15th Annual Meeting of the Southeast African Language and Literature Forum (SEALLF) at East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN. OCT 29-31 2025
THEME: African Languages and Literature and the Global Economy
The Southeast African Language and Literature Forum (SEALLF) invites panel and individual paper proposals for its 15th Annual Meeting on the theme “African Languages and Literature and the Global Economy.” This year’s theme explores the transformative role of African languages and literature in shaping global economic trends, technological innovation, education, cultural identity, and entertainment.
As African economies become more integrated into global systems, the linguistic and literary traditions of the continent play increasingly vital roles in bridging cultural and economic divides. This conference aims to amplify the voices and perspectives of African experiences and identities in these contexts, exploring how they contribute to and benefit from globalization. The global economy often overlooks the contributions of African languages and literature, perpetuating a narrative that underrepresented Africa’s influence on global culture. With your help, we will attempt to challenge these assumptions, demonstrating how African languages and literatures not only preserve cultural identity but also act as tools for economic empowerment and global integration. Africa’s rich linguistic heritage, with over 2,000 languages, forms the backbone of its cultural identity and serves as a critical driver of innovation and creativity. Meanwhile, African literature; spanning oral traditions, written texts, and digital narratives encapsulates the continent's diverse histories, philosophies, and socio-political experiences. This conference recognizes these elements as pivotal contributors to the global economy, bridging gaps in communication, fostering international collaborations, and offering fresh perspectives on global challenges.
We welcome proposals addressing one or more of the sub-themes outlined below, with an emphasis on critical analysis, innovative methodologies, and interdisciplinary approaches and seek to engage scholars, educators, policymakers, creatives, and technologists in a collaborative dialogue. Together, we will explore the transformative potential of African linguistic and literary traditions to redefine cultural, educational, and technological frameworks in a global context.
We invite papers and panels addressing any related topics, especially:
• Digitalization of African Languages and Economic Growth
• Language technology for African dialects in the global market
• The economic impact of African languages on digital communication platforms
• Developing African language-based apps for economic accessibility
• African Languages in Education and Workforce Development
• Integrating African languages into global workforce training
• Language barriers in education and their effect on economic mobility
• Policies promoting African language use in international business education
• Cultural Exports: African Languages in Media and Global Consumption
• African languages in global film, music, and literature markets
• African literature and ecocriticism
• Artificial Intelligence and African Language Integration
• Opportunities for African language processing in AI development
• Economic advantages of creating language-specific AI tools for African markets
• How African languages can influence AI models in the global economy
• Economic Impact of African Language Film and Entertainment Industries
• Growth of African language films and their global market appeal
• Language and cultural representation in global streaming services
• African language media and economic growth
• Cultural Identity and Branding
• Impact of Global Literature Trends on African Literature Abstracts/Panel Proposals:
Deadline for conference paper/panel submission: Please submit your abstract by April 30th, 2025, if you want to be considered for accommodation and, at the latest, by June 30th for everyone else. International presenters who will need travel visas should submit their proposals by by Feb 15th, 2025, to get an invitation letter to take to the embassy.
Please send proposals of 200 words maximum to SEALLF2025@etsu.edu
Proposals should include the presenter’s full name, institution, contact email, paper topic, and abstract. If submitting a panel proposal, please have the panel chair submit all the individual paper proposals in one email to the organizing committee. Acceptance of abstracts will be sent out on a rolling basis but not later than June 30th, 2025.
Accommodation and Registration
Accommodation:
Guests may call our reservation desk at 423-979-6400 and reference the SEALLF Conference attendees block to reserve their reservation at the discounted group rate of $149 per night plus tax. Reservations must be made by 9/28/25 to receive the discounted rate. Any reservations made after 9/28/25 will be quoted the best available rate when booking. (As per conference policy, we will have a few rooms for attendees with no institutional support)
Click Here for Hotel Reservation
Registration:
Use the categories below for registration and membership fees:
For members in Western countries , $30 (pay a total of $80- includes membership)
For members-students in Western countries , $25 (pay a total of $40 - includes membership)
For members-students in Africa and non-western countries, $10 (pay $20 includes membership)
If you are not a member, you are welcome to pay the same amount in the above categories to become a member instantly. If you don’t wish to become a member but want to participate in this conference, use the following categories:
Non-members: $100 (in Western countries)
Non-member from Africa: $60
Non-member student in Western countries: $50
Non-member students in Africa and non-Western countries $30.
Conference Traveling Directions
Directions to Carnegie Hotel 1216 W State of Franklin Rd, Johnson City, TN 37604
Coming from Tri-Cities Airport:
Start from the Tri-Cities Airport,
Turn left onto Hwy 75.
Proceed approximately 10 miles and turn left onto I-26 East toward Johnson City.
Take EXIT 24; turn left onto University Parkway.
Continue on University Parkway for about 2.0 miles.
Get into the left-hand turn lane before the intersection of State of Franklin Road.
Turn left onto State of Franklin Road.
The Carnegie Hotel is a quarter of a mile on the right (across from East Tennessee State University)
Coming from Asheville, North Carolina:
Start from US 19 N/US-23N.
Merge onto I-26 W for approximately 39 miles.
Take Exit 24 — Turn left onto University Parkway.
Continue on University Parkway for about 2.0 miles.
Get into the left-hand turn lane before the intersection at State of Franklin Road.
Turn left onto State of Franklin Road.
The Carnegie Hotel is located approximately a quarter of a mile to the right.
Coming from Boone, North Carolina:
Start from US-321/US-421/NC-194.
Turn left onto US 321 and continue for approximately 23 miles.
Turn left onto US 321/TN 67; continue for approximately 9 miles.
Turn right onto Veterans Memorial Parkway; continue for about 5 miles.
Turn left onto US-321/TN-91/Broad Street (which will become University Parkway); continue for about 10 miles.
Get in the left-hand turn lane at the intersection with State of Franklin Road.
Turn left onto State of Franklin Road.
The Carnegie Hotel is located approximately a quarter of a mile to the right.
Coming from Kingsport, Bristol, Knoxville, Tennessee:
Start from I-26.
Bear right onto the I-26 ramp at Exit 19.
Turn right onto State of Franklin Road/Hwy 381.
Continue on State of Franklin Road for about 5 miles.
Go under the pedestrian walkway.
The Carnegie Hotel is on the left.