York University, Toronto
March 19-20, 2004

The conference is intended to bring together, in scholarly exchange and support, graduate students from across Canada and elsewhere who are currently involved in research on any related area of Black Canadian Studies, including research in Education, History, Literature, Sociology, Women's Studies, Diaspora and Migration Studies, Cultural Studies, Theatre and Film.

Despite Canada's growing importance as a site where multiple and complex formations of the African Diaspora converge, Canada is excluded almost completely from much of the official discourse of blackness in North America, which takes African American experiences as its primary focus. Those of us committed to expanding the boundaries of that discourse,argue that Canada represents a unique opportunity for the opening up of a cross-cultural, cross-border dialogue that not only redefines the
boundaries of North America, but also insists that narratives about black identities have to include Canada as a necessary and critical space of interrogation. As George Elliott Clarke argues, "Canada is an American space that warps Americanité" (Odysseys Home 49). Discussions about black identities in Canada, indeed, allow us to explore not just discussions about double-consciousness, but rather discussions about poly-consciousness.

Since Black Canadian Studies is a growing and still emerging field, some of the most exciting work in the area is being done at the level of graduate research. This conference aims to bring together junior scholars to share and exchange their work with each other and with more senior researchers in the field. The conference will also give us an opportunity to establish the scope and parameter of Black Canadian research and identify any gaps or needs in that research.

Proposals for papers in all areas of Black Canadian Studies are welcome. All papers must represent new work, previously unpublished. The deadline for proposals is January 31, 2004. Please submit a title and 200-word abstract to