Changemaker Catalyst Award recipient, Kosi Ifeji, traveled to Toronto, Canada, for the Canadian Association of African Studies Conference in June 202025 to present their preliminary research on queer African migration. Kosi is a senior, Class of 2026, majoring in Sociology and Africana Studies with minors in Environmental Studies and Latin American Studies.
During the Spring semester of my Freshman year, I took a class called Queer Africa. This class explored the histories, politics, and theories of queer African people. As a queer African person myself, I was really drawn to the field of Queer African Studies, and it led me to my ongoing research project. This project looks at the migration experiences of queer African people, and specifically how their social position contours those experiences. A personal goal of mine was to present this research at an academic conference. The reason for this was so I could gain feedback and other perspectives from other scholars working with similar research interests as me and with expertise in this field of study. In December of 2024, I submitted an abstract of my research to the Canadian Association of African Studies Conference (CAAS), and in January of 2025, I was accepted to present at the conference. While I was excited to present at the CAAS Conference, I still needed to find a way to fund my trip to Toronto to present. This is why I was so grateful to be awarded the Taylor Center’s Changemaker Catalyst Award to fund my trip to the conference.
Going to the CAAS Conference in June 2025 was my first time at an academic conference, so I was super excited to get the opportunity to do so during my undergraduate career. While this was the case, I was also extremely nervous about presenting for the same reason. I was one of, if not the only, undergraduate students attending the conference, let alone presenting. Leading up to my presentation, I was nervous about eloquently communicating my thoughts and findings to academics in the same area of study. While this was the case, my presentation went much better than I could have hoped for. One of the top scholars in Queer African Studies, Dr. Marc Epprecht, listened to my presentation and gave me some great advice for the development of my project. Additionally, I connected with one scholar who put me in contact with their colleague in Johannesburg who significantly helped me with my research while in was in South Africa conducting field work for my project later that summer.
While this research focuses on queer African people, it has broader implications for other communities, including here in the United States. Queer people on the African continent have learned how to live and thrive under socially and legally oppressive societies. With the increase of anti-LGBTQ+ laws and rhetoric in the United States, queer communities, especially Black queer communities, will have to adapt to living with more social and legal constraints. Understanding how other Black queer communities have adapted to social constraints can inform how Black queer Americans adapt to the changing social landscape in this country.
Overall, my biggest takeaway from this conference was the opportunity to interact with Queer African Studies scholars. Not only did this experience allow me the opportunity to receive important feedback on my research, but it also allowed me to connect with other research contacts. My career goal is to be an academic, and presenting at the CAAS Conference provided me with concrete professional experience that I can leverage for my graduate school application. Contributing to academic conversations in spaces like this conference gave me an invaluable, hands-on learning experience that I know will also be important for me in the future.
