideration will be given to conference papers and selected to extend to chapter format for publication. Individual proposals should include an abstract of up to 250 words maximum and a one-page CV. Please include the author’s full name, email address, and institutional affiliation (if applicable). Please include the presentation’s title and indicate whether it will be delivered in person or online.