KESSA 2013 Conference

KESSA 2013 Conference
Call for Abstracts
Theme: Kenya at 50: Lessons for the Future
September 6-7, 2013
Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA
Abstract Submission Deadline: June 14, 2013
On June 1, 2013, Kenya will celebrate 50 years as an independent nation. Preceding this
important milestone in the country’s history is the much-anticipated first national elections
under a new constitution promulgated in 2010. When the excitement is over and the dust
settles, several questions will linger in the minds of curious observers: 1) what exactly has
Kenya achieved in half a century of independence? 2) What challenges has the nation faced in
the last 50 years, and what lessons can be learned from these experiences going forward? 3)
What will the next 50 look like? These and other questions form the core of the theme of the
6
th Conference of the Kenya Scholars and Studies Association (KESSA) at Bowling Green State
University, Bowling Green, OH, USA. The conference will be held in the Bowen Thompson
Student Union on September 6-7, 2013.
On behalf of the organizing committee, I would like to invite you to submit a paper/poster
abstract for the 2013 conference which presents us with yet another exciting and thoughtprovoking weekend of professional engagement, dialogue, and networking. Abstracts and
organized sessions under the broad theme of “Kenya at 50: Lessons for the Future” are
welcome. Suggested topics include but are not limited to:
 Politics and Governance,
 Constitution Implementation
 Economics/ Business/Global
Capital
 Law
 Education
 Health
 Religion
 Gender, Women and Youth
 Science & Technology
 Poverty
 Globalization
 Culture, Music, Language, Sports
 Kenyan Diaspora
 Tourism
 Environment
 Agriculture and Climate Change
 Security and Terrorism
 Transportation
 Urbanization and Housing
 Foreign Policy
 IndustryABSTRACT SUBMISSION: All abstracts will be submitted electronically on the KESSA website.
Presenters should submit 250-word (or less) abstracts that include the presentation's title,
presenter, presenter category (professional or student), institutional affiliation, contact
information (mailing address, phone, and email address), purpose, methods, conclusions, and
three key words. Abstracts should be edited for spelling, grammatical, and typographical
errors. Abstracts should convey research results clearly and concisely and should be as jargon
free as possible since this is an interdisciplinary conference. Please do not include references,
citations, and/or abbreviations in the body of the abstract. By submitting an abstract, you grant
KESSA permission to include it in the conference program and/or disseminate it electronically.
Please see registration details below. The deadline for abstract submission is June 14, 2013.
Proposals for organized paper sessions, panels, and round-table discussions are welcome.
Organized paper sessions should consist of 4-5 papers. Session organizers should clearly
identify all session participants and submit all session abstracts in one package and should
ensure that each abstract meets the abstract guidelines noted above.
ABSTRACT REVIEW: Review of abstracts will begin after the abstract submission deadline. All
the authors of accepted abstracts will be notified by email to proceed with registration. Authors
of unaccepted abstracts will also be notified by email with recommendations.
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE: Conference Registration will open on
Monday June 17, 2013 and close on August 5, 2013. Conference registration and payment will
be done online and will be available at the association’s website at: http://kessa.org.
CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY: To cancel your registration, please send an email to Dr.
Gichana C. Manyara, KESSA Treasurer at: cmanyara@radford.edu. Please be sure to state your
intent to cancel registration and also withdraw your submitted abstract.
 Requests received by July 30, 2013 will incur a 25% cancellation fee.
 Requests received by August 15, 2013 will incur a 50% cancellation fee.
 Requests received after August 30, 2013 cannot be processed.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATION GUIDELINES: Each paper/poster presentation will last for 15-20
20 minutes depending on the number of papers in each session. The conference venue has
audio visual capabilities including laptops (with PowerPoint) and overhead projectors.
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS: KESSA will publish this year’s conference proceedings to
commemorate Kenya at 50. Professor Faith Maina (faith.maina@oswego.edu) will coordinate
the proceedings. Details on the manuscript submission process, deadlines, manuscript
formatting, etc etc. will be forthcoming and will also be posted on the conference page on the
KESSA website.
STUDENT PAPER COMPETITION: Student paper competitions at this year’s conference will be
conducted at both the graduate level and undergraduate levels. There will be four awards: 1)
Graduate paper award; 2) Undergraduate paper Award; Graduate poster; Undergraduate poster award. Details on eligibility, structure of paper, review criteria and submission process
etc etc. will be forthcoming and will also be posted on the conference page on the KESSA
website.
PARTICIPATION ELIGIBILITY: Anyone interested in advancing the cause of Kenya may
participate in the 6
th KESSA conference. All participants (presenters and non-presenters) must
register for the conference.
Please consider contributing and/or forwarding this announcement to appropriate colleagues
and groups. All abstracts and/or organized session proposals should be submitted online at:
http://kessa.org/. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Francis Koti, KESSA Secretary at:
ftkoti@una.edu. We look forward to a great conference this year.
Disclaimer on Funding: It is the responsibility of all participants to raise the funds needed to
attend this conference. KESSA and Bowling Green State University do not provide any form of
financial support to conference attendees.
Signed,
Dr. Francis Koti
KESSA Secretary