The 8th biennial conference of the Afroeuropeans Network took place in Brussels at the Humanities, Sciences and Engineering campus of Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium, 22-24 September 2022.
This gathering provided an important space for engaging in dialogues, exchanging ideas, disseminating information and co-producing knowledge pertaining to Black cultures and identities in Europe.
The conference also offered opportunities to initiate and strengthen collaborations between scholars, educators, rights campaigners, activists, community advocates, artists and others who are committed to anti-racism and racial justice.
Themed around “Intersectional Challenges in Afroeuropean Communities,” the conference was “organised for, by, and with Afroeuropeans, with the contribution of allies and in dialogue with other marginalised groups.”
Members of the 2022 co-organising team included researchers based at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), representatives from the Africa Platform of Ghent University Association, and contributors from a wider network of institutions, organisations and collectives, including: Black Speaks Back, European Network Against Racism (ENAR), Universitair Centrum voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking, Universiteit Gent, Université libre de Bruxelles, and Maastricht University.
Shared vision and values
The co-organising team’s shared vision was stated as follows:
“We envision the 2022 conference of the Afroeuropeans Network, Intersectional Challenges in Afroeuropean Communities, in Brussels as an academic, activist, and intellectual space centring Blackness in Europe—including, but not limited to, Black identity, Black art, Black politics and Black struggle.”
Central to the realisation of this vision was a focus on the following:
- Intersectionality – understanding, in particular, the multidimensionality of identity and the intersections between ‘race’, ethnicity and other identity markers;
- Solidarity, in terms of connecting with each other and supporting each other’s struggles;
- Self-awareness, in terms of participants reflecting on epistemological positions;
- Sustainability, in terms of the resources used in relation to the conference, and beyond.
Keynote speakers
Keynote speakers for the conference in Brussels included internationally renowned social scientist Professor Philomena Essed (Critical Race, Gender and Leadership Studies, Antioch University, Ohio, USA) and the esteemed sociologist, scholar-activist and broadcaster Professor Kehinde Andrews (School of Social Sciences, Birmingham City University, UK).
Overarching theme and sub-topics
Papers presented at the conference responded to the overarching theme “Intersectional Challenges in Afroeuropean Communities.”
This overarching topic was further divided into seven sub-themes:
- Intersectionality as Theory, Practice and Movement: Re-Centring Black Feminist Legacies
- Structural Racism, Racialization and Exploitation
- Policy, Activism and Political Representation
- Afropean Literature and Arts: Aesthetics & Politics
- Health, Racial Inequalities and Intersectionality
- Decolonising Knowledge, Spaces and Institutions: From Activism to Transformative Change
- Contemporary Blackness and Black Histories in Urban Europe
The conference concluded on 24 September 2022 and the online archive of further information is no longer available.
However, if you would like to find out about the wider “AfroEuropeans” network and subsequent confetences, please visit the following link to join the e-list and discussion forum: https://www.uni-muenster.de/Anglistik/en/ptts/Muenster/currentresearch/afroeuropeans.html.
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