Migration And Neo-slavery As Significant Features Of The 21st Century Conference

Even though migration and slavery are probably as ancient as man, they are significant issues in the twenty-first century. As regards migration, recent studies have shown that the twenty-first century has the highest migration rate in history. But the field which has crystalized as migration studies is very vast and contentious, involving many disciplines and refusing exhaustion, making it imperative for scholars to always examine and rethink issues in the area in the light of emerging realities. Many developed countries find themselves in the delicate dilemma of negotiating the requirements of territorial/cultural integrity and humanitarianism. Some are rethinking immigration policies to cope with security and socio-economic challenges, and the 'wall rhetoric' of the Trump Administration is just one popular instance. From time to time, the media are awash with news of migrant casualties in boat mishaps in the Mediterranean Sea. The Libyan Desert has become a notorious route of death where many African nationals have perished in their quest to get to Europe. There is also Africa-Africa migration, together with the motivations and results of this. In Africa also, there is the intra-border and extra-border migration of herders and the socio-political implications of this reality to twenty-first century African states. As regards slavery, that old familiar brand in African racial history, there is the transmutation of that social reality into institutionalized and normative practices, some of which are backed and executed by governments and many of which are perpetrated by individuals and the private sector. Years after slavery was officially outlawed, people still suffer the phenomenon in various ways – sex slavery, debt bondage, forced labour, child labour, etc. This sort of slavery – characterized in the media and modern scholarship as neo-slavery, contemporary slavery or modern-day/modern slavery – is predominant in Africa, according to a February 2019 report by The Guardian of UK. In this conference, therefore, we are interested in researches that deal with these realities, either as they relate to each other or as independent discourses. We are interested in papers that deal with the emergent issues in the discourse of migration and neoslavery, particularly as it concerns Africans in Africa, Africans in Europe, Asia, and America or, to paraphrase Martin Heidegger, wherever they settle their existence. We also welcome researches on the experiences of non-African migrants/neo-slaves and countries, insofar as these researches contribute significantly in the apprehension of the nature of migration and neo-slavery as twenty-first century phenomena.

• Keynote Speaker: Hon. Justice Centus Chima Nweze, Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria

ORGANIZER: The Grace Uzoma Okonkwo Foundation In collaboration with Institute of African Studies & Department of English and Literary Studies University of Nigeria

MORE INFORMATION: Conference Flyer (download)