Organised by IFRA (Kenya) and GRER-ICT (Université Paris Diderot)
on 1st and 2nd December 2011 in Nairobi (Kenya)
Thursday 1st of December
8h15 - Reception of conference members 8h30 - Opening the Conference: Christian Thibon, Thierry Vircoulon, Michel Prum 8h40 – Michel Prum (Université Paris Diderot): A Diverse Approach to Diversity 9h –10h30 - Rethinking diversity in the West • Daniele De Lame (Royal Museum for Central Africa): How Come we Need to Think about (which) Diversity? • Marie-Annick Mattioli (IUT Paris Descartes) : Diversité des cartes d'identité sur le sol britannique, 2002-2010, ou comment le projet d'une carte d'identité britannique s'est peu à peu transformé en carte pour étrangers 10h30-11h Tea break 11h-12h30 - An African historical approach to diversity • Emile Mworoha (Université du Burundi) : Gestion politique et sociale des identités ethniques et claniques dans la région des Grands Lacs : le cas du Burundi • Zacharie Saha (Université de Dschang, Cameroun) : Les chefferies des Grassfields de l'Ouest Cameroun à l'épreuve de la colonisation et de la postcolonie (1889-1997) 12h30-14h Lunch 14h-17h - Political management of diversity in contemporary Eastern Africa • Jean-Salathiel Mutunitiwe (Université du Burundi) La démocratie consociative, outil de gestion de la diversité • Marie-Aude Fouéré (IFRA): Rethinking Diversity in Contemporary Zanzibar • Maurice Amutabi (CUEA, Kenya): Lessons from the 2008 Post-Election Violence in Kenya
Friday 2nd December
9h45-10h Tea time 10h -12h30 Ethnic, religious and sexual diversities • Michel Adam: Le cas des minorités d'origine indo-pakistanaise • Julius Kikoom (Makerere University, Uganda): Diasporic minority cultures: the social construction of enterprising identities of female "Asian-African" entrepreneurs in Uganda • Mildred Ndeda (Kenyatta University, Kenya): The Struggles of New Religious Movements in the Kenyan Religious Space: the Case of Kings Outreach Ministry under Repentance and Holiness Movement 12h30-14h Lunch 14h-16h30 - Stereotyping diversity • Stephen Omondi Owino (Kenyatta University, Nairobi): The Language Factor in the Search for National Cohesion and Integration in Kenya • Joseph Egwrube (Université de La Rochelle, France): United we Claim, Divided we Act: Managing Diversity in Post-Colonial Nigeria • Bernard Cros (Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense, France): XV against VII: an inevitably unequal fight? Rugby and the management of diversity in South Africa
Call for contribution
Diversity has become one of the structuring paradigms, or possibly the only structuring paradigm of postmodern societies ‒ whether it be a paradox or a logical consequence of globalization. Diversity in society is now such a structuring and powerful conceptual framework that hardly any society perceives itself as ONE, as was the case in classical political philosophy. Contemporary philosophical reflection has it that society is no longer a unified whole but a set of separate groups whose governance is necessarily complex and boils down to reconciling conflicting interests. There are many ways of approaching diversity in society: in terms of differing genders, cultures, religions, beliefs, social classes, geographical origins, sexual orientations or ways of life. Postmodern society is now viewed as the addition of diverse features ‒ with more or less consistency ‒ several features being often present in the same individual. Society as « one and indivisible » – as the French Republic claims to be – has been relegated to the category of myth and has been succeeded by the ‘society of diversity’. Such a society is seen as a construction whose growing complexity leads to tensions and therefore instability. The interaction of groups can follow co-operative lines but it can also express itself in terms of competition and opposition. As the flows of populations and ideas accelerate, diversity grows exponentially. Groups are, as it were, swept into a permanent splitting process influenced by identity denominators which are ceaselessly renewed, reshaped and revisited.
The aim of this conference ‒ coming after the international ‘Metissage’ conference held in Cape Town, South Africa, in February 2010 ‒ is to explore the approach to diversity in society and the resulting policies. Societies define themselves as a set of plural features but this conception varies according to geographical latitudes or historical periods; some forms of sexual, ethnic, religious or social diversity are more « acceptable » than others. The geographical and historical evolution of the representations of social diversity will be one of the leitmotivs of this conference. A second will be the study of the policies governing, promoting or resisting diversity. Here again, the way in which all types of political, religious, social authorities have dealt with diversity has changed according to historical or spatial circumstances. Such variations will constitute the second thread of this conference.
The conference will be held at the French Institute in Nairobi (Kenya) on the 1st and 2nd December 2011. It will be open to all academic disciplines in social sciences without any restriction as to historical periods and geographical or cultural areas.
Papers will be given in French or English and will not exceed 20 minutes. Please send your proposals with an abstract of max. 300 words and a very short biography before 30 June to the three organizers of the conference:
