The keynote speaker for the event is Dr. Devon Peña, whose lecture from 2-3 p.m. will close the conference.
Since 1999, Peña has served as Professor of American Ethnic Studies and Anthropology at the University of Washington, where he directed the Ph.D. program in Environmental Anthropology for six years. He is a prolific writer and has published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and is the author of three edited volumes and two award-winning monographs. Peña served as Senior Editor for two separate multi-volume Oxford Encyclopedia projects on Latina/os assembled by Suzanne Oboler and Deena Gonzalez as Editors-in-Chief (2005, 2010).
His most recent book is the co-edited volume, “Mexican-Origin Foods, Foodways and Social Movements: Decolonial Perspectives,” which received the Best Edited Volume for 2018 prize from the Association for the Study of Food and Society. Peña is currently completing work on a two-volume study of acequia farm families in Colorado and New Mexico under contract with the University of Arizona Press.
“It is literally an honor to be organizing a conference where not only my students will deliver papers in Spanish, but where different ideas from any corner are welcomed,” said Western professor of Spanish Lorena Gomez, who is organizing the event. “I see this as an opportunity for people from different backgrounds and ideas to get together and talk about how we can make a better world where all of us are included.”
Students also have an opportunity to make a presentation at the conference. Submissions of a proposal or abstract will be accepted until mid-October.
The conference focuses primarily on the languages, literature and cultures of Spanish-speaking countries, but interdisciplinary submissions will also be accepted from related areas including service learning, cross-cultural experiences, foreign language methodology and others.
To apply to present at the conference, send a one-page abstract of approximately 100 words (Word doc) that clearly identifies the aim(s) of the paper, the rationale of the study and finding (if applicable). “Works in progress” will also be considered.
Email the proposal/abstract to lgomez@western.edu by Oct. 15. Include name, institutional affiliation and email address as well as a brief biography and any kind of technology needed. All presentations will have a limit of 8-10 minutes. Abstracts and papers may be submitted in Spanish and English.
The Conference on Hispanic and Latin American Studies is free and open to the public. While lunch is not provided, there will be a lunch break from noon to 1 p.m.
Photo by Taylor Cull, Marketing Communications.
