ASWAD: Walter Rodney Conference

CALL FOR PAPERS

THE WALTER RODNEY CONFERENCE
UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES, MONA, JAMAICA
OCTOBER 16-18, 2008

The Institute of Caribbean Studies and the Centre for Caribbean Thought,
in association with the Guild of Students, UWI, Mona and the Africana
Studies Department, Brown University, invite abstracts for a conference,
to be convened from October 16-18, 2008 at the University of the West
Indies, Mona, Jamaica, to mark the 40th anniversary of the October 16,
1968 student protests resulting from the expulsion of Walter Rodney. The
Mona campus was cordoned off by the police and military for two weeks and
staff and students engaged in self-searching discussions about the
political situation and the character of the University itself and its
mission. Revisiting this historic moment is particularly appropriate as we
celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the University of
the West Indies. The impact of the Rodney protests was felt throughout the
Caribbean region and especially at the UWI campuses in Trinidad and
Barbados and at the University of Guyana. There were protests in London,
the United States and elsewhere. These protests internationalised the
local events and contributed to the emergence of newspapers such as Abeng
in Jamaica, Moko in Trinidad and Ratoon in Guyana. The October 1968 events
helped to stimulate the radicalisation of Caribbean politics and culture
in the 1970s and challenged the Caribbean to consider alternative ways of
thinking about and building egalitarian societies in the early years after
political independence.

Walter Rodneybthe radical Pan-African tradition in the 1960bon 1968 and some of his articles and speeches were published in 1969 in
The Groundings With My Brothers. His return to the University of Dar Es
Salaam, Tanzania in 1969 saw him continue his scholarly work on African
history as well as his collaboration with liberation movements based in
the Tanzanian capital. In 1972 his classic book How Europe Underdeveloped
Africa appeared. Walter Rodney returned to Guyana in 1974 and was denied
employment at the University of Guyana by the administration of Forbes
Burnham. Rodney, one of the leaders of the Working Peoplebkilled on June 13, 1980 when an explosive he thought was a walkie-talkie,
given to him by a soldier in the Guyana Defence Force, detonated. His
book, A History of the Guyanese Working People, 1881-1905, was published
posthumously in 1981.

CONFERENCE THEMES:

B' Walter RodneybB' Pan-Africanism Revisited
B' Marxism in the Caribbean
B' Student Activism in the Contemporary Caribbean
B' Anti-colonial movements in the Caribbean
B' Black Power in the Caribbean
B' Gendering Black Power
B' Rastafari and Political Activism in Jamaica
B' Grassroots Journalism in the Caribbean
B' Oral Histories of the Rodney Protests
B' Literary Representations of Revolutionary Politics in the Caribbean
B' Rodney, Revolution and Popular Music

The themes outlined above are not exhaustive or mutually exclusive and are
intended as a guide/focus for panels and papers. We invite submission of
research paper abstracts by September 8, 2008. Submissions should
include:
1)an abstract of not more than 300 words
2)a cover page with name, affiliation, contact information and short bio
(75 words or less)

Email your submission to:
Leon Burrell
Conference Co-ordinator
Email: conferencewalterrodney@yahoo.com
Tel: (876) 977-1951
Fax: (876) 977-3430