The African Studies Association of Australasia and the Pacific (AFSAAP) 45^th Annual Conference: Bringing African Studies to the Forefront of Teaching, Research, Practice, and Policy.

 

Hosted by Australian Catholic University, Canberra Campus, Thursday 26th and Friday 27th November 2026.

 

African Studies is an academic discipline grounded in interdisciplinary scholarship on Africa and its diasporas. It is a distinctive field that is concerned with African-centred knowledge systems, intellectualities, and research methods. In 2026, while the African diaspora has grown and we have seen African Studies initiatives blossom at universities such as Australia National University (ANU), University of Melbourne, and Curtin, the disregard for African insights arguably remains and has been a concern for Africanists. In 2007, prior AFSAAP President Tanya Lyons published research on the state of African Studies in Australia. She concluded that despite its importance, there was lessening prominence and “Africanists work in isolation in their respective universities, only coming together once a year under the umbrella of the African Studies Association of Australasia and the Pacific”[1]. For our 45^th Annual Conference, we once more invite Africanists to come together; however, this time with the intention of enhancing ongoing collaboration to bring African Studies to the forefront of continuing Teaching, Research, Practice, and Policy. Drawing upon Lyons’ insights about the need for multisectoral liaison with non-government organisations (NGOs) and the government sector[2], we call for submissions from academics, practitioners, artists, civil servants, and anyone who holds an interest in African Studies. In this conference, we frame African Studies as “an epistemic stance, a political intervention, and a method of analysis”[3] which privileges African knowledges and practices as a route to decolonisation. The Conference will engender a space where like-minded Africanists across various sectors can share their insights and work towards the reclamation, validation, and expansion of African intellectual traditions and cultural practices[4] at a time when there is a pressing need to address interconnected challenges in domestic and global affairs.

 

Call for papers

Deadline: September 16th, 2026. We will notify successful applicants by early October. Please follow the relevant submission guidelines and send to secretary@afsaap.org.au. 

Academic papers and organisational reports that align with the following themes/subthemes. Presentations are to be approximately 10 minutes long, with 5 minutes for questions. Please submit an abstract of maximum 300 words.

Theme 1. Africanist Views in Research and Teaching

• Africanist Pedagogies and Decolonial Scholarship
• Africanist Methodologies
• Improving the State of African Studies

Theme 2. Africanist Views in the Sciences

• Enhancing Healthcare
• Addressing Big Tech
• Fighting Climate Change and Its Impacts

Theme 3. Africanist Views in Government & Politics

• Decolonising Governance
• Ubuntu and Human Rights
• Insights on Global Politics

Theme 4. Africanist Views in Humanities

• African Languages, Translations, Intellectual Traditions and Cultural Practices
• Critical African Feminism
• Enhancing the Experiences of the African Diaspora

Casual community member presentations from those with experience in the following fields. Presentations can be in any format, maximum 15 minutes. Please submit an overview of maximum 300 words.

Theme 5. Africanist Art Spaces

• Casual presentations in the field of music and dance
• Casual presentations in the field of art and fashion
• Casual presentations in the field of storytelling

Theme 6. Africanist Community Work

• Casual presentations in the field of health and science
• Casual presentations in the field of government and politics
• Casual presentations in the field of education and social work

 

The following will also be open to all attendees.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS. TBA

PANELS. Bringing together diplomats, practitioners, community members and academics to enhance collaboration and bring Africanist views to the forefront.

WORKSHOPS.   Enhancing Africanist Research – hear from the Australian Review of African Studies editorial team and our established academics on how to get published and how to win grants.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. Our current executive will detail their experiences from 2026, and AFSAAP members will vote on the incoming 2027 executive.

CONFERENCE DINNER.   Drinks and a delicious African feast with entertainment – please use the details below to process $70 to attend.

 

Registration

Please send your payment (in accordance with the table below) to treasurer@afsaap.org.au using PayPal (see here for instructions). Note that all costs are in AUD$.

Click JOIN US to become a member and get the discount!

	Member	Non-Member
Full conference	$220	$290
Full conference student/unwaged	$160	$220
Day pass	$85	$110
Day pass student/unwaged	$65	$85
Online Access	$30	$45

 

[1] Lyons, T., & Dimock, E. (2007, p.331). The state of African studies in Australia. In The study of Africa volume 2, global and transnational engagements, (Vol. 2, pp. 315-335). Codesria Book Series.

[2] Ibid.

[3] African Studies Association of Africa (2024). Bokutani: The Journal of the African Studies Association of Africa – Call for Papers: “Ecologies of Knowledge in Global Africa”. Retrieved from https://as-aa.org/bokutani-the-journal-of-the-african-studies-association-of-africa-call-for-papers-ecologies-of-knowledge-in-global-africa/

[4] Ibid. Also see: AFSAAP (2025). Ùhúnmwèlaò, the Great Head of Ọ́bà: From the Edo people of the Kingdom of Benin to the Australasia and Pacific. Retrieved from https://afsaap.org.au/uhunmwelao-the-great-head-of-oba-from-the-edo-people-of-the-kingdom-of-benin-to-the-australasia-and-pacific/