Happening @ Michigan https://events.umich.edu/list/rss RSS Feed for Happening @ Michigan Events at the University of Michigan. ASC Event. Mellon Workshop: Historical and Contemporary Expressions of Populism in Africa and Beyond (November 18, 2019 8:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/68026 68026-16986087@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, November 18, 2019 8:30am
Location: Rackham Graduate School (Horace H.)
Organized By: African Studies Center

Populism has re-emerged across the globe, displaying multiple, left and right leaning variants and provoking complex engagements with the limits of liberal democracy. There is a new generation of populists on the African stage, offering contradictory and often disturbing visions regarding Africa’s future. Some, including Julius Malema and the Economic Freedom Fighters in South Africa, have re- imagined concepts and policies linked historically to theories on the left, while others, such as David Bahati and the anti-gay campaigners of Uganda, have advanced a deeply conservative and reactionary religiosity. These new forms of populism that are being expressed across the political spectrum invite careful analysis of the continuities and ruptures in African politics from the 20th to the 21st centuries, as well as the ways in which ideas and movements travel across national boundaries. Several contemporary populist movements are historically rooted in older movements on the continent, and those histories provide linguistic markers and affective registers for contemporary encounters. Yet the current brands of populism are also distinctive in their own right, rather than simply being a re- packaging and reiteration of national liberation. As in the 1950s and 60s—the era of decolonization— when newly independent African states were sometimes confronted with populist movements that challenged their technocratic and nationalist frames, the failures of postcolonial developmental projects have provoked contestations today. Moreover, in the 1970s, African dictators drew on new media— radio and television in particular—to define for their audiences new modes of political and cultural belonging. Social media today is different from that period in reach and in tone, but it has made possible the creation of new spaces and organisational forms for politics. For example, aided by social media, social movements, especially queer and feminist organisations, have escalated in intensity and appeal over the past several decades, and these also shape the contours of populism. Their aspirations and objectives significantly inform populist rhetoric, either acting as subjects of its many demands, or as the objects of derision.

This workshop will reflect on the cultural and political registers and infrastructures of populism in Africa (and elsewhere). What circumstances invite (some) people to see themselves as an oppressed majority? What work do authenticité and other nativist agendas do to clarify identities and marginalize minorities? What is the relationship between African forms of liberal democracy, and development in particular, and populism? Are populist movements opening up spaces for new forms of gendered political performances? Finally, what lessons can be learned from the past as African, American, and European democracies together confront a renewed wave of nativist enthusiasm?

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Conference / Symposium Mon, 18 Nov 2019 09:43:51 -0500 2019-11-18T08:30:00-05:00 2019-11-18T17:00:00-05:00 Rackham Graduate School (Horace H.) African Studies Center Conference / Symposium Rackham Graduate School (Horace H.)
ASC Event. Mellon Workshop: Historical and Contemporary Expressions of Populism in Africa and Beyond (November 19, 2019 8:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/68026 68026-16986088@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, November 19, 2019 8:30am
Location: Rackham Graduate School (Horace H.)
Organized By: African Studies Center

Populism has re-emerged across the globe, displaying multiple, left and right leaning variants and provoking complex engagements with the limits of liberal democracy. There is a new generation of populists on the African stage, offering contradictory and often disturbing visions regarding Africa’s future. Some, including Julius Malema and the Economic Freedom Fighters in South Africa, have re- imagined concepts and policies linked historically to theories on the left, while others, such as David Bahati and the anti-gay campaigners of Uganda, have advanced a deeply conservative and reactionary religiosity. These new forms of populism that are being expressed across the political spectrum invite careful analysis of the continuities and ruptures in African politics from the 20th to the 21st centuries, as well as the ways in which ideas and movements travel across national boundaries. Several contemporary populist movements are historically rooted in older movements on the continent, and those histories provide linguistic markers and affective registers for contemporary encounters. Yet the current brands of populism are also distinctive in their own right, rather than simply being a re- packaging and reiteration of national liberation. As in the 1950s and 60s—the era of decolonization— when newly independent African states were sometimes confronted with populist movements that challenged their technocratic and nationalist frames, the failures of postcolonial developmental projects have provoked contestations today. Moreover, in the 1970s, African dictators drew on new media— radio and television in particular—to define for their audiences new modes of political and cultural belonging. Social media today is different from that period in reach and in tone, but it has made possible the creation of new spaces and organisational forms for politics. For example, aided by social media, social movements, especially queer and feminist organisations, have escalated in intensity and appeal over the past several decades, and these also shape the contours of populism. Their aspirations and objectives significantly inform populist rhetoric, either acting as subjects of its many demands, or as the objects of derision.

This workshop will reflect on the cultural and political registers and infrastructures of populism in Africa (and elsewhere). What circumstances invite (some) people to see themselves as an oppressed majority? What work do authenticité and other nativist agendas do to clarify identities and marginalize minorities? What is the relationship between African forms of liberal democracy, and development in particular, and populism? Are populist movements opening up spaces for new forms of gendered political performances? Finally, what lessons can be learned from the past as African, American, and European democracies together confront a renewed wave of nativist enthusiasm?

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Conference / Symposium Mon, 18 Nov 2019 09:43:51 -0500 2019-11-19T08:30:00-05:00 2019-11-19T17:00:00-05:00 Rackham Graduate School (Horace H.) African Studies Center Conference / Symposium Rackham Graduate School (Horace H.)
ASC Event. Mellon Workshop: Historical and Contemporary Expressions of Populism in Africa and Beyond (November 20, 2019 8:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/68026 68026-16986089@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, November 20, 2019 8:30am
Location: Rackham Graduate School (Horace H.)
Organized By: African Studies Center

Populism has re-emerged across the globe, displaying multiple, left and right leaning variants and provoking complex engagements with the limits of liberal democracy. There is a new generation of populists on the African stage, offering contradictory and often disturbing visions regarding Africa’s future. Some, including Julius Malema and the Economic Freedom Fighters in South Africa, have re- imagined concepts and policies linked historically to theories on the left, while others, such as David Bahati and the anti-gay campaigners of Uganda, have advanced a deeply conservative and reactionary religiosity. These new forms of populism that are being expressed across the political spectrum invite careful analysis of the continuities and ruptures in African politics from the 20th to the 21st centuries, as well as the ways in which ideas and movements travel across national boundaries. Several contemporary populist movements are historically rooted in older movements on the continent, and those histories provide linguistic markers and affective registers for contemporary encounters. Yet the current brands of populism are also distinctive in their own right, rather than simply being a re- packaging and reiteration of national liberation. As in the 1950s and 60s—the era of decolonization— when newly independent African states were sometimes confronted with populist movements that challenged their technocratic and nationalist frames, the failures of postcolonial developmental projects have provoked contestations today. Moreover, in the 1970s, African dictators drew on new media— radio and television in particular—to define for their audiences new modes of political and cultural belonging. Social media today is different from that period in reach and in tone, but it has made possible the creation of new spaces and organisational forms for politics. For example, aided by social media, social movements, especially queer and feminist organisations, have escalated in intensity and appeal over the past several decades, and these also shape the contours of populism. Their aspirations and objectives significantly inform populist rhetoric, either acting as subjects of its many demands, or as the objects of derision.

This workshop will reflect on the cultural and political registers and infrastructures of populism in Africa (and elsewhere). What circumstances invite (some) people to see themselves as an oppressed majority? What work do authenticité and other nativist agendas do to clarify identities and marginalize minorities? What is the relationship between African forms of liberal democracy, and development in particular, and populism? Are populist movements opening up spaces for new forms of gendered political performances? Finally, what lessons can be learned from the past as African, American, and European democracies together confront a renewed wave of nativist enthusiasm?

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Conference / Symposium Mon, 18 Nov 2019 09:43:51 -0500 2019-11-20T08:30:00-05:00 2019-11-20T17:00:00-05:00 Rackham Graduate School (Horace H.) African Studies Center Conference / Symposium Rackham Graduate School (Horace H.)
ASC Event. 2019 UMAPS Colloquium Series (November 21, 2019 3:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/68023 68023-16986083@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, November 21, 2019 3:00pm
Location: Weiser Hall
Organized By: African Studies Center

This series features the UMAPS fellows and their scholarly work. The talks prepared and presented by each visiting scholar are designed to promote dialogue on topics, and to share their research with the larger U-M community.

Darlington David, University of Liberia, Liberia
“Mathematical Modeling of Cancer Self - Remission and Tumor Instability as Prey - Predator System”

Abigiya Tilahun, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
“Effect of Psychosocial Intervention on Survival of Breast Cancer Patients”

Valentine Ucheagwu, Chukwu Emeka Odumegwu University, Nigeria
“The Victims as well as the Caregivers: Reducing the Burden of Dementia in Developing African Nations (Nigeria as a Case Point)”

Doreen Agyei, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
“Enforcement of Copyright and Related Rights: a Burden for the Ghanaian Law and Practice”

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Presentation Fri, 04 Oct 2019 13:15:36 -0400 2019-11-21T15:00:00-05:00 2019-11-21T17:00:00-05:00 Weiser Hall African Studies Center Presentation umaps_banner
ASC Event. 2019 UMAPS Colloquium Series (December 5, 2019 3:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/68024 68024-16986084@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, December 5, 2019 3:00pm
Location: Weiser Hall
Organized By: African Studies Center

This series features the UMAPS fellows and their scholarly work. The talks prepared and presented by each visiting scholar are designed to promote dialogue on topics, and to share their research with the larger U-M community.

Wawa Nkosi (Moody scholar), Stellenbosch University, South Africa
An Economic Analysis of the Characteristics of Cartels and Cartel Prosecution in South Africa: A Twenty-Year Review

John Hena, Kenyatta University, Kenya
Evaluation of Metabolomics Methods for Health-Related Research: Introducing Emerging Life Science Research Techniques at the University of Liberia

Chinwe Ikpo (Moody scholar), University of the Western Cape, South Africa
Investigating the Electrochemical and Structural Properties of Na2MnSiO4 and Li2MnSiO4 in CNT-Graphene Nanonetworks for Na/Li-ion Batteries

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Presentation Fri, 04 Oct 2019 13:07:56 -0400 2019-12-05T15:00:00-05:00 2019-12-05T17:00:00-05:00 Weiser Hall African Studies Center Presentation umaps_banner
Cheikh Lô | Artist Q&A (January 25, 2020 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/71438 71438-17827790@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Saturday, January 25, 2020 12:00pm
Location: Off Campus Location
Organized By: Center for World Performance Studies

Saturday, January 25, Noon-1:30pm
Blue Llama, 314 S. Main St
Free & Open to the Public

Cheikh Lô is one of the great mavericks of African music. A superb singer and songwriter as well as a distinctive guitarist, percussionist and drummer he has personalised and distilled a variety of influences from West and Central Africa, to create a style that is uniquely his own. Incorporating Senegalese mbalax with elements of salsa, Zairian/Congolese rhumba, folk, and jazz, Lô has created an infectious, hook-laden style of pop music. Born in 1955, to Senegalese parents in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, not far from the border with Mali, where he grew up speaking Bambara (language of Mali), Wolof (language of Senegal) and French. At 21 he started singing and playing percussion with Orchestra Volta Jazz in Bobo Dioulasso, and spent much of the 1980s working as a session musician in both Dakar, Senegal and Paris, France, while also developing his own repertoire. In 1995, Youssou N’Dour helped to produce his second solo record, and signature sound – a semi acoustic, Spanish-tinged take on the popular mbalax style – was an instant success in Senegal, gaining him a dedicated local following and subsequent international success.

Cheikh Lô will also perform two sets at the Blue Llama Jazz Club on Saturday, January 25 (7pm & 9pm). Visit https://www.bluellamaclub.com/event/cheikh-lo for ticket information for these performances.

This Artist Q&A is co-sponsored by Center for World Performance Studies and African Studies Center.

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Lecture / Discussion Tue, 14 Jan 2020 12:10:01 -0500 2020-01-25T12:00:00-05:00 2020-01-25T13:30:00-05:00 Off Campus Location Center for World Performance Studies Lecture / Discussion Cheikh Lo
Africa Workshop with Robert Launay (Northwestern) (January 28, 2020 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/71004 71004-17766504@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, January 28, 2020 4:00pm
Location: Haven Hall
Organized By: Department of Afroamerican and African Studies

Biography
Robert Launay is a social/cultural anthropologist trained in the United States, England, and France. He has conducted extensive field work in West Africa (specifically in Côte d’Ivoire) with Muslim minorities historically specializing in trade. His first book, Traders without Trade (Cambridge University Press), focused on how this minority was able to adapt to its loss over its former trade monopoly. His second book, Beyond the Stream: Islam and Society in a West African Town (University of California Press), which won the Amaury Talbot Prize for best African ethnography in England in 1992, dealt specifically with religious change and controversy. He has recently edited a volume on Islamic Education in Africa: Writing Boards and Blackboards (Indiana University Press, in press).

After years of teaching the history of anthropology to undergraduates and graduates alike in the department, he has begun research on the history of the discipline, publishing several articles on the history of ethnography in Africa (particularly in French) and, more extensively, on the ‘prehistory’ of the field. His recently publishd book, Savages, Despots, and Romans: The Urge to Compare and the Origins of Anthropology, traces the ways in which “modern Europeans” came to define themselves with reference to non-moderns (ancient Greeks and Romans in particular) and non-Europeans from the fourteenth to the eighteenth centuries. He has edited an anthology of early sources in anthropology, Foundations of Anthropological Theory: From classical antiquity to the eighteenth century (Wiley/Blackwell 2010)

Most recently, he has begun a project on French foodways in the Midwest, in collaboration with Aurelien Mauxion, a graduate of the program who wrote his dissertation under his supervision. The project takes as its starting point the fact that the Midwest was colonized by France before it became part of the United States. They are looking at how early French settlers adapted to specifically American foods and environments, and how contemporary descendants of French settlers express their identities in terms of what they cook and eat.

In Spring 2018, Prof. Launay spoke at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Brussels, the Fondazione per le Scienze Religiose Giovanni XXIII in Bologna, the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris, and the Universities of Bayreuth and Gottingen in Germany.
Research and teaching interests
The history and ‘prehistory’ of anthropological theory, as well as its contemporary developments; the anthropology of scriptural religions, with particular focus on Islam; the historical ethnography of West Africa; the anthropology of food, particularly French foodways in the American Midwest.

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Lecture / Discussion Tue, 07 Jan 2020 10:19:47 -0500 2020-01-28T16:00:00-05:00 2020-01-28T18:00:00-05:00 Haven Hall Department of Afroamerican and African Studies Lecture / Discussion Haven Hall
ASC Event. 2019 UMAPS Colloquium Series (February 13, 2020 3:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/68025 68025-16986085@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, February 13, 2020 3:00pm
Location: Weiser Hall
Organized By: African Studies Center

This series features the UMAPS fellows and their scholarly work. The talks prepared and presented by each visiting scholar are designed to promote dialogue on topics, and to share their research with the larger U-M community.

Aminu Dramani, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
Examining the Intractability of Low Intensity Conflicts in West Africa: The Case of Ghana

Tesfaye Habtu, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
Representation and State Ideology in Ethiopian Drama: A Critical Study of Historical Dramas of King Thewodros II

John Imokola, Makerere University, Uganda
Perspectives on Television Local Content Regulation in Uganda

Johannes Machinya (Mellon scholar), University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Migration and Politics in South Africa: Normalising Xenophobia through Political Demagoguery

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Presentation Fri, 04 Oct 2019 13:11:37 -0400 2020-02-13T15:00:00-05:00 2020-02-13T17:00:00-05:00 Weiser Hall African Studies Center Presentation umaps_banner
19 Historical Black Figures: “Celebrating Black Joy on JuneTeenth” (June 19, 2020 9:00am) https://events.umich.edu/event/74992 74992-19128258@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, June 19, 2020 9:00am
Location:
Organized By: Multi Ethnic Student Affairs - MESA

In honor of Juneteenth, The Office of Multi-Ethnic Students Affairs, Trotter Multicultural Center and The Department Of Afro-American and African Studies have joined together in an effort to recognize and pay tribute to 19 historical Black figures and symbolically commemorate the date of Juneteenth. Every hour beginning at 9:00am we will be celebrating #Blackjoy on our social media pages throughout the day by posting images and short bios of the selected individuals from a curated list gathered by MESA, Trotter and the DAAS Staff. Nineteen different folks who were civil rights leaders, freedom rights fighters, abolitionists and activists etc., will be acknowledged and celebrated publicly as we pay homage to those who supported and contributed to freedom, equal rights, and justice etc., for all black people from all different decades throughout history. We encourage university administration, faculty, and staff to repost, share or join in on this day as we celebrate and pay tribute to a small sample of our African American freedom fighters. Please feel free to reach out with any questions about participating if interested.

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Other Thu, 18 Jun 2020 17:04:10 -0400 2020-06-19T09:00:00-04:00 2020-06-19T18:00:00-04:00 Multi Ethnic Student Affairs - MESA Other Juneteenth Tribute
Framing and Debating Climate Change and the Environment in Key African States (October 22, 2020 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/78329 78329-20010767@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, October 22, 2020 11:30am
Location: Off Campus Location
Organized By: Weiser Diplomacy Center

Part of the Seminar Series on Global Perspectives on Debate and Democracy, organized by the Weiser Diplomacy Center and co-sponsored by the African Studies Center, DAAS, PitE, and International Institute for UM's "Democracy and Debate" theme semester.

Open to all University of Michigan students.

Please join us for a virtual seminar with Dr. Babajide Ololajulo, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria and Dr. Patrick Cobbinah, Urban Planning Academic in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne, in conversation with Justine M. Davis, LSA Collegiate Fellow in the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies (DAAS) at the University of Michigan.

About the Speakers:

Dr. Babajide Ololajulo is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He is a development anthropologist with research interests ranging over oil and environmental politics in Nigeria, identity politics, and heritage and memory. He has published widely on these themes. Dr Ololajulo is an alumnus of the University of Michigan African Presidential Scholars program (UMAPS), a presidential fellow at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association, and a 2014 fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS-AHP). Same year, he won the Leventis fellowship at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He has also at different times received travel grants from UK ESRC and SEPHIS to attend workshops in the United Kingdom, Brazil and Peru. His recent book, Unshared Identity published by the African Humanities Program employs the practice of posthumous paternity to explore African endogenous ways of being and meaning-making.

Dr. Patrick Cobbinah is an urban planning academic in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne. His background is in human geography with broad experience in urban and regional planning gained through teaching and research conducted at universities in Ghana and Australia. Patrick was with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Ghana in 2016 and Charles Sturt University in 2011, and worked in the areas of urban planning and management, urban resilience, environmental management, regional planning, natural resource management, climate change and development of research packages to guide urbanization and sustainable environmental development in Africa focusing on Ghana. He has published widely. He serves as the Managing Editor (Africa Region) for the Journal of Urban Affairs. Patrick is an alumnus of the University of Michigan African Presidential Scholars program (UMAPS).

About the Moderator:

Justine M. Davis is an LSA Collegiate Fellow in the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies (DAAS) at the University of Michigan. She will be an Assistant Professor in DAAS and Political Science beginning in 2022. Davis’ research examines challenges to democratization efforts in post-conflict and weakly institutionalized contexts in Sub-Saharan Africa. Her current book project explores how civil war affects the ability of local civil society organizations to contribute to post-conflict democratization. Through a multi-methods research design, she leverages geographic variation in rebel takeover in Côte d’Ivoire to examine how war shapes local civil society and citizens.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 19 Oct 2020 21:24:33 -0400 2020-10-22T11:30:00-04:00 2020-10-22T12:50:00-04:00 Off Campus Location Weiser Diplomacy Center Workshop / Seminar