FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
INDIANAPOLIS — The Africana Studies Program at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and the African Studies Program at Indiana University Bloomington will host this year’s annual meeting of the flagship organization devoted to enhancing the exchange of information about Africa.
The African Studies Association will hold its 57th annual meeting on Nov. 20 to 23 at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Indianapolis. This is the first time the conference, which brings together more than 2,000 leading scholars of Africa, will be held in Indianapolis.
Manchester College and Martin, Marian and Butler universities will join IUPUI and IU Bloomington in holding the conference.
With almost 2,000 individual and institutional members worldwide, the African Studies Association encourages the production and dissemination of knowledge about Africa.
The theme for this year’s conference is “Rethinking Violence, Reconstruction and Reconciliation.” The conference will provide an important platform for a critical assessment of the locations of violence in Africa’s past, present and future and the various responses that have emerged through the years to various types of violence and the development of new strategies that can be used in the reconstruction process.
Numerous panels, roundtables and forums will take place to examine the conference theme from various perspectives. Of particular interest to the Indianapolis community is a panel sponsored by the local arrangements committee on “Rethinking Violence in the African Diaspora: Indianapolis as a Case in Point.”
The co-chairs of the local arrangements committee are Bessie House-Soremekun of IUPUI and Maria Grosz-Ngate of IU Bloomington.
The local arrangements committee has organized a number of events to encourage community participation, including local tours, various receptions, and an “All Faiths Breakfast” at 8 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 23, in the J.W. Marriott Hotel.
An exhibition soccer match will also take place from 1 to 3 p.m. on Nov. 23 at Incrediplex located at 6002 Sunnyside Drive in Indianapolis. Admission is free for the first 100 attendees. A “Meet and Greet” reception will immediately follow the soccer match from 3 to 5 p.m. Indy 11 professional soccer players will be available to autograph Indy 11 apparel and sports gear for game attendees.
To register for the conference or for more information about events that are open to the public, visit www.africanstudies.org or call the Africana Studies Program at IUPUI at 317-274-8662.
Established in 1957 and based at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., the African Studies Association supports understanding of the entire African continent in each facet of its political, economic, social, cultural, artistic, scientific and environmental landscape. Members include scholars, students, teachers, activists, development professionals, policymakers and donors.