THE 15TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IGBO STUDIES ASSOCIATION

Theme: NtoAla Igbo: Retelling Our Story, Rekindling Our Values

Greatwood Hotels, Plot 12, G Port Harcourt-Owerri Road, Fed. Secretariat Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

June 8-10, 2017

The Igbo Studies Association (ISA) specially invites scholars, professionals, organizations, and students working on all aspects of studies on the Igbo at home and its diaspora to attend its 15th annual international conference to be held on June 8-10, 2017 at Greatwood Hotels, Owerri, Nigeria. To deliberate on the conference’s timely theme, NtoAla Igbo: Retelling Our Story, Rekindling Our Values, we welcome presenters in the...

humanities, social sciences, legal studies, business administration, physical and natural sciences, agriculture, cultural studies, political science, and cultural studies. No race, nation, ethnic group, or country can survive much less thrive if it abandons the shared customs, values, beliefs and worldviews that unite its members in a collective consciousness. In recent years, domestic and global forces have brought about the need for the Igbo to reexamine and reevaluate their Igbo identity and retell their story as a people. These compelling forces include modernity, globalization, immigration, emigration, materialism, environmental and climatic changes, economic uncertainty, and sociopolitical unrests, among others. The 15th annual conference provides an opportunity to ‘retell the Igbo story and rekindle its values’ in order to facilitate social, political and economic transformation of Igboland while at the same time contributing to the advancement of neighboring societies in Nigeria and host communities abroad. Conversely, the impact of neighboring states and other ethnicities on renascent Igbo, their values and identity will be explored. Local and international specialists, intellectuals, and students are encouraged to join the association in an interdisciplinary dialogue that explores the influence of the changing world on the Igbo world.

Panels and individual proposals will engage with a variety of topics including:

SUB-THEMES

1. Negotiating Igbo Identity, Emigration, and Immigration

2. Ahamefule: Restoring Pride and Meaning to Igbo Names

3. Igbo Missionaries and the Inculcation of Igbo Cultures

4. Omenala Igbo in Marriage and Burial Ceremonies

5. Mother Tongue and Cultural Revival

6. Literature and the Visual Arts

7. Climatic Change and Environmental Issues

8. Trade, Investment and Work Ethic in a Globalized World

9. Women, Family and Society

10. Perspectives on Nollywood and Igbo Representations

11. Materialism and the Syndrome of Wealth Without Work

12. Igwebuike: Town Unions and Community Development

13. Pentecostalism, ‘Miracle,’ and ‘Prosperity’ Gospel

14. Native Doctors, Health, Healing, and Traditional Medicine

15. Politics Without Bitterness and Politics of Inclusion

16. Reevaluating Law, Order, and Policing

17. Rethinking Taboos, Abominations, and Punishment

18. Learning to Live Together: Intra and Inter-Ethnic Relations

19. Farming, Crops, Culture, and Food Security

20. Chieftaincy Affairs, Titles, and Community Development

21. Indigenous Igbo Religious Beliefs

22. Youth Unrest, Violence, and Conflict Resolution

23. Nkeiruka: When is The Best Time to Plant a Tree?

24. Igbo History and Values in School Curriculum

Guidelines:

Submit an abstract of not more than 300 words with your paper/poster/roundtable title, name, current position and institutional affiliation, mailing addresses, email, and phone number. Your abstracts must discuss the scope of the paper, the research methodology, possible sources, and tentative thesis or hypothesis. Those whose abstracts are accepted will have to pay a $50 non-refundable part payment for conference registration. You can pay via PayPal through ISA website. If you are paying in Naira, please pay 15,000 naira to this account (Account Name: Professor Uchenna Mariestella Nzewi; Bank: Fidelity Bank PLC and Account No: 6052163125). Please make sure you forward an electronic copy of confirmation to Dr. Ogechi Emmanuel Anyanwu, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Dr. Christine Ohale, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Deadline:

All proposals must be submitted online and the deadline for submission is November 30, 2016

Completed papers are due by April 30, 2017. To submit your proposal, click on this link:

Notification:

You will be notified on the status of your submission and other program details by email. Selected papers will be considered for publication and inclusion in either the Igbo Studies Review or a post-conference edited book. You should, therefore, write your papers as if they are being prepared for publication. Presentations can be made in English or Igbo. Participants are responsible for the conference fee and their travel and lodging costs. For more information on the Igbo Studies Association, including membership and other matters, please visit us at http://www.igbostudiesassociation.org/

For more inquiries, please contact

Ogechi Emmanuel Anyanwu, Ph.D. 
Conference Chair
Professor of History & African Studies 
Eastern Kentucky University
Cell Phone: 859-248-1394
Office Phone: 859-622-1375
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.