Office of Public Relations:                                           For more information, contact: Stephen E. Snyder

(229) 931-2028                                                                         (229) 931-2037 ssnyder@canes.gsw.edu

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Dec. 9, 2009

 

Third World Studies meeting in Ghana
 
makes history

            AMERICUS—The 27th annual meeting of the Association of Third World Studies (ATWS), Inc., was held at the Elmina Beach Resort in Cape Coast, Ghana Nov. 21-24. The conclave featured 100 attendees from around the world who participated in 18 panels and round table discussions that focused on the theme, “Celebrating Change, Defining the Future: Social Justice, Democracy and Cultural Revival.”

The ATWS was founded in 1983 by Harold Isaacs, Ph.D., professor emeritus of history at Georgia Southwestern State University and is the largest organization of its kind in the world.

 “This was an historic meeting in that it was our first conference on the continent of Africa,” Isaacs said. “I attended every session and found the panels to be excellent. The conference gave scholars from around the globe an opportunity to share their research and insights with each other in a very historic setting.”            

The conference was co-sponsored by ATWS, Georgia Southwestern State University, Ithaca College, Indiana University and the Ohio State University.

            The  meeting’s keynote address, “’Disasporas’, Mobility and the Social Imaginary: Getting Ahead in West Africa,” was presented by  Emmanuel K. Akyeampong, Ph.D., professor of history, African and African American Studies at Harvard University. Peyi Soyinka-Airewele of Ithaca College gave the presidential address, “Emergent Discourses of Audacity and the Revolution of Marginality.”

A number of awards were presented to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the academic discipline of Third World Studies. Entertainment at the reception and banquet was provided by the Cultural Dance and Music Troupe, Elmina/Cape Coast, Ghana. Participants also took tours of historic sites in the Cape Coast area.

            The 28th annual ATWS meeting will be held in Savannah October 7-9, 2010.

                                                                        - GSW -