This panel examines Ghana’s Year of Return (2019) and Beyond the Return initiatives as critical interventions in reconfiguring Africa–Diaspora relations within a moment of global rupture and transformation. Launched to commemorate 400 years since the transatlantic slave trade, these initiatives move beyond symbolic remembrance to actively construct new pathways for Diasporic belonging, investment, and cultural reconnection. They represent a broader continental shift in which African states are asserting agency in redefining citizenship, identity, and global engagement.
Aligning with the ASA 2026 theme, the panel frames these initiatives as both responses to historical rupture and as strategies of remake. Ghana’s approach highlights how histories of displacement are being mobilized to imagine new futures grounded in transnational solidarity, cultural restoration, and economic opportunity. At the same time, similar efforts across countries such as Nigeria, Senegal, and Rwanda signal an emerging African-led model of diaspora diplomacy.
The panel critically interrogates these developments by asking: Who is included in these reimagined communities of belonging? What tensions arise between heritage tourism and long-term integration? How do local communities experience these initiatives? And how do digital media and global cultural industries shape Diasporic imaginaries of return?
The panel aims to:
· Advance critical scholarship on Africa–Diaspora relations within the context of contemporary global transformations.
· Foster interdisciplinary dialogue on the opportunities and challenges of diaspora engagement initiatives.
· Contribute to policy-relevant discussions on sustainable and inclusive approaches to diaspora integration.
By bringing interdisciplinary perspectives, the panel foregrounds Africa as a dynamic site of world-making, offering new insights into how Diasporic engagement is reshaping political, cultural, and economic landscapes in a shifting global order.
Please submit abstracts to Benjamin Tetteh (benjie07@ohio.edu) and Cat Cuther (cutcher@ohio.edu) by September 6.
