Association conferences

The annual meeting of the Black Canadian Studies Association (BCSA) will take place in person May 29 – 31, 2023. Our theme is ‘Nah,’ an expression, response, and exhortation of Black refusals. As a colloquial use of language, 'Nah' pushes the boundaries of how we contend with reckonings and re-imaginings in a cultural context where Blackness remains ignored, challenged, and in some cases, diminished by pervasive anti-Blackness, both in formal and informal settings. The experience of Blackness related to (body)language – as a form of expression, political action, and meaning-making – is invoked in our call. Refusal is broadly understood to encapsulate refusals of form (language/artistic expression/media), “in the break” (Moten, 2003) from disciplinary boundaries, and operating outside/within the context of neoliberal diversity and inclusion frameworks. Refusal is taken to be a “generative stance” (Tuck & Yang, 2014) which encourages radical imaginings beyond established boundaries. Through imaginative articulations of ‘Nah’ we aim to delve into and depart from past/ongoing practices. The possibility of ongoing refusals acknowledged by a nod, an intentional and explicit or subtle rejection, a calling deixa pra lá, or a pleading non mais, all create space for counter-narratives and Black re-existence.