Archipelagic thinking, as explored by literary theorists, postcolonial scholars, and geographers, offers a framework for understanding interconnectedness and multiplicity across differences. This concept raises questions about globalization's impact, social obligations, and the potential for both positive and negative transformations within interconnected communities.

Keynote speaker: John E. Drabinski is a Professor of Africana Studies and English at the University of Maryland. His works include Glissant and the Middle Passage: Philosophy, Beginning, Abyss, and the forthcomingSo Unimaginable a Price: Baldwin and the Black Atlantic (Fall 2025). He co-edits the Journal of French and Francophone Philosophy and co-produces The Black Studies Podcast.