We are pleased and excited to invite you all to our inaugural ABLD conference – Black Futurities:  (Re)Imagining Black Studies in Canada being held at McMaster on May 31, 2024.

Black Futurities: (Re)Imagining African and Black Diasporic Studies in Canada is a one-day hybrid national conference hosted by McMaster University on May 31, 2024. This conference aims to bring together scholars and community thinkers, students, activists and artists across the country to examine the development of Black and African Diasporic Studies across Canada. In so doing, we aim to collectively think through and share research priorities, pedagogical strategies, institutional challenges, and imagine the possibilities for sustainable futures and growth for the field. The conference will build on the legacy of established scholars in this field, while centering the voices, perspectives and insights of emerging scholars in the field.

‘Black Futurities’ will be a discussion-based conference – a space for emergent thinking and collaborative thinking and learning. The format will include a combination of discussion-based panels, open discussion, and a keynote address.

We are honoured to welcome the renown activist-scholar Dr. Abdul Alkalimat as our keynote speaker for this event. His address, titled “Black Studies, Africana Studies: Lessons for Canada“, will serve as an opportunity for intergenerational and transnational knowledge transfer and exchange.

In addition to our esteemed keynote speaker Dr. Abdul Alkalimat, we have a number of wonderful thinkers from McMaster and universities across Canada as panelists (stay tuned for further details in the days to come).

Please register at: https://abld.eventbrite.com