LASA/Africa 2023 Conference

LASA/Africa 2023 is LASA's first continental congress in Africa and will be held in a hybrid format in Ghana and virtually from 15-18 November 2023. As such, it constitutes an opportunity to generate dialogues and connections on different theoretical and practical topics that link the African continent with Latin America. Historically, these two regions have experienced colonial processes, exploitation of their natural resources and economic, political and cultural dependence. They have faced similar problems, such as poverty, social inequalities, corruption and multiple forms of violence. Facilitating dialogues and connections between these two regions provides a valuable opportunity to share experiences and lessons learned, and to foster greater cooperation on global issues such as the environmental problem, the movement of people (migration) and the movement of goods (fair or clean trade), and the politics of liberation. Moreover, both Latin America and Africa have rich and diverse cultures that can benefit each other through cultural exchange. For example, literature, film, art, music and other cultural forms are areas of research through which the two regions can build bridges of intellectual cooperation and foster original political projects. Thus, a continental congress of this magnitude is the first step in promoting greater understanding and collaboration between two regions that share similar historical, cultural, socioeconomic and even anthropological experiences, which have not yet been fully developed by this Association.

This meeting also aspires to recast and recalibrate/redirect the path of critical thinking likely to reinvigorate the dialectics of knowledge between two anthropological contexts locked in the dark corridors of colonial patterns and victimizing discourses. This includes questions of history and memory, transatlantic connections, diasporas and their legacies in the Caribbean, historical relations between Spanish-speaking Africa, Portuguese-speaking Africa, French-speaking Africa and Latin America, gender and sexuality issues, race and ethnicity; as well as debates on cultural productions and stakes in film, literature, performance and other artistic genres.

Finally, the congress also sets to address contemporary issues in the field of politics and international law, the question of borders and national challenges, artificial intelligence or the digital revolution, and the monetary question. Among the international political issues, South-South solidarity relations, colonial legacies, and the impact of China on the political economy stand out. Shared challenges include threats to democracy, high levels of violence and discrimination in many contexts, the role of the military and paramilitaries, the transnational impact of organized crime, and the need to strengthen regional mechanisms for the protection of human rights and to document processes of political and cultural resistance. Social issues include the tensions between economic growth, poverty and inequality; the effects of extractivism; migration to the Global North; the social consequences of climate change; the tension between traditional cultures and new identities; and the importance of social protest as a factor for change.