SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR ASA PROPOSALS

67th Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association
Global Africa | Chicago, IL December 12-14, 2024

FINAL DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: Sunday, March 17, 2024 11:59 Eastern
PROGRAM CHAIRS: Alice Kang (University of Nebraska, Lincoln) and Olajumoke Yacob-Haliso (Brandeis University)
INQUIRIES: members@africanstudies.org 

Please note that the CFP Submission Site is only accessible to those who have already pre-registered for the Annual Meeting. Please click here to join or renew your membership and pre-register for the 2024 ASA Annual Meeting!

CFP OVERVIEW 

The African Studies Association (ASA) invites proposals for panels, papers, and roundtables that examine current scholarship and debates in all areas of African Studies. The Program Committee welcomes submissions from scholars and practitioners at all stages in their careers. Proposals are particularly encouraged that focus on this year’s theme of “Global Africa,” as well as those that interpret the theme in the broadest sense.

All proposals must be submitted before Sunday, March 17, 2024, 11:59pm Eastern. Proposals will be accepted or rejected within 8-10 weeks by the Program Committee and notices will be sent out by email, with acceptance contingent on receipt of pre-registration fees.

All participants listed within a proposal MUST pre-register by the March 17 submission deadline in order for the proposal to be reviewed. Please note that pre-registration is refundable if your submission is rejected, or a presenter is denied a visa.

ASA accepts credit cards, PayPal, and PayPal partner services such as MPESA at this time. For a full list of PayPal services available on the continent, please see their official list. Check payments are unavailable. Onsite registration will only be available for presenters on a case-by-case basis.

Accepted proposals will be listed in the Preliminary Program, which will be announced via email. Please be sure you can receive notification emails from members@africanstudies.org and secretariat@africanstudies.org.

PARTICIPATION RULES 

Each participant may only submit ONE paper in the "individual paper" category but may be part of multiple panels and roundtables under the "panel" "roundtable" "Author Meets Critic" etc. formats " Presents must be unique to each session. If a participant is listed in multiple sessions with identical presentations, they will be removed. Submissions to AfricaNow! do not count towards participations limits.

SUBMISSION PROCEDURES

Incomplete proposals will be automatically rejected. All proposals must be submitted via the submission site. We are unable to accept proposals sent by email or other methods. Proposals must be submitted in English, but presentations may be in any language. Diversity in gender, race, geography, and institution should be incorporated in panel and roundtable submissions.

INDIVIDUAL PAPER PROPOSALS

Individual paper proposals have the highest rate of rejection. Potential presenters are strongly encouraged to utilize the Call for Co-Panelists on the ASA website to solicit other presenters to create a full session proposal. 

Individual paper proposals should only be submitted if you are not presenting that paper as part of a pre-organized panel. The paper abstract should consist of a statement about the topic, the nature, and extent of the research on which the paper is based, and a summary of the main argument(s) (a maximum of 200 words). The quality of the paper abstract is the main criterion for acceptance. The Program Committee will create panels from individual submissions with common themes and identify a panel chair. Please note: individual paper submissions may not be categorized as “Special Topics” and any individual submission categorized as such will not be considered. 

ORGANIZED PANEL PROPOSALS

A panel has a chair, no more than five paper presenters, and a discussant. A panel must have a minimum of three presenters. A panel proposal consists of 1) the panel title and abstract; 2) names, email address, phone number, and institutional affiliation for each participant on the panel; 3) paper titles and an abstract for each of the papers. The panel organizers submit information about all the participants in the panel using the online form. Email addresses submitted on behalf of co-panelists must be unique, accurate emails, and not duplicative of another panelists’ contact information. Panelists on organized panels must not submit individually. 

If you wish to submit a multi-part series on a given subject, please title them similarly, submit each panel to the same subtheme, and identify them in the order you’d like them scheduled using Part I, Part II, Part III, etc. If you are organizing a multi-part series, you are not required to chair each panel, but you must identify the participants and their roles for each and communicate any pertinent information from the ASA to all your participants once submitted. 

Ex: African Masculinities in the Modern World, Part I
      African Masculinities in the Modern World, Part II

OR

Ex: New Africa-China Research, Part I: Contested Framings of Africa-China Relations
       New Africa-China Research, Part II: African Agency in Theory and Practice 
       New Africa-China Research, Part III: Centering Mobility in Africa-China Relations 

The panel abstract should consist of a statement about the topic and a summary of the main argument(s) (approximately 250 words). The quality of the panel abstracts is the main criterion for acceptance; a panel with a weak abstract or with two or more weak paper abstracts is unlikely to be accepted. All participants on a panel, including the chair and discussant, must be pre-registered by the deadline to be considered.

ROUNDTABLE PROPOSALS

A roundtable consists of a chair and no more than five presenters. A roundtable proposal consists of a title, abstract, and the proposed roundtable participants. The chair organizes the roundtable and submits information for all roundtable participants using the online form. There is no discussant on a roundtable as all participants are considered “discussants”. There are no paper titles in this format.

The roundtable abstract should consist of a statement about the topic and a summary of the main discussion points (approximately 250 words). The quality of the roundtable abstract is the main criterion for acceptance. A roundtable with a weak abstract is unlikely to be accepted. All participants on a roundtable must be pre-registered by the deadline to be considered.

AUTHOR MEETS CRITIC ROUNDTABLE PROPOSALS 

An Author Meets Critic Roundtable consists of a chair and no more than five presenters. One of the presenters must be the author of the work being discussed. The author is not expected to chair the panel but may choose to if they so wish. If someone other than the author is submitting the roundtable, they must confirm that the author will participate if the roundtable is accepted. An Author Meets Critic Roundtable proposal must include the name and affiliation of the book’s author(s), the complete title of the book, the publication date and name of publisher, a brief statement on the significance of the book to African studies, and the names and affiliations of confirmed roundtable participants, and justification for why they were chosen. The words “Author Meets Critic” should not be included in your session title.

All participants on a roundtable must be pre-registered by the deadline to be considered. Author Meets Critic sessions will not be placed under consideration for Board Sponsorship.

FILM & MEDIA CRITIC ROUNDTABLE PROPOSALS

A Film & Media Critic Roundtable consists of no more than five presenters. One of the presenters must have the authorization and materials to show a film or other media during the session. If a filmmaker wishes to show a film at ASA, but is unable to attend, they must provide the necessary materials to another registered presenter. A Film & Media Critic Roundtable proposal must include the name and distributor of the film or media, the name of the creator(s), the complete title, release date, and brief statement on the significance of the piece to African studies. It must also include names of at least two confirmed roundtable participants and justification for why they were chosen. ASA will assign these proposals a double session unless otherwise indicated in the submission. ASA does not pay to show films or other media in this format. 

All participants on a roundtable must be pre-registered by the deadline to be considered. Film & Media Critic sessions will not be placed under consideration for Board Sponsorship.

DISCUSSANTS AND CHAIRS

We are always in need of scholars who are willing to serve as discussants and chairs. Please indicate your willingness to serve in that capacity either 1) on your submission form for a paper, panel, or roundtable or 2) or via email to members@africanstudies.org. Be as specific as you can when you list your areas of interest so that the Program Committee can best take advantage of your expertise.

INDICATING A SUBMISSION CATEGORY

All proposals should designate the sub-theme for which the proposal is most appropriate. All proposals are reviewed by the Section Chair(s), who, together with the Program Chairs, constitute the Program Committee.

COORDINATE ORGANIZATION PANELS

ASA Coordinate Organizations may submit a session proposal to be accepted without review by the Program Committee. Coordinate organizations may also submit as many sponsored sessions as they wish, which will be evaluated by the Program Committee. All proposals must be submitted on or before the Call for Proposals deadline to be considered.

ASA POLICY ON PROPOSAL ACCEPTANCES

The Program Chairs, working with the Program Committee, have final responsibility for accepting or declining Annual Meeting proposals in accordance with guidelines that have been established. 

“NO SHOW” POLICY

Your participation in the ASA Annual Meeting is a major commitment to your colleagues, to the African Studies community, and to the Association. Individuals may be seriously inconvenienced and disappointed when they attend sessions, only to find that persons they looked forward to hearing and seeing failed to appear. The Program Committee works hard to create a cohesive program and “no-shows” detract from the success of the conference. Please avoid being a “no show,” since this may have implications for future acceptance to participate in the program. Those with medical or other emergency situations are exempted.

WITHDRAWALS

Presenters must notify the Secretariat and session chair in writing as soon as possible if they know they are unable to attend the meeting. The information will be reflected in the program if the Secretariat receives it before it goes to print. 

REPLACEMENT CHAIRS

If a person who is assigned as a Panel or Roundtable Chair cannot attend the Annual Meeting, the replacement chair will be selected from the other panel/roundtable presenters on the basis of alphabetical order by last name. Efforts will be made to contact the chair of the panel affected by a change when it is made.

REFUND POLICY

Annual Meeting pre-registration fee refunds will only be processed for: 
– an individual whose proposal has been declined, and only upon written request
– an individual whose proposal has been accepted, and had requested a letter of invitation from the ASA, but has been denied a visa; proof of the denial must be provided.
Requests for refunds should be sent to members@africanstudies.org and will be issued in the same way that the payment was made. Refunds for registration and/or membership will not be processed under any other circumstance.

ACCESS POLICY

The African Studies Association is committed to ensuring that its services and meetings are accessible to all. If you have any special needs or require special assistance to participate in an ASA event, please contact the Secretariat via email at members@africanstudies.org.

GRADUATE STUDENT PAPER PRIZE

The ASA Board of Directors established the Graduate Student Paper Prize in 2001 to recognize the best graduate student paper presented at the previous year’s Annual Meeting. All papers presented by graduate students at the Annual Meeting are eligible for the prize, which is awarded at the subsequent Annual Meeting. The editors of the African Studies Review will coordinate an expedited peer-review process for possible publication of the prize-winning paper. Graduate students may submit their paper with a letter of recommendation from the advisor on or before March 15 of the year following the current year’s Annual Meeting. More information can be found on the ASA website.