Presentation
Why create an organization of the Senegalese University-Community in the USA and Canada?
Although we are legally considered as foreigners in our countries of residence, we indirectly participate in symbolic struggles that affirm and test our “dual identities.” How could we use our experiences to contribute to the collective and individual lives and governance of our compatriots? In other words, do we view ourselves as Senegalese in the broadest sense of the word? This question is not meaningless, because it makes us realize the degree to which we are willing to affirm our Senegalese identity and use our power to influence the conception and implementation of scientific and educational projects pertaining to our country, the continent and the diaspora.
Clearly, re-conceiving our citizenship from a national perspective will help contribute to the international prestige and internal peace of our country. The validity and legitimacy of our citizenship are determined by the manner in which we hold the dear values that feed our imagination. Practicing these values helps us strengthen our national solidarity without falling under the control of political, religious, or philosophical movements. This task can be achieved only within the framework of a reliable and transparent organization.
Currently, we want to have direct and indirect impact in the development of new “educational and research initiatives.” We invite all those with goodwill to help us conceive the Senegalese Academic Society as a part of Re-Source / Sununet (which is an organization that brings together all the Senegalese of the diaspora)
The Senegalese Academic Society is a non-profit organization that seeks to create and empower local and global support systems among members of the Senegalese diaspora. In light of this objective (among many others), we have developed tentative administrative systems (see Statutes). These administrative and organizational structures will assess the effectiveness or lack thereof of our research, publications, and educational policies according to Africa’s realities. Major questions are: What educational sectors and research topics should be promoted? How could we develop new forms of solidarity between our members from universities and colleges? How can the diaspora contribute to cultural universalism while developing and impacting education in Africa?
We hope that our organization will benefit all our fellow citizens. We pray that our endeavor will help strengthen out common bond and empower our indispensable dream for harmonious cohabitation in our nation. This multidisciplinary and international organization (of researchers, teachers, and doctoral students) will allow us to profit from various analytical studies of socio-cultural data provided by members of our organization.
While we look forward to welcoming you to the structures of the Senegalese Academic Society and developing better organizational strategies with you, we thank all our following colleagues who have founded this association.
The founding members:
Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Professor at Northwestern, US
Mamadou Diao, Doctoral Student at Georgia Tech, US
Mamadou Diouf, Professor at the University of Michigan, US
Mohamed Mbodj, Professor at Manhattanville University, US
Marième Soda Lo, Professor at Buffalo, US
Mahamadou Lamine Sagna, Professor at Princeton, US.
