Africana Studies conference to examine slavery

BOWLING GREEN, O.—“Slavery, Colonialism and Africana Identities” will be the theme of the 12th annual Africana Studies Research Conference at Bowling Green State University on March 19.

The daylong event, which attracts student research presenters from around the country, will include a keynote address by historian Dr. Joseph Inikori of the University of Rochester. Inikori will speak during the luncheon, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., in 228 Bowen-Thompson Student Union.

Tickets to the buffet lunch are $10, available at the Union Information Desk until 3 p.m. March 17. They will not be sold at the door. Those wishing to attend the 11:45 talk only are asked to call 419-372-7897 so that adequate seating may be planned.

One of the pioneers of Atlantic World history, Inikori has published extensively on the region’s economic history, including the role of Africans in the Industrial Revolution in England. One of the first to seriously challenge the existing but misleading data conclusions regarding the number of Africans enslaved during the Atlantic slave trade, he is the author of several award-winning books and has been honored numerous times for his scholarship.

He is the former chair of the history department at Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria. Before leaving Nigeria for the U.S., he also held national-level positions dealing with policy and intergroup relations.

The annual conference offers participants the opportunity to present papers that investigate historical, cultural and intellectual issues of people of African descent globally. The event is designed to inspire student interest in archival and field research on Africana topics.

Panels will be held from 10-11:45 a.m. and from 1:30-3 p.m. in 207 Union.

The conference is sponsored by the BGSU Africana Studies Program in collaboration with the departments of ethnic studies and history as well as the College of Arts and Sciences.

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Editor’s Note: For more information, contact Dr. Apollos Nwauwa, director of the Africana Studies Program and associate professor of history, at nwauwa@bgsu.edu or 419-372-9483, or Bonnie Blankinship, Marketing and Communications, at 419-372-2618.

(Posted March 11, 2010 )