Organizers: 

Hargeisa Cultural Center, Somaliland

Centro de Estudos Africanos of the University of Porto (CEAUP), Portugal

The present call for papers is open to all contributors, both early-career and senior scholars, based in and outside of the region in question.

The Conference seeks to explore the present day and history of regional political relations and human mobility in the Horn of Africa and along the Red Sea littoral, as well as to chart the emergent trajectories relevant to this part of the world.

What we define as the geographical focus of the Conference is a broader region comprising the Horn of Africa itself and the countries separated from it by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In this sense, we emphasize the existence of multilateral links between the Horn and the Arabian peninsula, deeply rooted in their long history of interaction, and choose to focus on a cross-regional approach instead of a narrower geographical definition.

With this in mind, we aim at a critical discussion of what was and remains at stake in this part of the world: the role of foreign powers, regional and domestic actors and the trends of political and economic paths developing in the region.

We believe that one of the more efficient ways to approach this task is by employing the concepts of flows and identities.

Looking at the fluid and turbulent sociopolitical dynamics in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea area, one cannot help but think of flows of different kinds as the pivotal elements of these dynamics.

These flows may be related to human mobility (movement of people) or to different kinds of exchange: in ideas, political technologies, economic assets, or material goods.

Examples of the latter groups include, but are not limited to:

• Flows of carbohydrates and other raw materials;
• Flows of capital and investment;
• Cash flows, including remittances to home countries;
• Flows of agricultural and livestock products.

Speaking about material goods flowing into and out of the region, the Conference will focus on the issues related to international transport logistics (seaports, railways, motorways, etc.) and discuss why access to ports often becomes a major ‘apple of discord’ in relations between the regional governments.

It's not unlikely for landlocked nations to seek to diversify their access to ports in neighboring countries — and avoid relying on just one international partner. In the Horn of Africa, this is precisely the case of Ethiopia, a country with the largest population in the region and a growing, export-oriented economy, which in the past three decades has heavily depended on just one seaport in a neighboring country - the port of Djibouti. While Djibouti still accounts for more than 90 percent of Ethiopia's external trade, Addis Ababa has in recent years stepped up its efforts to get hold of an alternative seagate, ideally through obtaining a stake in a different regional port. This process culminated in early 2024 with Ethiopia signing a Memorandum of Understanding with its other neighbor, Somaliland—an accord that allows Ethiopia to lease a 20-kilometer stretch of land on the Gulf of Aden—right next to Somaliland's key maritime asset—the port of Berbera. Yet it was precisely this move by Ethiopia and Somaliland that provoked another new round of diplomatic crisis in the region.

The dynamics surrounding the ports in Berbera and Djibouti extend well beyond local interests, given the intricate geopolitical context of both transportation hubs. Berbera, operated by an Emirates-based Dubai Ports World, has also attracted  significant attention from investors in other parts of the world, most importantly from China and the UK. At the same time, major global powers view the maritime corridor from the Red Sea into the Arabian Sea as a zone of their vital interests, which helps to explain why multiple foreign actors, including the U.S., China, Türkiye, the UAE, France, and Japan, all maintain their military bases — or support bases — in this region. As the Indian Ocean's prominence increases, the power struggles in the Red Sea and the intricate political landscape surrounding the Horn of Africa nations are poised to present further geopolitical challenges.

Of course, flows don't have to be material only. People and ideas flow as well, and flow significantly. People and ideas cross boundaries and borders, migrate between countries and regions, and help to create new transnational dynamics. This is particularly true for the Red Sea region -  an area where multiple patterns of human mobility coexist, intersect and influence each other. Another key factor in this regard is the presence of highly entrepreneurial and politically active diaspora communities interacting with the region. Somalis in Greater London and Minneapolis, Minnesota; Ethiopians, Eritreans  and Oromos in the area of Washington, D.C., Yemenis in Riyadh and Dubai — what all these communities have in common is their traditionally very significant level of engagement with their countries of origin. Over decades, members of regional diasporas and other transnational actors from the region have played important roles in the lives of their homelands — on both sides of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. And they continue to do so.

What has changed with the advance of the new digital age is the tempo, scale, and forms of such engagement. The new digital media have empowered members of the diaspora communities and motivated them to engage with people in their countries of origin more closely, more intensively, and more directly than ever before. And that raises another important question to address: what is the current state of relationship between the digital media and the diaspora's involvement in their respective nations?

Yet no analysis of the region's current political landscape would be complete without addressing the rise of political Islam, particularly in Somalia and Yemen, but also in other countries of the broader region. What impact does this political awakening have on regional politics? Is there a possibility that political Islam could replace the concept of “nation” and “state” as the primary organizing institutions in the region? Exploring the trajectories of political Islam leads to further inquiries: can it collaborate with modern secular institutions in its homelands, or can it integrate with individuals and movements outside its traditional framework? These are pressing questions that need a thorough examination to understand the future of governance and identity in the Horn of Africa and the broader Red Sea area. This latter question is, of course, closely linked with the issue of identities, Islamic and other ones. What, as we also believe, deserves special attention at the discussion table is how those faith-based identities interplay with the ones centered on ethnicity, clan, ‘tribe’, etc., in particular when it comes to the competition for the hearts and minds between various political actors. And where can we define the role and place of language while trying to ‘map’ the political aspects of different kinds of identities? How is the factor of linguistic heterogeneity being politicized?

The final objective of this conference is to select contributions for publication in a Special Issue of Africana Studia, the flagship journal of CEAUP. Additionally, we aim to establish a robust research network within the Red Sea Littoral. Our goal is to connect academic institutions and individual scholars from various regions worldwide, particularly the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea area, some of whom are already members of the Organizing Board for this event.

Aproved Panels of the Conference

To make this practical, the following panels are set for the conference, and interested participants are invited to submit papers addressing the key areas of interest indicated in each panel. The proposed panels are:

Panel 1. Geohistory of Maritime Flows in the Horn of Africa and Red Sea Region

The maritime corridors of the Horn of Africa have been profoundly shaped by a convergence of pre-colonial, colonial and postcolonial histories, shaping long standing patterns of religious and mercantile maritime travel. While much of the recent scholarship has focused on ports and terrestrial transportation networks, there is a notable gap in the examination of the interconnections between ports and their maritime forelands. This panel seeks to explore the historical, economic, and political contexts that shape contemporary maritime flows, with an eye toward understanding the region’s ongoing challenges and opportunities. We invite papers that explore the following or related themes:

• Maritime transportation of livestock and agricultural commodities
• Maritime exchanges, whether cultural, ideational or mercantile, between Somaliland, Puntland and Yemen and other ports in the region
• The evolution and current state of ports, shipping practices or vessels involved in regional trade
• Key regional and secondary actors involved in maritime exchange in the region.

Panel 2. Redrawing Boundaries, Reimagining Identities, Culture, and Collective Memory in the Horn of Africa

This panel will examine the complex nature of identity in the Horn of Africa, focusing on the interactions among colonial legacies, cultural diversity, and societal structures. We will investigate how these factors contribute to the ongoing conflicts and shape collective memory, while acknowledging the critical role of traditional governance systems and oral histories in building community identities. Additionally, we will explore the role of social infrastructure in facilitating trade and relationships, as well as the linguistic aspects that further define regional identities. This panel also aims to examine the political consequences of border demarcation, illuminating how these elements collectively create a fluid and evolving sense of identity in the Horn of Africa. We invite papers that explore the following or related themes:

• The influence of colonial and other impositions on social structures
• Diasporic influences on identity, culture and religion
• Cultural drivers or mitigators of conflict
• Social institutions and their interaction with the trading practices of those in the region
• Language and culture, and their bidirectional influences
• Borders, whether national, sub-national or customary, and their impact on identity in the region.

Panel 3. Climate Change and Flows of Displacement

In the Horn of Africa, one of the most significant contemporary flows is that of individuals displaced by the impacts of climate change. Some displacement is regional, while other patterns contribute to the growing global diaspora from the region. This movement often signals a shift from traditional livelihoods, particularly pastoralism, toward more sedentary lifestyles, frequently accompanied by heightened insecurity. This panel seeks to examine the future of customary livelihoods, the challenges posed to underdeveloped infrastructure and planning, and a range of interconnected issues. We welcome papers that explore these topics from multidisciplinary perspectives, contributing to a broader understanding of the causes and consequences of displacement in the region. We invite papers that explore the following or related themes:

• The varied impacts of climate change on pastoralism and mobility
• Consequences and policy interventions relating to climate-induced displacement
• Analysis of such displacement in itself
• The impact of climate-induced displacement on livelihoods and security
• The impact of enclosure and conversion to agriculture on the ecosystem, social structures or livelihood security

Panel 4. Emerging Geopolitical Developments in the Horn of Africa

Classical and neorealist theories often fall short of fully explaining the intricate dynamics of nation-states and great power politics within the African context (Walsh, 2020). In the Horn of Africa, a deeper security interdependence among regional actors has emerged, which is more pronounced than that between external global powers (Buzan & Waever, 2003). As the global order shifts toward multipolarity, multiple hegemonic states and regional blocs are shaping geopolitical discourse in the Horn of Africa and Red Sea region (Peters, 2022; Mitchel, 2019; Varisco, 2013). This panel aims to investigate these evolving geopolitical landscapes and their implications for the region. We invite papers that engage with the following or related areas:

• Potential U.S.-Somaliland Strategic Security Partnership during the Trump administration
• The impact of Ethiopia’s pursuit of access to the sea and the future of the Ethiopia-Somaliland Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
• Analysis of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and various ‘counterterrorism’ efforts in the broader region with regards to their accomplishments and projected outcomes
• Challenges and/or opportunities arising from the development of the Berbera Corridor
• National and regional security implications of competing external powers in the Horn of Africa
• Internal political dynamics within the states of the Horn of Africa

Panel 5. Historical Relations in the Horn of Africa

This panel examines the enduring historical significance of the Horn of Africa and broader Red Sea area by analyzing socio-political, economic, and cultural interactions in the region from the 7th century to nowadays. It invites critical perspectives on how precolonial, colonial, and post-colonial historiographies, including those on the polities and trade networks of the past, on the religious dynamics, and on other controversial historical phenomena, have contributed to the formation of regional identities and relations between modern states. Discussions will explore themes such as power struggles, conquest legacies, and resistance-shaped relations within the region and wider in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean worlds. The panel also encourages submissions about oral histories, indigenous knowledge systems, and the interplay between external geopolitical realities (such as the ‘Cold War’) and local agencies. By interrogating how the past informs the present, the panel aims to illuminate historical memory’s impact on contemporary conflicts, alliances, and regional integration in this strategic crossroads. We invite papers that explore the following or related themes:

• Historical interactions that have shaped the region in the long term
• Power dynamics in the region throughout the history
• Nature and consequences of conquest and resistance in the region
• Influence of broader geopolitical realities, past and present, on the region and local responses or reactions to those global phenomena.

Panel 6. Migration flows within, out of, and into the Horn of Africa and Red Sea region. Remittances, transnational networks, and diaspora engagement

This panel investigates the multifaceted dynamics of human mobility in and beyond the Horn of Africa and the broader Red Sea area, centering on labor and other cross-border migrants, as well as the diaspora communities, and their transnational networks. It invites analyses of historical and contemporary migration routes, drivers, and consequences, including the interplay of displacement, economic opportunity, conflict, and climate stressors. Discussions will explore diaspora engagements in development, remittance economies, and political advocacy, as well as the challenges—legal, social, cultural, etc.,—typically faced by cross-border migrants, whether in transit or eventually in their host countries. Submissions may address themes such as gender patterns of migration, the nexus between regional flows of labor and interstate relations, and the transnational identities forged through various factors, including war and displacement. The panel also encourages critical perspectives on the host countries’ migration policies and the resilience of diasporas as bridges between their countries of origin and various extra-regional actors. By investigating how flows of people on the move shape—and are shaped by—power, inequality, and belonging, the panel aims to deepen our understanding of the transformative impact of migration on regional relations, development, and geopolitics. We invite papers that explore the following or related themes:

• Transnational networks shaped by labor mobility and/or displacement, and their influence on the region
• Gender aspects of trade and migration
• Migration policies from within and beyond the Red Sea area, and how they affect people in the broader region
• Impact of regional mobility on interstate relations and identities
• Power dynamics that creates or is created by migration and human

Panel 7. The flow of ideologies, political Islam, nationalism, regionalism, communication and technology

This panel interrogates the circulation and contestation of the ideologies that shape the Horn of Africa and the broader Red Sea area, from political Islam and nationalism to regionalist visions and techno-mediated discourses. It invites critical analyses of how ideologies are mobilized, adapted, and resisted across borders—through either transnational religious networks, digital platforms, or state-driven projects. Submissions may explore themes such as the interplay of political Islam with governance models, nationalist narratives in state-building, or the role of regional bodies in advancing economic integration as an ideological framework. Discussions will also address how communication technologies amplify or disrupt ideological flows, from historical print networks to contemporary social media ecosystems. The panel encourages examinations of development paradigms, secular-religious tensions, and competing visions of sovereignty, solidarity, or identity. By tracing the entanglement of ideology with power, resistance, and innovation, the panel seeks to unravel how these currents inform regional geopolitics, social cohesion, and the evolving relationships between states, non-state actors, and global forces in a digitally interconnected age. We invite papers that explore the following or related themes:

• Flows of ideas, including cultural and religious, through the region, and their impact on identity-building
• The ways in which such ideas establish themselves and are transmitted, and their influence on society and politics in the region
• How ideologies and religions have shaped or are shaped by the digital media and their narratives
• Conflicts and collaborations motivated or enabled by practice or belief, ideological or religious
• The role of religion in resistance, g. anti-colonial, ‘anti-Western’, or directed against other declared ‘threats’, perceived or real.

Call for Paper:

Interested applicants are requested to send a 300-word abstract of their paper, including their institutional affiliation, contact email, and the name of the panel to which they are submitting their paper. 

Abstracts must be addressed to either of the following emails:

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The time frame of the Conference:

1. Call for papers is open from 7^th of March-18^th of April, 2025
2. Deadline for submission of Abstract - 18 April 2025
3. Notification of acceptance - 30 June 2025
4. Deadline for Submission of Provisional Full Paper - 1 October 2025

If you have any questions, feel free to email us before submitting your proposal.

Tirsit Yetbarek,

Aaron Tesfaye,

Alexander Zhukov,

Maciel Santos