The first Authors’ Meeting for Volume II (1900-2000) of The General Labour History of Africa project will take place from 11-12 December 2013, in the Intercontinental Hotel, Kazanchis, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia).
Background
The aim of the General Labour History of Africa project is to gather together experts on African labour history and Africa labour studies to analyse labour history in Africa in a “general” way, while at the same time, as far as possible, being comprehensive in geographical, historical and sectorial terms. The project comprises four conferences and a two volumes history book.
The first conference will take place in Addis Ababa under the auspices of the ILO Africa Office. The GLHA project will: i) gather together Africanist historians and labour historians; ii) create a new “field of attention” represented by labour history in Africa; iii) become the focal point for wider research and discussion on labour in Africa and further stimulate intellectual exchanges between Africa experts and experts on labour specialised in other regions of the worlds (transnational perspective) and/or different sectors and/or different historical periods and/or from different theoretical schools; iv) find new definitions of labour, workers, slaves, unpaid work, household/family work etc. that would fit the Sub-Saharan Africa experience, and that would not simply represent a transfer of European definitions to the African continent.
Programme
Day one, 11 December 2013
10:00-11:00 Opening
Opening remarks by Cynthia Samuel-Olonjuwon (ILO)
11:00-11:30 Coffee break
11:30-12:30 General introduction by Stefano Bellucci
12:30-13:30 Lunch break
13:30-15:30 First round of presentations
- Andreas Eckert (Humboldt University of Berlin), Forms of Wage Labour in Different Economic Sectors
- Hanan Sabea (American University of Cairo), Agriculture/Agro-business
- Carolyn Brown (Rutgers University), Mining Labour
- Stefano Bellucci (International Institute of Social History), Transport
- Patrick Neveling (University of Bern), Industry/Manufacture
15:30-16:00 Coffee break
16:00-18:00 Second round of presentations
- Babacar Fall (Cheikh Anta Diop University), Forms of Forced Labour
- Ugo Nwokeji (University of California, Berkley), Contemporary forms of Slavery
- Shiferaw Bekele (Addis Ababa University), Indenture Labour
- Samuel Nyanchoga (Catholic University of Eastern Kenya in Nairobi), Mutualistic, Associational and Cooperative Labour
- Bill Freund (University of KwaZulu-Natal), African Trade Unions
20:00 Dinner at Yod Abyssinia, Cap Verde Street, Addis Ababa
Day two, 12 December 2013
09:00-10:30 Third round of presentations
- Akua Britwum (University of Cape Coast), State and Labour: Development of labour ministries, labour legislations, statistical activities, etc.
- Dmitri van den Bersselaar (University of Liverpool), Civil Servants: Colonial and Post-Colonial
- Valentine Kikafunda (Kabale University), Labour and International Organisations
- Ibikunle Tijani (Adeleke University Ede), The Role of the ILO in Shaping Labour Relations in Africa (1919-2019)
10:30-11:00 Break
11:00-13:00 Forth round of presentations
- Gareth Austin (Graduate Insitute of Geneva), The African Bourgeoisie and Capitalists
- Rory Pilossof (University of Pretoria), Professionals
- Sara Berry (John Hopkins University ,in absentia), Entrepreneurs
- Andreas Admasie (University of Basel), Labour in Entertainment: Tourism, Film, Sport
- Deborah Bryceson (University of Glasgow), Modern Forms of Domestic Work
13:00-14:00 Lunch break
14:00-15:00 Fifth round of presentations
- Ndalilah Joseph (University of Kabianga), Migrant Labour: Both Within and Outside Africa
- Anthonia Akhidenor (Edo State Government), Foreign Migrations to Africa
- Hannan Hammad (Christian University of Texas); Stefano Bellucci (International Institute of Social History), Social Welfare Implementation: Pension, Security, Safety and Health
15:00-15:30 Break
15:30-17:00 Sixth round of presentations
- Franco Barchiesi (Ohio State University), Informal/Precarious Labour: Urban and Rural/Farms
- Laurent Fourchard (Science Po Bordeaux, in absentia), Organised and Petty Crime/Illegal Labour
- Michelle Moyd (Indiana University, in absentia); Joel Glasman (University of Missouri-St. Louis), Labour in Military, Police and Private Security/Mercenaries
- Ibrahim Abdullah (Fourah Bay College), Child Labour: Child Soldiers, Child Trafficking, Pawnship, Child Debt Labour
17:00-17:30 Break
17:30-19:00 Final debate
Contact
Stefano Bellucci (International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam): sbe@iisg.nl
Andreas Admasie (International Institute of Social History, Addis Ababa): andreas.admasie@iisg.nl