CfP: Annual Africa Conference: Health Issues in Africa and the African Diaspora

The Department of History, Political Science, Geography, & Africana Studies at Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee, invites academics, independent scholars, policymakers, professionals, healthcare stakeholders, and graduate students to present papers at its eighth annual conference on the theme:

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Africa and the African diaspora provides an opportunity to turn a searchlight on the state of public health in these spaces. Of all the racial groups in the United States, African Americans have historically benefitted the least from the nation’s healthcare system that continues to be characterized by systemic disparities. Thus, African Americans have suffered disproportionally from debilitating ailments due to lack of adequate access to healthcare, a direct impact of social and economic inequalities inherent in the American system.

 

In Africa, many states have failed woefully to invest adequately in the health sector such that today they lack a system sufficiently capable of catering for the needs of the citizenry. Typical of the African healthcare sector is inadequate access to health care, limited scientific research and innovation, and shortage of modern health facilities. Compounding this challenge is the massive flight of healthcare professionals especially to the global north. The result is that large sections of the African population, particularly rural-based people, do not have their medical care needs met.

 

Whether in Africa or the African Diaspora, Black people continue to face significant healthcare challenges. The marginalization of the black community globally in healthcare benefits is quite glaring. The ongoing catastrophic global pandemic has demonstrated quite clearly the disproportionate impact of illnesses on Black people. African Americans remain less likely than their White counterparts to receive the COVID-19 vaccines due to a variety of social factors including education, housing, socio-economic status, and employment, leaving them at increased risk of hospitalization and death. In Africa, most countries are in severe shortage of the COVID-19 vaccines, making access to them rather limited. This dismal reality on both sides of the Atlantic compels a closer look at the subject of healthcare in both constituencies.   

 

This year’s conference will provide a platform for participants to critically examine the historical trajectories of healthcare in Africa and the African Diaspora, and its contemporary state. We seek scholarly papers on the theme of the conference that are not overtly technical. The sub-themes and potential topics around which the conference is organized may include but are not limited to the following:

 

Healthcare in global Africa in historical perspectives

History of pandemics: SARS, HIV/AIDS, COVID-19

Healthcare policies

Politics and public health

Public health foundations, funded programs, and private initiatives

Political economy of public health

Poverty and health

Healthcare systems and reforms

Healthcare and health insurance

Healthcare and infrastructural development

Educational institutions and healthcare

Healthcare in inner cities and rural communities

Health education and public knowledge

Women, children, and healthcare

Indigenous medicine and traditional healing practices

Environmental impacts on health

Mental health issues

Health crises and global responses

Ethics and health

Perspectives on health disabilities

Health and religious beliefs

Social determinants of health

Disease control and prevention

Racial, gender, and regional disparities in healthcare

Migration of healthcare workers

Telehealth and health innovations

Vaccine availability and hesitancy

Healthcare funding and expenditures

Medical tourism

Healthcare education, training, and research

Legal issues in healthcare

Socio-economic impact of COVID-19

Digital healthcare and wellness

 

Date of Conference

Thur., April 7 to Sat., April 9, 2022

 

Conference Format
This year’s conference will be held virtually. All panel presentations and keynote addresses will be via the Zoom platform.

 

Conveners

Dr. Adebayo Oyebade
Professor of History & Department Chair
Tennessee State University

 

Dr. Gashawbeza Bekele
Associate Professor of Geography
Tennessee State University


 

Abstracts/Panel proposals

Each prospective presenter should submit electronically an abstract of 500 words or less by Friday, Dec. 31, 2021. Abstract prepared as Microsoft Word document should include the presenter’s name, title of paper, institutional affiliation, and contact information (mailing address, phone number, and email address).

 

Registration

Mandatory non-refundable registration fees are:
Regular: Regular: $50 by Dec. 31, 2021; late: $60 by Feb. 15, 2022.
Graduate Students: $25 by Dec. 31, 2021; late: $30 by Feb. 15, 2022.

 

To register for the conference, go to the conference website.

 

Publication of Selected Papers
Conference papers will be eligible for publication consideration in a scholarly peer-reviewed format.