42ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE
THE WORLD THE GLOBAL SOUTH MADE
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
OCTOBER 11-13, 2026
ARENA COPACABANA HOTEL
ABOUT US
The Association of Global South Studies was established to provide an international
structure to support the humane and scientific study of peoples, problems, and issues in
the world’s developing countries, with the goal of improving the quality of life in those
places. The late Dr. Harold Isaacs, professor emeritus of history at Georgia
Southwestern State University in Americus, Georgia, founded the Association of Third
World Studies (ATWS) in 1983. In the summer of 2016, ATWS was renamed the
Association of Global South Studies (AGSS).
Since 1992 the executive headquarters have been located at Georgia Southern University
(1992-2003), Mississippi State University (2003-2006), Louisiana State University-
Shreveport (2006-2024), and the State University of New York at Plattsburgh (2024-).
Due to the dedicated and energetic leadership of Zia H. Hashmi and Paul Rodell at
Georgia Southern, Shu-hui Wu at Mississippi State, William Pederson at LSU-
Shreveport, and Lauren Eastwood at SUNY Plattsburgh, AGSS has made great progress
as a professional organization with global reach. In 1995 the United Nations granted the
AGSS “consultative status,” thus enabling the association to increase its direct impact
on world development. More information can be found at the association’s website:
http://apps.gsw.edu/atws/.
The association is also the parent organization of the Journal of Global South Studies,
published biannually by the University of Florida Press. The journal publishes articles
related to Asia, Eurasia, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East from a wide range of
disciplinary traditions in the social sciences, humanities, and arts. If you would like
more information about the journal, email journalofgss@gmail.com or visit the
publisher’s website at https://journals.upress.ufl.edu/jgss.
The 2026 conference was planned by Michael Hall, who made all hotel, panel, banquet,
and tour arrangements; and Ryan Alexander, who organized the program. The cover
art is by Colombian-born, Las Vegas-based artist Alexander Franco. You can visit his
online gallery at https://franco.gallery/.
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
President: Sabella Abidde
Professor of Political Science, Alabama State University, Montgomery
Immediate Past President: Joseph Bangura
Professor of History, Delaware State University
Vice-President and President-Elect: Ryan Alexander
Professor of History, State University of New York, Plattsburgh
Secretary: Philip I. Szmedra
Professor of Economics, Georgia Southwestern State University
Treasurer: Danielle Smith
Assistant Provost, Global Education, Georgia Southern University
Executive Director: Lauren Eastwood
Professor of Sociology, State University of New York, Plattsburgh
Executive Council Position 1: Alwen Yeung
Senior Lecturer of Music, Georgia Southwestern State University
Executive Council Position 2: Assefaw Bariagaber
Professor of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University
Executive Council Position 3: Mihailo Vučetić
Chuck Green Civic Engagement Fellow, Macalester College
Chair, Nominations and Elections Committee: Michael Hall
Professor of History, Georgia Southern University
Chair, Information Services Committee: Brian Parkinson
Professor of History, Georgia Southwestern State University
Chair, Teaching Committee: Cathy Skidmore-Hess
Associate Professor of History, Georgia Southern University
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Global South Studies: Carolina Rocha
Associate Director, Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies, University of Illinois Urbana-
Champaign
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
DAY ONE: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11
10:00 AM: Full Day Imperial Brazil Cultural Tour (Optional Excursion 1)
We will leave the Arena Copacabana Hotel lobby at 10:00 AM to take a scenic journey
from Rio de Janeiro to the historic city of Petrópolis in an air-conditioned luxury motor
coach. The Summer Palace of Emperor Dom Pedro II houses the Imperial Braganza
Museum. After visiting the museum, we will take a short walk to visit the Cathedral of
São Pedro de Alcântara. After reboarding the motor coach, we will make a panoramic
tour of the city, which includes the home of Santo Dumont, the father of Brazilian
aviation, and the beautiful Crystal Palace, a gift from the Prince Gastão de Orléans to
his wife, the Princess Isabel. Participants will enjoy and elegant lunch before returning
to Rio de Janeiro between 5:00 and 6:00 PM. This tour requires a pre-purchased ticket.
7:30-9:30 PM: Opening Reception
Bossa Lounge, Hotel PortoBay Rio de Janeiro
The opening reception, a four-block walk or taxi ride from the Arena Copacabana
Hotel, will include complimentary beer, wine, cocktails, and substantial appetizers.
Participants who wish to walk as a group should assemble in the Arena Copacabana
lobby and depart at 6:30. There is limited elevator access to the rooftop venue, which
can cause delays. Upon arriving at the Bossa Lounge, attendees will be given a
wristband that grants admission.
DAY TWO: MONDAY, OCTOBER 12
Session 1A (Monday)
8:30-9:45 AM
Jesus Hortal Room
POPULAR CULTURE IN BRAZIL
Panel Chair: Michael Hall, Georgia Southern University
The Tupi Legacy: Language, Cuisine, and National Identity in Brazil
Michael Hall, Georgia Southern University
Two Ways of Making a Dance Move: Ragtime, Choro, and the Transnational Life of
Tico-Tico no Fubá
Alwen Yeung, Georgia Southwestern State University
Tracing the Roots of The Blue Trail (O Último Azul) to Cinema Novo and Beyond
Victoria Pasley, Independent Scholar
Session 1B (Monday)
8:30-9:45 AM
Nélida Piñon Room
PHILOSOPHY AND IDENTITY IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH
Panel Chair: Sunita Manian, Georgia College and State University
The Times of Our Lives
James Winchester, Georgia College and State University
The Patriarchal State, Homonationalism, and its Dissidents
Sunita Manian, Georgia College and State University
Resonant Circuits: How Global South Musical Traditions Shape and Transform
Global North Soundscapes
Dawne Curry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Session 2A (Monday)
10:15-11:30 AM
Jesus Hortal Room
AFRICA IN THE WORLD
Panel Chair: Sabella Abidde, Alabama State University, Montgomery
One China Policy vs. ‘Two China Policy’: Proposing New Policy Direction for
African States
Sabella Abidde, Alabama State University, Montgomery
System Transition, Rise of Regional Powers, and Instability in the Horn of Africa
Assefaw Bariagaber, Seton Hall University; Kidane Mengisteab, Pennsylvania State
University
Geography from Nigeria to the World: Reframing Global Geographic Knowledge
Ibipo Johnston-Anumonwo, State University of New York at Cortland
Session 2B (Monday)
10:15-11:30 AM
Nélida Piñon Room
HUMAN RIGHTS, PAST AND PRESENT
Panel Chair: Sabita Manian, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Unheard Architects: Global South Visions of Human Rights, Security, and Justice
Bidisha Biswas, Western Washington University
In the Name of Law and Order: Novel Lessons from India’s State of Emergency
Sabita Manian, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
The State of Contemporary Global Justice Theory
John Boye Ejobowah, Wilfrid Laurier University
Session 3A (Monday)
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM
Jesus Hortal Room
DIASPORA CASE STUDIES
Panel Chair: Joseph Bangura, Delaware State University
How did Chile Become the New Destination for Haitian Immigrants?
Francois Pierre-Louis, Queens College, City University of New York; Margarett
Alexandre, Queens College, City University of New York
The African Diaspora and Pan-Africanism: A Dialectical Interface
Joseph Bangura, Delaware State University
Session 3B (Monday)
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM
Nélida Piñon Room
MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE AND CAPITAL
Panel Chair: James Gire, Virginia Military Institute
Exploring the Drivers and Impacts of Human Trafficking in Africa
Hugo Renderos, University of the West Indies
Capital from Afar: Industry at Risk? Remittances, Foreign Investment, and
Manufacturing in Africa South of the Sahara
James Gire, Virginia Military Institute; Dekuwmini Dee Mornah, Northern Kentucky
University
6:00-9:00: Executive Council Meeting
Otaviano Restaurant, Arena Copacabana Hotel
DAY THREE: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13
Session 4A (Tuesday)
8:30-9:45 AM
Jesus Hortal Room
AFRICAN INTERNAL AFFAIRS
Panel Chair: Moses Tesi, Middle Tennessee State University
Revisiting Southern Cameroon’s Struggle for Independence: John Ngu Foncha and
Traditional Chiefs
Joseph Takougang, University of Cincinnati
Narrowing the Gap: Strategic Alternatives for Harnessing the Impact of Higher
Education Research in Africa
Ishmael Munene, Northern Arizona University
Politics and Power in Cameroon under the Paul Biya Regime
Moses Tesi, Middle Tennessee State University
Session 4B (Tuesday)
8:30-9:45 AM
Nélida Piñon Room
STATECRAFT AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Panel Chair: Lauren Eastwood, State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Small Island States in UN Climate Negotiations
Lauren Eastwood, State University of New York at Plattsburgh
The Antarctic: The Forgotten Global South
José de Arimatéia da Cruz, Georgia Southern University
Energy (In)Security and Regional Fragmentation in the Caribbean
Kesha Fevrier, Queen’s University
Session 5A (Tuesday)
10:15-11:30 AM
Jesus Hortal Room
DIPLOMACY, PROPAGANDA, AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Panel Chair: Mihailo Vučetić, Macalester College
Meeting ‘Brothers in Christ’: Jimmy Carter and his 1972 Trip to Brazil
Jason Berggren, Georgia Southwestern State University
Paul Knabenshue: An American Diplomat in the Middle East, 1907-1942
Brian Parkinson, Georgia Southwestern State University
The Power of Words from Disney to de Gaulle: Gaucho Goofy, BBC, Free France, and
Argentina’s Second World War Neutrality
Mihailo Vučetić, Macalester College
Session 5B (Tuesday)
10:15-11:30 AM
Nélida Piñon Room
SCIENCE, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Panel Chair: Ryan Alexander, State University of New York at Plattsburgh
How Southern Science Shapes North-South Collaborations: Lessons for an Era of
Scientific Crisis
Elma Montaña, Institute of Human, Social and Environmental Sciences (INCIHUSA)
CONICET and National University of Cuyo; Paula Mussetta; INCIHUSA and National
University of Cuyo; Margot Hurlbert, University of Regina
Attack of the Killer Corn: The Miseries of Maize Production in Mexico and the
United States
Ryan Alexander, State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Lessons from Public Health in Africa and Beyond: Decolonizing Human-Centered
Development
Charles Kachi Anumonwo, Independent Scholar
7:00-10:00 PM: Awards Banquet and Closing Ceremony
Fogo de Chão, Botafogo
We will leave the Arena Copacabana Hotel lobby by private transport at 6:00 PM.
Please assemble in the lobby prior to departure time to ensure timely arrival. At the
banquet, we will enjoy a traditional rodízio, or continuous dinner service, in which spits
of grilled meat are cut for you tableside, accompanied by salads, sides, and drinks.
DAY FOUR: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14
7:00 AM: Full Day Historic Coffee Fazenda Tour (Optional Excursion 2)
We will leave the Hotel Arena Copacabana lobby at 7:00 AM to take a scenic journey
from Rio de Janeiro to the historic town of Vassouras in an air-conditioned luxury
motor coach. The area is famous for its part in the nineteenth-century coffee boom. The
visit includes the Coffee Museum and a coffee fazenda (large farm). Participants will
enjoy an elegant lunch before returning to Rio de Janeiro between 5:00 and 6:00 PM.
This tour requires a pre-purchased ticket.
CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS
Abidde, Sabella sabidde@alasu.edu
Alexander, Ryan ralex006@plattsburgh.edu
Alexandre, Margarett malexandre1@york.cuny.edu
Anumonwo, Charles Kachi kanumonwo@gmail.com
Bangura, Joseph jbangura@desu.edu
Bariagaber, Assefaw bariagas@shu.edu
Berggren, Jason david.berggren@gsw.edu
Biswas, Bidisha bidisha.biswas@wwu.edu
Curry, Dawne dcurry2@unl.edu
Da Cruz, José de Arimatéia jdacruz@georgiasouthern.edu
Eastwood, Lauren eastwole@plattsburgh.edu
Ejobowah, John Boye jejobowah@wlu.ca
Fevrier, Kesha kesha.fevrier@queensu.ca
Gire, James girejt@yahoo.com
Hall, Michael mrhall@georgiasouthern.edu
Hurlbert, Margot margot.hurlbert@uregina.ca
Johnston-Anumonwo, Ibipo johnstoni@cortland.edu
Manian, Sabita smanian@ship.edu
Manian, Sunita sunita.manian@gcsu.edu
Mengisteab, Kidane kim3@psu.edu
Montaña, Elma elmamontana@gmail.com
Munene, Ishmael ishmael.menene@nau.edu
Mussetta, Paula pmussetta@fca.uncu.edu.ar
Parkinson, Brian brian.parkinson@gsw.edu
Pasley, Victoria vpasley@hotmail.com
Pierre-Louis, Francois fpierrelouis@qc.cuny.edu
Renderos, Hugo fmlnfsln@outlook.com
Takougang, Joseph joseph.takougang@gmail.com
Tesi, Moses moses.tesi@mtsu.edu
Vučetić, Mihailo mvucetic@macalester.edu
Winchester, James james.winchester@gcsu.edu
Yeung, Alwen alwen.yeung@gsw.edu