The University of Guyana (UG) will host its inaugural Diaspora Engagement Conference from July 23 to 28 2017, in Georgetown, Guyana, under the theme: “Dreaming Diaspora Engagement, Doing Diaspora Engagement.” The six-day conference will take place at the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel, Providence, East Bank Demerara, Guyana. The deadline for submitting abstracts is March 14, 2017. [Many thanks to Humberto García Muñiz for bringing this item to our attention.]

Description: The theme, Dreaming Diaspora Engagement – Doing Diaspora Engagement, has been chosen in recognition of the fact that much has been said in the last two or three decades about the potential of the diaspora in national and regional development. Indeed many Caribbean countries have introduced policies and programmes aimed at mainstreaming their diaspora into nationals and regional growth and development. There, however remains a need for more dialogue and investigation into how the various policies and intents can be actualized.

The conference will host a number of panels, business roundtables and multimedia presentations on key thematic issue areas such as: Identify issues in the Caribbean Diaspora Experience; Best practices in diaspora engagement; The role of Hometown Associations; Remittances and beyond; Diaspora trade, exports and tourism; Business opportunities for diaspora investment; The Caribbean Diasporic Community in the 21st century; Imaging and imagining the Diaspora; The Role of the Diaspora as Brand Ambassadors; and Launching Guyana’s Diaspora Engagement Strategy.

Guidelines: There would be 3 – 4 presenters in every session. Presentations will be limited to 15 minutes each. An abstract of up to 250 words should be submitted on or before March 14, 2017.

Acceptance letters for proposals will be e-mailed by April 14, 2017.

Presenters should indicate if their formal presentations will be in PowerPoint format.

An executive summary of the paper (2-3 pages) must be submitted no later than June 16, 2017.

Send proposals (include name, address, contact details, institutional affiliation) along with short bio to:

Dr. Fitzgerald Yaw, Chairman, Editorial Committee

E-mail: ugdiaspora@uog.edu.gy
Mobile: +592 623 0251

For more information, see http://diasporaconference.uog.edu.gy/call-for-presentations