The creation and enforcement of the law and the maintenance of social order have been key concerns for states, societies and individuals in Africa. However, the way in which these terms have been defined, practiced and justified has shifted across time and place. In our conference we will be unearthing some of the contestation that surrounds these shifts, and the consequences of this contestation.

3rd and 4th April 2017  –   Centre of African Studies Conference -University of Edinburgh

A conference with a difference…

Our aim is to facilitate a engaged and creative conversation around law and social order over the course of the conference.

We will begin on 3 April with three theoretical round tables on the concepts that lie at the heart of our theme: Statehood; Order and Disorder; Law and Norms.

These morning sessions will engage with some of the cutting-edge theoretical debates and developments in our field, and establish a range of thoughts and questions around which the conference conversations can coalesce.

In the afternoon we will invite scholars to reflect on how their own work engages with these conversations, providing a series of rooms across the university in which they can reconsider their papers and presentations in the light of the roundtable discussions, and incorporate new insights, ready for the panels on 4 April.

Participants will not be expected to submit a paper or presentation before the conference, but will be expected to commit to the full two days, in order to play an active role in the forging new conversations on the topic.

We welcome papers that come from a range of disciplines, including but not limited to anthropology, politics, law and history as well as transdisciplinary papers. Practitioners, graduate students and academic staff are all welcome to apply.

Abstracts of 400 words should be submitted to casconference2017@gmail.com   by the 6th January 2017