The University of Kansas will host kwəsəKU 2026: The West African Graduate Student Symposium on September 25, 2026. Organized by graduate students and supported by the Department of Linguistics at the University of Kansas, kwəsəKU 2026 provides a platform for graduate students, early-career scholars, and researchers from West Africa and beyond to share research findings, foster academic collaboration, and promote the study and preservation of African languages, cultures, and knowledge systems. The conference welcomes interdisciplinary work on West Africa.
Venue: Malott Room, Kansas Union, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

Important Dates

📅 Abstract submission deadline: September 10th, 2026

📅 Notification of acceptance: TBD

📅 Symposium date: September 25th, 2026.

Keynote Speaker

Janice Levi

Assistant Professor

Department of History

 Talk Title: Ka be Se Yeko: Unspoken and Whispered Transmissions of Jewish Identity in Ghana, (17th c.-present) 

Organizing Committee

Peace Benson
Esther Achempong
Babatunde Abdullahi
Brakson Ping
Angela Feng
Amoh-Yankyera, Abena Agyeiwaa

 

Faculty Advisors

John Gluckman
Department of Linguistics, University of Kansas

Philip Duncan
Department of Linguistics, University of Kansas

Sponsors and Partners

Department of Linguistics, University of Kansas. 

Additional sponsors and partners will be announced soon.