Latin American Studies in Practice:
Theory Beyond the Academy
Inaugural Graduate Student Conference
April 13-14, 2012
(See a PDF of the Conference Program)
The Indiana University Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) is proud to host the inaugural CLACS Graduate Student Conference on April 13-14, 2012 on the campus of Indiana University Bloomington. This year’s conference aims to bring together a diverse group of graduate students to facilitate interdisciplinary and inter-institutional cohorts within the field of Latin American Studies.
During the past year, the Chilean student movement has generated a popular social mobilization that challenges key structures of the neo-liberal state in that country; environmental activists in Ecuador garnered one of the largest environmental settlements in history from the oil giant, Chevron; and, new market reforms in Cuba have brought significant changes to daily life on the island.
This year’s theme, “Latin American Studies in Practice,” encourages participants to consider the relationship between scholarship and human practice beyond the academy. How does scholarly work contribute to and/or reflect movements for social change in Latin America? How can scholarship engage with contemporary professional practice in business, public policy, law, and non-governmental organizations? Do scholars have an obligation to respond to pressing social, political, environmental, and economic problems in the present? How can historical and literary approaches inform our understanding of contemporary issues?
This year’s conference will feature a reception, two days of panels, a Friday keynote speech by Bernardo Mendel Professor of History, Daniel James, and a Saturday screening of Jeffrey L. Gould’s 2011 documentary The Word in the Woods. An IU Bloomington faculty member will serve as commentator on each student panel.
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