Herein we broadcast the Call for Papers (CFP) from the joint AIMS (American Institute for Maghrib Studies, of which TALIM is the research center in Morocco) WARA (West African Research Association) conference for June 2013. Please note that the deadline for submission of applications and abstracts is December 30, 2012.
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CALL FOR PAPERS
Saharan Crossroads: Views from the
Desert-Edge
An AIMS-WARA-CRASC Conference
22-24 June 2013 – Ghardaïa, Algeria
This conference is
part of a series of activities organized by the West African Research
Association (WARA) and the American Institute for Maghrib Studies (AIMS)
aimed at strengthening the cultural, artistic
and historical links among the peoples living within and across the
Sahara Desert.
The 3rd international conference
« Saharan Crossroads: Views from the Desert-Edge » is planned to be held in
Ghardaïa, Algeria June 22-24, 2013.
The Centre d’Etudes Maghrébines en Algérie (CEMA) is partnering
with the Centre National de Recherche en Anthropologie Sociale et
Culturelle (CRASC) in planning this conference to be held at the
University of
Ghardaïa.
This conference’s theme is
“Mapping information flows within and across the Sahara.”
Throughout the ages, Africans
circulating in Saharan regions engaged in cultural, intellectual,
religious and political exchanges. Through oral and scriptural media,
and by way of foot, caravan, truck and other traffic,
people conveyed information and ideas that transformed and connected
societies across distances. The committee is interested in studies
focused on Saharan and trans-Saharan exchanges of information and ideas,
past and present.
Ghardaïa, in the heart of the Mzab region,
is a propitious locale to hold this conference. This ethnically and
religiously diverse oasis town was once a major center of exchange, and a
northern terminus of caravans
originating from markets such as Timbuktu, Agadez and Kano.
Proposals for papers and panels are invited for the following suggested themes:
1.
Circulation routes and information nodes
2.
Art, music and stylistic trends
3.
Cultures and ritual traditions
4.
Centers of learning and scholarly circuits
5.
Religious and Sufi networks
6.
Legal opinions and jurisprudence
7.
Political movements and ideological waves
8.
Evolution of communication technologies
9.
Migration and information flows
10.
Water management technologies and oasis agriculture
11.
Urban and architectural design
12.
Comparative Saharan archaeology
Applications and Abstracts of no more than 200 words should be submitted by
December 30th, 2012 at the following website:
http://fs9.formsite.com/westafricanresearchassociation/form10/index.html.
For further enquiries, you may contact the conference organizers at
aimswara@gmail.com.
Conference Organizers:
Ghislaine Lydon (University of California, Los Angeles)
Robert Parks (Director, CEMA-Oran)
Jennifer Yanco (Director, WARA)
Aomar Boum (Vice-President AIMS, University of Arizona)
Sidi Mohamed Trache (Université d’Oran et associé CRASC)
This conference is partially funded by a grant through the US Dept of State Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs.
