Call for Papers- Critical University Studies Symposium: Legacies of Slavery and Settler Colonialism
Critical University Studies Symposium:
Legacies of Slavery and Settler Colonialism
Boston University March 17-18, 2022
The History Department and African American Studies Program at Boston University are excited to host a two-day symposium on March 17-18, 2022, that will:
1) reflect on the historical role of U.S. universities in establishing and perpetuating racial inequalities, white supremacy, settler colonialism and,
2) explore approaches for researching, teaching, and addressing past injustices on campuses and in the academy more broadly.
In the last several years, there has been growing scholarly and public attention to urgent national debates about monuments, along with the central historical role of slavery, the slave trade, and Indigenous dispossession in the republic and in the founding. Scholars have traced these connections to the continued prosperity of various institutions — while also attending to long-term legacies of systemic racism and wide-ranging inequalities in everything from political access, to economic security, to safety and health. Prodded by scholars and wider community activism, universities across the U.S. have turned to recovering and understanding their own often troubling pasts.
Scholars who have already agreed to participate in the 2-day symposium include Davarian Baldwin, Anthony Bogues, Christine DeLucia, Leslie Harris, Martha Jones, and Noliwe Rooks as well as Craig Wilder who will deliver the event’s keynote address.
We welcome proposals for roundtable-style presentations based in scholarly research and/or community-campus activism in any of the categories below:
Research
- How scholars have approached and understood histories of colleges, universities, and other institutions with respect to slavery, the slave trade, and settler colonialism.
- How university archives/archivists and public-facing historical institutions (e.g., museums, historical societies) have grappled with these legacies.
- Models and lessons learned from these projects.
- Intellectual, scholarly, and ethical imperatives of doing this work.
Pedagogy
- How universities have or can diversify syllabi and promote consideration of new perspectives.
- How university faculty and instructors have incorporated or can incorporate critical university studies into teaching.
- Examples of/experiments in place-based coursework and student-involved research on settler colonialism and slavery, along with successes and challenges.
Reckonings and Reparations
- How Critical University Studies’ scholarship has changed practices (hiring or otherwise) or instituted “reparations” (broadly defined), in the form of student aid, scholarships, program/project funding etc.
- How activism (historical or contemporary) has shaped knowledge, teaching, and the development of new programs (e.g., Ethnic Studies, Black Studies, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies) and policies, including affirmative action.
To apply, please submit a 250-word abstract proposal and C.V. or bio by October 18, 2021 to pcaustin@bu.edu and andrewr1@bu.edu
Priority will be given to junior faculty and early-career scholars from historically underrepresented communities.
For those selected, travel, lodging, and meals will be covered, and a modest honorarium provided.