Call for abstracts – symposium on the history of humanitarianism in Africa
The symposium on the History of Humanitarianism in Africa, which forms a part of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) Humanitarian Policy Group’s research project A global history of modern humanitarian action, aims to bring together different perspectives on the evolution of and influences on the concept and practice of humanitarianism on the African continent. The symposium is scheduled to be held in March 2015 in Africa (location to be determined), and will bring together academics, experts and practitioners in a discussion on how humanitarian action has been experienced and understood in various parts of Africa during the past century. It will aim to focus on what have been neglected African perspectives to allow for a greater understanding of how cultures of care and responsibility have been conceived and practiced in Africa.
HPG welcomes authors, preferably those based in Africa, to submit abstracts of no more than 300 words by 15 August 2014 to hpgresearch@odi.org.uk. Authors of abstracts selected to proceed to full papers will be notified in September 2014.
Abstracts should be submitted in English, French or Portuguese and should include an overview of the proposed topic and argument/angle presented, and basic author biography of no more than 100 words, including the author’s current affiliation/post.
Authors of selected papers will be asked to submit paper drafts (of no longer than 8,000 words) by 15 February 2015, and then present those drafts for discussion at the symposium in March 2015. Travel costs will be reimbursed for those authors presenting their papers.