Deadline call for papers NVAS 25th Anniversary Conference: Conciliation and conflict: The role of language in bridging social differences in Africa

 

The Netherlands Association of African Studies (NVAS) dedicates its jubilee conference to Africa’s most widely acknowledged contribution to the heritage of mankind: spoken mediation. This is a multimodal phenomenon that encompasses spoken words, songs, bodily gestures and communicative silence. Each of these means of communication can serve to break up or cement social cohesion. As we know from premodern and modern history, often the fighting with words can be as harmful as fighting with swords. Polemics of religion, identity (of ethnic affiliation, sexual orientation, a.o.) or politics often precede or are cotemporaneous with physical violence. Similarly, in reconciliation and cooperation, speech (in all its expressive forms) is an essential resource. The conference will bring together specialists from different fields of studies (linguistics, anthropology, communication studies, literature, rhetoric, history, politics, social media studies, economics) to discuss the dual functions of language in social relations.

 

Five panels have been accepted for the conference. Take a look at the panels (pdf). 
Paper titles and abstracts to panels are invited for submission before 31 August 2022!

 

 

Organisers:  Azeb Amha and Jan Jansen