In August 2016, nearly 40 scholars gather at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association to initiate a discussion about the purpose of the Du Boisian Scholar Network. Acutely aware of the people who were not part of this first conversation, we agreed to reconvene in 2018 with a more diverse base of participants.

We invited scholars from around the country to Northwestern University on May 18-19, 2018 to deliberate and build consensus on the mission, vision, and organizational structure of the Network. The May Convening created space for community-building, critical reflection, and intellectual exchange among scholars who work within a Du Boisian tradition.

This coming year, we will invite scholars to Brown University on May 4-5, 2019 to continue building on this work.

Location

The Convening took place at the Hilton Orrington/Evanston Hotel near Northwestern University.

AGENDA

Following the Pan-African Conference in 1900, W. E. B. Du Bois and Ida Gibbs Hunt organized a series of Pan-African Congresses. These Congresses brought together delegates from around the world to discuss and address key issues of the time, particularly those related to Africa and the African diaspora in the aftermath of European colonization. Discussions at the Congresses were organized around pre-selected topics, with each topical session beginning with remarks from invited speakers to provoke lively discussion among the participants. An important aim of the Congresses was also to develop and adopt resolutions to address these issues.

Inspired by the format of these Pan-African Congresses, the agenda for the May Convening was structured as follows:

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

8:30am - 9:00am: Breakfast

9:00am - 10:15am: Opening Remarks and Provocation

• Welcome/Introduction of the Provost of Northwestern University (Host Institution)
  Celeste Watkins-Hayes, Northwestern University

• Opening Remarks from Provost of Northwestern University
  Jonathan Holloway, Northwestern University

• Welcome on Behalf of Northwestern University Graduate Students
  Morgan Clark, Northwestern University

• Opening Provocation: What is the problem of the 21st century? What is a Du Boisian sociology? Why a Du Boisian Network now?
  Karida Brown, University of California Los Angeles
  Aldon Morris, Northwestern University

10:15am - 10:30am: Break and Networking Opportunity

10:30am - 11:30am: Provocation #1: Epistemics of a Du Boisian sociology

• Introduction
  Prabhdeep Kehal, Brown University

• Remarks from invited provocateurs
  José Itzigsohn, Brown University
  Abigail Sewell, Emory University
  Earl Wright II, University of Cincinnati

• General discussion

11:30am - 12:30pm: Provocation #2: Support and Mentorship for the Next Generation of Du Boisian Scholars

• Introduction
  Rocío R. García, University of California Los Angeles

• Remarks from invited provocateurs
  Vilna Bashi Treitler, University of California Santa Barbara
  Ricarda Hammer, Brown University

• General discussion

12:30pm - 2:00pm: Lunch and Provocation #3: Using Du Boisian Sociology to Enact Social Change

• Lunch (provided)

• Introduction
  Debanjan Roychoudhury, University of California Los Angeles

• Remarks from invited provocateurs
  Barbara Combs, Clark Atlanta University
  Tukufu Zuberi, University of Pennsylvania

• General discussion

2:00pm - 2:15pm: Break and Networking Opportunity

2:15pm - 4:15pm: Breakout Sessions by Topic

• Epistemic (Rogers Room)

• Support/Mentorship (James Room)

• Social Change (Bonbright Room)

4:15pm - 4:45pm: Break and Networking Opportunity

4:45pm - 6:00pm: Summary Reports from Breakout Sessions

6:00pm - 8:00pm: Reception (food and drink provided)

• Introduction
  Kenneth Pass, Northwestern University

• Performance
  Bomba con Buya (Afro-Puerto Rican ensemble)

Saturday, May 19, 2018

8:30am - 9:15am: Discussion: Building Insurgent Intellectual Communities Through Academic Publishing

• Introduction
  Karlia Nicole Brown, Northwestern University

• Panelists
  David G. Embrick, University of Connecticut
  Kimberly Kay Hoang, University of Chicago

9:15am - 9:30am: Break and Networking Opportunity

9:30am - 10:00am: Professional Development Discussion (Concurrent Sessions)

• Navigating the Academic Job Market as Critical Race Scholars (graduate students)
  Introduction: Brandon Thomas Alston, Northwestern University
  Crystal Fleming, Stony Brook University
  Anthony Ocampo, California State Polytechnic University

• Getting Tenure as Critical Race Scholars (junior faculty)
  Introduction: Saida Grundy, Boston University
  Amanda Lewis, University of Illinois at Chicago
  Alford Young, Jr., University of Michigan

10:30am - 12:30pm:  Provocation #4: Organizational Framework for the Du Boisian Scholar Network

• Introduction
  Amy Chin, Brown University

• Remarks from invited provocateurs
  Tina M. Park, Brown University
  Michael Rodríguez-Muñiz, Northwestern University
  Celeste Watkins-Hayes, Northwestern University

• General discussion

12:30pm - 2:00pm: Lunch and Adoption of Organizational Framework Resolutions

• Introduction
  Tunette Powell, University of California Los Angeles

• Facilitator
  Mary Pattillo, Northwestern University

2:00pm - 2:30pm: Closing Remarks

• Closing Remarks
  Marcus Anthony Hunter, University of California Los Angeles