Summer School: Introduction to Black and Afrodiasporic Studies

May 26th – 31st 2025

The Summer School “Introduction to Black and Afrodiasporic Studies” offers a series of lectures and workshops over a 6-day period. Participants will have the opportunity to attend lectures given by experts in the field of Black and Afrodiasporic Studies, covering topics ranging from the historical and theoretical foundations of the field to its contemporary application in various sectors. Interactive workshops, developed with guest speakers or community organizations, will enable participants to deepen their knowledge and explore innovative methodologies. In addition, field visits to Montreal will offer concrete perspectives on local issues facing Black communities.

Specific aims

• Familiarize yourself with Black thought and practice: history of the field of Black, Afrodiasporic and African studies; theoretical foundations and new currents; socio-historical, cultural and aesthetic issues; research methodologies and ethics.
• Meet and discuss with experts from diverse disciplinary approaches and professional practices.
• Integrate Black Studies knowledge and methodologies into a research/research-creation project or professional context in a rigorous, contextualized and ethically sensitive manner.

Instructors

Lyns-Virginie Belony is a Caribbean historian specializing in the history of Haiti in the 19th and 20th centuries. Her research focuses on Haitian intellectual thought before 1957, shared memories after state violence and collective memory in the diasporas.

Abigail E. Celis is an assistant professor at the University of Montreal. A specialist in visual arts, literature and museum studies, her research focuses on colonial memory and decolonial practices in Francophone Afro-descendant creation and cultural institutions in Francophone contexts.

For more specific information, please refer to the summer school praxis sheet, available on the University of Montreal website.