CFP: Legacy of Slavery and Indentured Labor (Paramaribo, Suriname - June 2018)
The Anton de Kom University of Suriname is offering scholars worldwide the opportunity to discuss legacies of forced migration and labor in a unique time and place. The university's history department, Institute for Graduate Studies and Research, Social Science Research Institute, and the Surinamese National Archives have partnered with a host of the country's other cultural institutions to sponsor a conference on the occasions of the 165th anniversary of the beginnings of Chinese immigration to Suriname, the 155th anniversary of abolition of slavery there, the 145th anniversary of the beginning of the immigration of East Indians, and the 128th anniversary of immigration of Indonesians to the country, as well as the 50th anniversary of the university.
The central aim of the conference is "to connect historical specificities of slavery, indentured labour and migration to contemporary issues of globalization, diaspora, identity formation, nationalism and transnationalism." By inviting scholars of all levels of experience from all over the world, it hopes to stimulate new conversations on the linkages between these subjects, including those related to such potential themes as the psychological impacts of slavery, the perception of countries of origin among those populations that have experienced multiple or circular migrations, and the institutionalization of diasporic ties in former homelands.
The conference will run from 19 to 23 June 2018 and will be conducted in English. The organizers would prefer the submission of panel proposals, but also welcome individual papers. A panel proposal must consist of "the framework of the panel, with relevant questions, a number of paper proposals, abstracts of the papers and bio data of all members of the panel. The number of papers within a panel will be between three and eight. Each panel will have a chair and a discussant." Individual papers should be submitted as an abstract of 300-500 words, in MS Word format, along with a short CV. Panels and papers of a comparative nature will have priority; poster proposals are also welcome. The deadline for proposal submissions, to diasporaconfsuriname2018@gmail.com, is 20 December 2017, with decisions rendered by 3 January 2018; full papers must be prepared and received by 30 April. A selection will be published.