杏吧原创

The 2026 Conference of the Canadian Association of African Studies is happening on June 9-12th 2026. The theme is聽Global Africa: Legacies, Change and Aspirations.

As the continent holding 30% of the world鈥檚 natural resources, 10% of the planet鈥檚 internal renewable fresh water source and home to the youngest and fastest-growing population, Africa enjoys a unique global positioning (United Nations, 2024; United Nations Environment Programme, 2024; Population Reference Bureau, 2025). For many centuries, Africa has and continues to make pivotal contributions to world civilisation in the spheres of education, arts, music, science, technology and innovation (Bob-Miller, 2021). Indeed, Africa鈥檚 mineral reserves are critical to the global shift towards renewable energy and a green economy. By 2050, Africa鈥檚 young population is projected to comprise a quarter of the global labour force. Such contributions, however, tend to be overshadowed by the plethora of predicaments the continent must contend with, including global warming, rapid technological transformations and Western-dominated economic and governance structures. These dynamics illustrate how global problems are embedded in African experiences.

鈥峊he notion of聽Global Africa聽aims to capture these tensions (West, 2005), that is, the tension between promise and precarity, opportunity and constraint, while reflecting the aspirations of a continent navigating a rapidly shifting economic and political landscape. Tied to this are the growing presence of emerging powers such as Brazil, China, and India, nations that are also competing for resources and political influence across the continent (Ewalefoh, 2021).

鈥岻n the face of these changes, several questions arise: How can Africa strategically leverage these geopolitical shifts and, in so doing, escape a new 鈥漇cramble聽for Africa鈥�? How can the continent harness the vast potential of its greatest asset, its vibrant youth, to advance sustainable development? And how can we recover and adopt Indigenous African knowledge systems to confront global challenges (e.g., sociopolitical, environmental, etc.)?

鈥岯uilding on the thematic focus of past gatherings: 鈥淢aking, Unmaking and Remaking of Africa鈥� (2025), and Sustainability and Sustainable Development: Past, Present and Futures鈥� (2024), this year鈥檚 CAAS conference theme,聽鈥淕lobal Africa: Legacies, Change, and Aspirations鈥�,聽invites a broad spectrum of papers that address these issues and beyond from historical, contemporary, and imaginative or forward-looking perspectives. We welcome Africanist academics, independent researchers, policy-makers, practitioners, and community organisations on the continent and in the Diaspora to submit analytical, theoretical, empirical and policy-oriented contributions that will spark rich intellectual conversations about the meaning, possibilities and limits of聽Global Africa; however, one chooses to define it.