Call for Abstracts and Panel Proposals
The Southeast African Language and Literature Forum (SEALLF) invites panel and individual paper proposals for its 15th Annual Meeting on the theme “African Languages and Literature and the Global Economy.” This year’s theme explores the transformative role of African languages and literature in shaping global economic trends, technological innovation, education, cultural identity, and entertainment.
As African economies become more integrated into global systems, the linguistic and literary traditions of the continent play increasingly vital roles in bridging cultural and economic divides. This conference aims to amplify the voices and perspectives of African experiences and identities in these contexts, exploring how they contribute to and benefit from globalization. The global economy often overlooks the contributions of African languages and literature, perpetuating a narrative that underrepresented Africa’s influence on global culture. With your help, we will attempt to challenge these assumptions, demonstrating how African languages and literatures not only preserve cultural identity but also act as tools for economic empowerment and global integration. Africa’s rich linguistic heritage, with over 2,000 languages, forms the backbone of its cultural identity and serves as a critical driver of innovation and creativity. Meanwhile, African literature; spanning oral traditions, written texts, and digital narratives encapsulates the continent's diverse histories, philosophies, and socio-political experiences. This conference recognizes these elements as pivotal contributors to the global economy, bridging gaps in communication, fostering international collaborations, and offering fresh perspectives on global challenges.
We welcome proposals addressing one or more of the sub-themes outlined below, with an emphasis on critical analysis, innovative methodologies, and interdisciplinary approaches and seek to engage scholars, educators, policymakers, creatives, and technologists in a collaborative dialogue. Together, we will explore the transformative potential of African linguistic and literary traditions to redefine cultural, educational, and technological frameworks in a global context.
We invite papers and panels addressing any related topics, especially:
- Digitalization of African Languages and Economic Growth
- Language technology for African dialects in the global market
- The economic impact of African languages on digital communication platforms
- Developing African language-based apps for economic accessibility
- African Languages in Education and Workforce Development
- Integrating African languages into global workforce training
- Language barriers in education and their effect on economic mobility
- Policies promoting African language use in international business education
- Cultural Exports: African Languages in Media and Global Consumption
- African languages in global film, music, and literature markets
- African literature and ecocriticism
- Artificial Intelligence and African Language Integration
- Opportunities for African language processing in AI development
- Economic advantages of creating language-specific AI tools for African markets
- How African languages can influence AI models in the global economy
- Economic Impact of African Language Film and Entertainment Industries
- Growth of African language films and their global market appeal
- Language and cultural representation in global streaming services
- African language media and economic growth
- Cultural Identity and Branding
- Impact of Global Literature Trends on African Literature
Abstracts/Panel Proposals: Deadline for conference paper/panel submission: Please submit your abstract by June 1st, 2025.
Please send proposals of 200 words maximum to SEALLF2025@etsu.edu
Proposals should include the presenter’s full name, institution, contact email, paper topic, and abstract. If submitting a panel proposal, please have the panel chair submit all the individual paper proposals in one email to the organizing committee. Acceptance of abstracts will be sent out on a rolling basis but not later than June 30th, 2025.