ABLEISM IN AFRICA: MULTIDIMENSIONAL APPROACHES

CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT

Conference date: 21-24 February 2022; Venue: University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

ABLEISM IN AFRICA: MULTIDIMENSIONAL APPROACHES

Ableism means prejudice against persons living with disabilities. It is a form of discrimination that has been normalized in many societies. In other words, it can be viewed as a system of oppression, like racism or sexism, which benefits able-bodied persons at the expense of those with disabilities. It is a set of practices and beliefs that assign inferior value or worth to people who have developmental, emotional, physical or psychiatric disabilities. Ableism is the primary cause of the marginalization and discrimination which disabled people are subjected to. Studies have shown that people with disabilities are sometimes classified as minority group, one that frequently encounters various degrees of discrimination in the course of their daily life. Ableism entails biased ideas and assumptions, as well as prejudicial attitudes and behaviors aimed at people with disabilities. Oftentimes, ableism represents a kind of privilege, one allowing able-bodied people to feel, think, and act in ways that sometimes unconsciously promote their social and cultural interests over people with disabilities. It is against this backdrop that the proposed conference seeks to create a robust discourse on ableism in Africa and its multidimensional manifestations.

The conference will investigate social, political, economic, cultural, and religious foundations of ableism in Africa. People living with disabilities in Africa have been victims of social stereotypes and profiling. The limitations imposed on them by their physical conditions have been used against them in the society. Cultural beliefs sometimes inform the prejudices that society propagates against people with disabilities. One of the places where this prejudice appears in Africa is in the work environment (but also in the classroom). People living with disabilities are more likely to be denied employment opportunities, not because they are not intellectually and emotionally equipped and ready to perform the tasks associated with a desired position but because they have physical disabilities. In the political space, ableism is also responsible for the absence of people living with disabilities in the political leadership of the continent. The same is true of religious institutions, among other sectors. The prevalence of Ableism in the continent, knowingly or unknowingly, robs Africa of the intellectual, economic, and political contributions of people living with disabilities.

The African Humanities Research and Development Circle (AHRDC), University of Nigeria, Nsukka, invites scholarly contributions on the following and related subthemes:

1. Concepts, theories, and the psychology of ableism
2. Social and cultural foundations of ableism
3. Politics, governance, and ableism
4. The economy, economic development, and ableism
5. Culture, religion, and ableism
6. Ableism and language
7. Ableism and the media
8. Ableism and entrepreneurship in Africa
9. Ableism and labor relations
10. Education, pedagogical and methodological approaches to ableism in Africa
11. Gender and ableism
12. Ableism in African history, art, and literature
13. Social work and ableism
14. Ableism, diversity, and inclusion
15. Ableism in traditional African societies
16. Ableism and stereotypes
17. Ableism, development, and underdevelopment in Africa
18. Ableism in African architectural practice and building codes
19. Cases studies: ableism in the developing world
20. Comparative analysis: ableism in developed and developing economies

Conference date: 21-24 February 2022; Venue: University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The conference will be hybrid: virtual/on site.
Interested scholars should submit an abstract of 250 words to ahrdc.unn@gmail.com and chukwuemekacagbo@utexas.edu .The deadline has been extended to 31 December 2021.

Conference registration fee: N20,000.00 (Nigerian scholars), N5000.00 (Nigerian students with valid ID cards), N50,000.00/US$100 (international scholars) and N25,000.00/US$50 (international students with valid ID cards). Payment should be made to Fidelity Bank; Account Number—6060137833 (Naira only); Account Name—African Humanities Research & Development Circle (AHRDC).

Acceptance of abstract is based on payment of conference registration fee. Information on hotels and other logistics / Zoom link will be shared with registered participants later.

Announcer: African Humanities Research and Development Circle (AHRDC), University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Phone contacts / +234 703 570 6360 or +234 803 961 7898