The North Central Council of Latin Americanists (NCCLA), with the College of St. Benedict & St. John's University, is hosting the 53rd Annual NCCLA Conference entitled, Racism, Pandemics, and Other Struggles for Latinxs and Latin America. The conference will take place April 18-19, 2021 in a fully remote setting. 

Call for Proposals

The world changed dramatically in 2020. COVID continues to ravage across the world, and it has been especially impactful in Latin America and among the Latinx community in the United States. The murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis brought a racial reckoning in the United States, and the debates about racism and anti-racism have direct repercussions for the Latinx community in the United States as well as in Latin American countries where racism and state violence are commonplace. With these two issues in mind, we especially encourage proposals addressing the pandemic as well as proposals focusing on issues related to racism and anti-racism actions in the Latinx community and in Latin America. The organization invites proposals for panels, round tables, and papers from all disciplines that highlight salient topics in Latin American History, Politics, Anthropology, Art, Music, Economics, Literature, and more.

Suggested topics include but are not limited to:

• Race Relations in Latin America
• Migration and Transnationalism
• Government Responses to COVID
• Pandemic and Teaching about Latin America
• Protests in Latin America
• Latinx Concerns in US Higher Education
• Pandemics in a Historical Perspective
• Neoliberalism and its Impact
• Latinx Issues in the United States
• Cultural Forms of Expression
• Sociocultural Shifts in the Region
• Art, Music, Literature, and their Impacts

Interdisciplinary and comparative analyses are always welcome. Proposals may focus on any sub-region and may be written and presented in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Teaching panels concerning pedagogical strategies, teaching and learning methods, and in-class or long-distance innovative approaches are especially invited. Papers and panels that link a common theme in Latin America across several disciplines are encouraged. This year we are especially interested in panels organized by faculty and students addressing the challenges faced this year and how that is reflected in the classroom.

Proposals (250-300 word abstracts) must be submitted by January 10, 2021. Please enclose a cover sheet stating professional affiliation, address, telephone number, and e-mail address of each participant. Please also state any special needs for audiovisual support. E-mail submissions are preferred. Graduate and advanced undergraduate students are encouraged to participate. The NCCLA is especially interested in presentations of faculty-student collaborative research.

Conference presenters are eligible for NCCLA Research and Teaching Awards.

Email abstracts and proposals to: Megan Sheehan, NCCLA Program Chair 2020: msheehan001@csbsju.edu