On November 8, Rutgers University’s Center for European Studies will hold a pivotal conference titled “In But Not of Europe: The Europe of Postcolonial Concern.” The conference has been organized by Pakistani-American academic Dr Sadia Abbas, a professor of English at Rutgers and also the former Director of Center for European Studies.
Inspired by Stuart Hall’s seminal essay, the event will bring together esteemed scholars across postcolonial studies, European studies, humanities, and social sciences to address contemporary issues such as migration, the resurgence of far-right ideologies, and Europe’s responses to conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
The conference will open with a plenary session, “Policy and the (Post)colonial,” featuring Hans Kundnani on postwar Europe, Dipesh Chakrabarty on Europe’s expansion and contraction, and Sadia Abbas on the intersection of metaphysics, policy, and imagination in European identity, with moderation by Randall Halle.
The afternoon will continue with “Europe and the Rest,” a session that examines Europe's global role with speakers like Faisal Devji discussing India’s perspective on Europe, Peo Hansen on the geopolitics of European unity, Mohammed Bamyeh on Europe post-Gaza, and József Böröcz on Europe’s global positioning.
The final session, “Europe and Africa,” will explore Europe’s engagement with Africa, featuring insights from Zakia Salime on Moroccan solar projects, Ousseina Alidou on security in the Sahel, and Randall Halle on Europe’s developmental policies.