The Centre for Cultures and Communities at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Institute of African Studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, are co-hosting a symposium on “Interrogating Historical Silences and Listening to the Voices of the Excluded.”
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Scheduled for February 13, 2025, the symposium aims to illuminate the dark spaces in historical scholarship, particularly in relation to minority and subaltern studies. The event will feature presentations from renowned scholars, including Carolyn Eichner, Chidi Ugwu, Rebecca Shumway, and Chukwuma Opata.
The symposium will explore themes such as the transatlantic slave trade, immigration and minority questions, marginal sexualities, health and healing, and spirituality in African history.
According to the symposium organizers, the event will provide a platform for critical dialogue and knowledge sharing among scholars from diverse backgrounds. “This symposium is a significant step towards expanding our understanding of African history and its intersections with global cultures,” said Professor Joseph Walzer, Director of the Centre for Cultures and Communities at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
The symposium is co-sponsored by the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The event will be held in-person at both universities, with virtual participation options available via Zoom.
The symposium details are as follows:
– Date: February 13, 2025
– Time: Session 1: 8:30-9:45 am CST (3:30-4:45 pm WAT), Session 2: 10:00-11:15 am CST (5:00-6:15 pm WAT)
– Venues: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Holton G80), University of Nigeria, Nsukka (IAS Seminar Room), Virtual (Zoom link: (link unavailable), Meeting ID: 942 1136 1493, Passcode: 379518)
Presenters at the symposium include:
– Carolyn Eichner, Professor of History and Women’s and Gender Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Topic: “Viewing Transnational Colonial Whiteness through Feminist Lenses”)
– Chidi Ugwu, Professor of Anthropology, University of Nigeria Nsukka (Topic: “A Decolonial Ethnography of Subaltern Agency”)
– Rebecca Shumway, Professor of African and African American History, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Topic: “Challenges of Historicizing Enslaved Africans both in Africa and in the African diaspora between the 16th and 19th centuries”)
– Chukwuma Opata, Professor of Economic History and African Heritage Studies, University of Nigeria Nsukka (Topic: “Spirituality as Unsung Driver of Development in Traditional Igbo Societies: Extrapolations from Northern Igboland-Nigeria”)
The symposium convener is Vitalis Nwashindu, Eliana G. Berg Scholar and Doctoral Student of History, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.