MAAAS 2025 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.

 

Thank you for attending  MAAAS 2025. See the pictures below.

 MAAAS 2025: Democracy and Environmental Justice

October 10-11, 2025

Lincoln University

Jefferson City, MO

Register Here
MAAAS 2025 Conference Program
MAAAS 2025 Pictures
MAAAS 2024 Videos

Call for Papers:

Ken Lohrentz Graduate Paper Award

Mid-America Alliance for African Studies (MAAAS)

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
  • Due date for consideration is 5:00 PM CDT (22:00 UTC) on Friday, October 31,2025. Submit papers in MS Word or Adobe pdf format to MAAAS at MAAASPP@gmail.com.
  • 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 on KASC’s MAAAS conference webpage at https://kasc.ku.edu/maaas-2025-conference.
Past MAAAS Events