JSAS at ASAA 2025: Advancing Afrasian Conversations

By Wakiko Ohira and Kithinji Kinyua

We were honored to represent the Japan Society for Afrasian Studies (JSAS) at the 6th Biennial Conference of the African Studies Association of Africa (ASAA), held from September 24 to 27, 2025, at the University of Cape Verde in Praia. This year’s theme, “African Responses to Global Vulnerabilities: Building Hope for the Future,” provided an expansive and urgent frame through which scholars from across the continent and the diaspora could reflect on resilience, collaboration, and the possibilities for new solidarities.

Advancing Afrasian Conversations

              At the heart of our participation was a panel presentation titled “Bridging Afro-Asian Knowledge: Collaborative Pathways for Research and Policy Engagement” that explored the possibilities of Afrasia as a benign community. Drawing on Yoichi Mine's conceptual framing, we proposed that Afrasia is not merely a spatial or geopolitical construct, but an ethical and epistemic space where Africa–Asia connections take on new urgency in the face of global crises. Through this lens, we shared insights from a recent collaborative research project supported by the Hitachi Foundation, which traced grassroots resilience strategies in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic across seven African countries.

Our presentation emphasized how communities crafted responses that extended beyond the state and traditional aid networks—engaging informal actors, youth collectives, faith-based networks, and local innovation hubs. Rather than depicting vulnerability as a static condition, we foregrounded how people mobilized situated knowledge to care, coordinate, and survive amid uncertainty. These grounded practices, we argued, exemplify the type of generative knowledge that Afrasian collaborations must center around.

              The audience's response was overwhelmingly affirming. Several participants commented on the timeliness and political relevance of the Afrasian frame, particularly in light of growing calls to expand South–South connections that bypass conventional donor-recipient hierarchies. Our panel sparked further discussions on what kinds of knowledge, solidarities, and policy engagements can emerge from Africa–Asia dialogue—not as an alternative to North–South frameworks, but as a space to rethink global relations altogether.

The two presenters from JSAS

Engaging Global Africanist Networks

              Beyond our panel, the ASAA conference allowed us to meet scholars working on diverse Africa-connected networks. We encountered Africanists based in Canada, Europe, and the Caribbean who are developing academic and policy collaborations that link Africa to a wide array of regions—not only Asia, but also Latin America, indigenous communities in North America, and beyond. These conversations reaffirmed for us that Afrasian practice is part of a larger push to imagine non-extractive, transregional research ecosystems rooted in mutual learning and accountability. In this sense, our participation felt not like a presentation of a finished idea, but a node in a living conversation—one that spans geography and discipline, language and location.

ASAA: A Conference with Intention

              ASAA continues to distinguish itself as a scholarly community that places the continent at the center of its own study—both geographically and intellectually. The decision to hold this year's conference in Praia, Cabo Verde, reflects a pattern of hosting events in less-obvious but deeply meaningful African locations. It’s a model of engagement that not only de-centers typical conference circuits but also invites participants to discover Africa through Africa.

              The event was vibrant, well attended by scholars based across the continent, and rich in generative conversations. We extend special thanks to Prof. Toussant Kafahire, whose support was instrumental in facilitating our engagement with ASAA and who has been a tireless connector of scholarly communities across Africa and Asia.

Encounters with Cape Verdean History and Culture

              Outside the conference halls, we had the chance to encounter Cape Verde’s deep cultural and historical layers. Before the opening of the conference, we visited the Old City (Cidade Velha)—once a hub of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruins of colonial structures and preserved monuments provided a powerful reminder of the island’s entangled histories and enduring legacies.

On the final day, we joined fellow participants on a visit to a historical museum and former concentration camp site (Liberdade Em Memoria) in Tarrafal, which offered sobering testimony to political repression in the archipelago’s modern past. These excursions served as more than cultural enrichment—they grounded the conference’s theme in lived space and memory.

              And of course, we would be remiss not to mention the extraordinary food. Whether in local eateries or during conference meals, we were treated to bold, flavorful Cape Verdean dishes that nourished both body and spirit. The cuisine was a highlight unto itself—and, quite honestly, some of the best we have had at any academic gathering.

Looking Forward

              Attending ASAA 2025 reaffirmed for us the importance of intentional, transregional scholarly networks grounded in ethical engagement and practical collaboration. As JSAS continues its mission of promoting Afrasian studies, we look forward to building on the connections made in Praia and expanding our work across both academic and public platforms. We return from Cape Verde energized—not only by what we shared, but by what we learned, tasted, and felt. We are grateful to JSAS, through the Hitachi Project, for supporting our participation, and we hope this presence is just the beginning of deeper engagements between African and Asian scholars in a rapidly shifting world.