From the 25th to the 29th of June 2024, I attended the 8th Edition of the Lagos Studies Association (LSA) conference. This annual event, which brings together scholars and researchers from around the world, was held in a hybrid format: on-site at the Faculty of Arts, University of Lagos, Nigeria, and online via Zoom. This year’s conference theme was “African Identities: Peoples, Cultures & Institutions in Motion,” with a keynote speech titled “Performance as Method: African Identities, Digitality, and the Politics of Globalisation” delivered by Professor Omotayo Oloruntoba-Oju from Adekunle Ajasin University, Nigeria.
The first two days comprised a pre-conference seminar/workshop that included various sessions on topics such as graduate school applications and experiences, post-doctoral fellowship applications, grant writing and administration, academic job hunting, conducting fieldwork and archival research in Nigeria, academic journal publishing, pedagogy, women in academia, and transforming PhD theses into books. As a final-year PhD student, I found the session on post-doctoral fellowship applications particularly informative and timely. It featured Nigerian-based academics/researchers who have secured residency fellowships worldwide. Their insights into proposal writing, fellowship applications (such as the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship and the Leventis Postdoctoral Fellowship), and conducting research in different settings were invaluable. The knowledge gained from this workshop will greatly enhance my post-doctoral application journey. We concluded the pre-conference sessions by watching the premiere of “Mr Fuji: Barry Wonder,” a Fuji music documentary produced and directed by Professor Saheed Aderinto of Florida International University, who is also the convener of the Lagos Studies Association. I was impressed by the documentary’s richness and quality and look forward to watching the remaining episodes.
The subsequent three days were dedicated to the conference itself, featuring paper presentations from researchers worldwide, both in-person and virtually. During the conference, I presented two papers from my ongoing research. The first, titled “Social Media and Women’s Sexual Agency and Reproductive Health in Nigeria,” explored how Nigerian women utilise social media platforms to access information about their sexual health and reproductive rights and how social media influences their decision-making processes on reproductive health issues. The second paper, titled “Beyond Remittances: Examining the Consequences of Irregular Migration on Families Left Behind in Benin City, Nigeria,” stemmed from a co-authored paper I wrote with Mr Allwell Akhigbe. This new paper examines how intra-family gender dynamics influence the separation caused by irregular migration and its impact on families left behind, particularly regarding caregiving responsibilities and intergenerational relationships. The feedback and contributions I received on these papers will significantly enrich the final research outcomes.
Beyond the academic learnings, the LSA conference provided an excellent opportunity to reconnect with old friends, make new acquaintances, and meet online friends and mentors in person. I look forward to applying the knowledge gained from the conference and strengthening the relationships formed. On a lighter note, the LSA conference is renowned for its rich variety of food, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner, provided free of charge to participants, thanks to generous donations from funders and supporters of the LSA. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my friend Allwell Akhigbe for introducing me to my first LSA conference back in 2019. The knowledge and benefits I have gained from the LSA over the years are immense and invaluable.