Health & Illness in Africa and the African Diaspora 

​Conference Model: In-person & Virtual

Date: March 26th to 30th, 2025

Abstract Submission Deadline: December 1st, 2024

Email: austinafrica2025@gmail.com

 

The 24th Annual Africa Conference at the University of Texas at Austin calls for submissions of papers in the humanities, social sciences, sciences, health, medicine, pharmacy and, other disciplines on the multifaceted nature of African Health and Illnesses and same for those of the Diaspora. The objective of this conference is to encourage conversations rooted in the rich and diverse knowledge of the African people, focusing on African epistemologies, ontologies, and concepts that have shaped the continent’s worldviews on health, disease, healing, illness, and wellbeing. This conference will provide a platform to critically examine the construction, imagination, and conceptualization of African health and illness paradigms. We welcome papers roundtable discussions, panels, and creative works/performances that pose medical, scientific, historical, technological, sociological, methodological, and theoretical questions, whether addressing relevant, recurring, and urgent issues or raising vital but often neglected topics on health and illnesses both in Africa and the Diaspora. All themes, inclusive of time, period, and space parameters as well as interdisciplinary perspectives are welcome.
Submissions may include but are not limited to the following sub-themes and topics:
Sub-Themes:
• Images of Illness
• Contagion and Containment
• Epidemiology
• Autobiographies of Health and Welfare
• Psychosocial Affects and Effects
• War and Trauma
• The Body and Space
• Environment, Famine, and other un/Natural Disasters
• Africa in Local, National, and Global Health, and Technology
• History of Illnesses (e.g. Malaria, TB, COVID, etc...)
• Health as a Profession: Caretakers, Caregivers, Providers & Provisions
• Psychiatry and Mental Health in Africa & the Diaspora
• Migration, Mental Illness, and Repatriation
• Asylum, Immigration and Refugee Crisis
• Indigenous African Science and Technology
• Religion, Spirituality, and Healing in Africa & the Diaspora
• History of Western Medicine in Africa
• Healing Practices and Traditional African Medicine/Herbs
• African Religions, Sanitation, and Death
• The gods, diseases, and ailments in Africa & the Diaspora
• African Medicine, Health, Environment, Science & Technology
• African Health & Diseases
• Health, Herbs & Healing in Africa & the Diaspora
• Innovating Healthcare in Africa: Where Technology Meets Traditions
• African Healthcare: Technology vs Tradition
• Breaking Barriers: Science, Technology & Health in Africa & the Diaspora
Scholars from different fields and regions will be able to communicate, share ideas, and get feedback at the conference. As in past years, participants will be chosen from all over the world. Attendance and paper presentations by graduate students are also highly encouraged. According to similarities in theme, topic, discipline, or geographic focus, submitted papers will be assigned to panels. Selected articles will then be published in several book volumes. Submissions examining the complexity of African knowledge systems and their significance in determining the future of African cultures are welcome.
Each proposal must include:
Title of the work and an abstract of 200 words
Name of the presenter (with the surname underlined)
Mailing address
Phone number
WhatsApp contact, (if any)
Email addresses
Institutional affiliation
Indicate mode of participation: in-person or virtual
Three to five keywords that best characterize the themes and topics relevant to your submission.

Participants are expected to follow these guidelines.
Proposals for panels (3-5 presenters) must include the following:
The title of the panel and a collective summary of 250 words on the panel’s theme, including the title of everyone’s work
A 200-word abstract for each speaker’s presentation, with the keywords stated.
Mailing addresses
Phone numbers
WhatsApp contacts
Email addresses
Institutional affiliation of each presenter.
Indicate mode of participation: in-person or virtual


Proposals will be accepted on the official conference email austinafrica2025@gmail.com (cc: toyinfalola@austin.utexas.edu) up until the MIDNIGHT DEADLINE of December 1st, 2024. Participants who require a visa to enter the United States must submit abstracts and register early, as it may take six months and MORE to be able to book visa appointments.
A mandatory non-refundable registration fee for participants must be paid immediately upon acceptance of the abstract. Conference registration fees are as follow:
IN-PERSON/FACE-TO-FACE PARTICIPATION:
o Participants & Residents from Europe, Asia, and the Americas: $150 USD.
o Participants specifically from Africa: $100 USD.
o Graduate Students attending in-person regardless of location: $100 USD.
VIRTUAL ATTENDEES REGARDLESS OF PLACE OF ORIGIN/LOCATION: $30 USD.

Participants and Scholars sending in abstracts of their works MUST TAKE NOTE of the fees stated above!
All participants must have funds to attend the conference, including the registration fee, transportation, and accommodation. The conference and the University of Texas at Austin do not provide any form of sponsorship or financial support. Events are subject to change following CDC guidelines and global health and safety concerns.
If you have questions, please contact the conference coordinators via the official email. All correspondence, including submission of abstracts, panel proposals, completed papers, and all kinds of inquiries, must go through the official conference email: austinafrica2025@gmail.com

CONFERENCE TEAM
Organizers:
Knowledge Grey Moyo: kgm2254@my.utexas.edu
Yahaya Halidu: yahaya@utexas.edu
Chukwuemeka Ohajionu: cchibuzo.ohajionu@utexas.edu
Convener:
Toyin Falola, toyinfalola@austin.utexas.edu

 

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