A Welcome Message from the ASG Conference Committee

We are excited to welcome you all to the inaugural conference of the African Studies Group (ASG). For those of you who have travelled from overseas and
interstate for this conference, welcome to the University of Melbourne, Australia! And to those of you at the University of Melbourne or within Victoria, you are equally welcome.

ASG is an association of researchers with interests in African studies hosted by the University of Melbourne. We provide an enabling platform for informative and supportive collegial discussions. We meet once a month, and we’re open to scholars of African descent, scholars interested in African studies and the general public. …

The Politics of Borders, Migrations, Belonging, Identities and Citizenship in the 21st Century

By Professor Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni, University of South Africa

Date: Thursday 12 March 2020

Time: 4.30pm — 6.00 pm

Venue: Forum Theatre Level 1 Arts West Building, University of Melbourne, Parkville Campus.

Please register via:
http://go.unimelb.edu.au/c6gr

Abstract

The paradox of the 21st century is that of greater planetary human entanglements enabled by globalisation, technological conquest of space and distance, marked by migrations and repopulations of the earth on the one hand and on the other the upsurge of narrow nationalisms, exclusionary xenophobic feelings, and rising of walled states at a global scale. …

A Masterclass exploring the application of Borderless Research to enhance globalised reality in academia and policy-making

Facilitator: Professor Michael Baffoe, University of Manitoba

Date: Thursday 12 March 2020

Time: 10.00am — 1.00pm

Venue: Arts Hall (Room 222), Old Arts Building, University of Melbourne.

For more information and bookings visit http://go.unimelb.edu.au/3xgr

Research is a process that aims to discover and advance the frontiers of knowledge. It is concerned with increasing our understanding of issues in our localities/immediate environments and outside our localities. Research begins when we become inquisitive about a phenomenon. It can assume many forms, depending on the discipline to which it pertains. It may pursue the proving or disproving of theory for the purposes of developing or contributing to a body of knowledge in a field. It is a tool for facilitating learning. Research is also a quest to understand various issues that enhance public awareness and knowledge. …

Borders, Identities and Belonging in a Cosmopolitan Society: Perspectives from African Migrants in the Diaspora

12–14 March 2020
University of Melbourne

Background

Borders, Identities and Belonging have been at the centre of debates on the profound transformations wrought by globalisation. But perhaps the movement of people across geographical borders, and the transformative impact of the digital revolution that has ushered in the information age are the most illustrative examples.

Extant literature and discourse have primarily analysed issues of borders in isolation, thus overlooking the intersection of these two issues. Where this intersection has been examined, it has been in the analogue sense,
especially physical geographical borders. …