Temporalities, Youth (Im)mobilities and Agencies:
Africa On the Move
The Annual Theme Conference on “Temporalities”, scheduled to hold from May 14-16, 2025, aims to explore the multifaceted temporalities and mobilities of African youth by critically examining their agencies within diverse contexts. Currently, youth agencies and mobilities serve as crucial frameworks for effective theorising on temporalities. Understanding the dynamics of youth movements and actions requires an analysis of lived experiences within changing spaces and timeframes.
As a special theme relevant to the re-cognition of Africa, ‘Temporalities’ looks at how social movements—both those that influence within communities and those that connect to the broader world—help shape a new understanding of Africa. These movements offer a way to see Africa continually evolving, with each moment influenced by the past and pointing towards the future. This approach aims to decolonize and rethink Africa’s historical journey in a more inclusive and dynamic way.
The conference, which is the fifth annual cluster conference, aims to create a forum for scholars within and beyond the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence, which includes the University of Bayreuth and its African Cluster Centres at Moi University (Kenya), Rhodes University (South Africa), Joseph Ki-Zerbo University (Burkina Faso), and the University of Lagos (Nigeria). This event provides an opportunity for researchers to present their latest findings and cultivate a platform for theoretical debates and intellectual exchange centered around the conference theme.
The conference shall adopt a hybrid format to promote intercontinental scholarly exchange. The programme will encompass a keynote event, twelve (12) panel sessions, alongside two roundtable discussions, an artistic performance, and an art exhibition. Expected participants come from diverse academic disciplines, including artists and activists. All sessions are open to the public, and all interested parties are cordially invited to attend.