MAAAS 2024 Conference

About MAAAS

The Mid-America Alliance for African Studies (MAAAS) is an organization for the promotion of African Studies in mid-America, including in particular the region between the Mississippi River and the frontal range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded at the University of Kansas in 1995, MAAAS seeks to encourage scholarship and teaching in African Studies regionally and sub-regionally through conferences, seminars, workshops, consortia, faculty and student exchanges, cooperative relations between libraries, and promotion of African language teaching, among other endeavors. MAAAS is open to all with an interest in scholarship and teaching within an African Studies focus, and it seeks especially to provide a forum for far-flung Africanists in the middle of the U.S., where great distances exist between relatively small pockets of African Studies enthusiasts.

 

Call for Proposals has closed! 

MAAAS 2024: Disinformation, Miseducation, and Epistemic Violence

University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS

October 31 and November 1, 2024

The Mid America Alliance for African Studies (MAAAS) will hold its 29th annual meeting virtually and in person at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, KS from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM CDT (14:00 to 22:00 UTC) on Thursday, 31 OCT and Friday, 01 NOV. MAAAS invites all scholars who conduct research on Africa and its diaspora to submit an abstract for virtual or in-person presentation. Although MAAAS welcomes presentations on any topic, we especially welcome abstracts for presentations on the conference theme of Disinformation, Miseducation, and Epistemic Violence.

Interested participants should submit proposal to kasc@ku.edu by the deadline of Sunday, September 15, 2024. Proposals for an individual presentation or roundtable should include a 250-word abstract and a list of any co-authors or participants in the roundtable discussion. Proposals for a symposium or panel of presentations should include 250-word abstracts and lists of authors (specifically indicating each presenter) for both the overall symposium/panel and each of the individual presentations that constitute the symposium/panel. The MAAAS Program Committee will announce programming decisions by September 30.

MAAAS invites graduate students to submit a paper for consideration in the Kenneth P. Lohrentz Graduate paper competition. See the announcement here for details.

Fees:

  • Non-faculty: Membership = $10, Registration = $10 (Non-member registration =$25)
  • Faculty: Membership = $20, Registration = $20 (Non-member registration = $50)

Payments can be made here.

For additional information about the MAAAS conference, please contact the Kansas African Studies Center (kasc@ku.edu).

Sincerely,

 

Christabel Tsoto

MAAAS President

ctsoto@ku.edu 

Register Here
Program

Call for Papers:

Ken Lohrentz Graduate Paper Award

Mid-America Alliance for African Studies (MAAAS)

Disinformation, Miseducation, and Epistemic Violence

October 31 and November 1, 2024

KU Medical Center

Kansas City, KS

 

We invite graduate students from any field in African Studies to submit a paper for the Mid-America Alliance for African Studies (MAAAS) Ken Lohrentz Graduate Paper Award.

Guidelines for Graduate Paper Submission:

  • Papers should engage the conference theme of Disinformation, Miseducation, and Epistemic Violence
  • Due date for consideration is 5:00 PM CDT (22:00 UTC) on Friday, October 25, 2024. Submit papers in MS Word or Adobe pdf format to the Kansas African Studies Center at kasc@ku.edu.
  • Include your full name, contact information and graduate program name on the title page.
  • Faculty sponsor signature required: Your faculty sponsor’s signature should appear on the title page with his/her name typed below it along with your institution's name and date. (Note: The faculty sponsor does NOT need to attend the conference or even be a member of MAAAS.)
  • Papers may be no more than 30 pages, double spaced using size 12 font minimum.
  • Presentation at the conference is mandatory to receive this award.
  • The winner of the award will receive a cash prize of USD $100.00.
  • We will announce the winner at the MAAAS conference on November 1, 2024.