SLAS 2007 Conference Report
The Annual Conference of the Society for Latin American Studies took place in
Newcastle from 13-15 April and proved to be a great academic success with close to
200 delegates attending from Europe, the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
Reflecting a fundamental philosophy shared by Latin Americanists within the host
university, from the very start the organisers of this year’s conference wanted to foster
an inter/multi-disciplinary ethos and the call for panel proposals included strong
encouragement for submissions on approaches and themes less often encountered at
SLAS conferences. The response was magnificent. We received 50 panel proposals
covering an unusually diverse range of topics and disciplines. Purely on the grounds
of logistics, we finally settled on 34 panels that provided a full programme for the
duration of the conference. All panels were well attended and the audience was
treated to a wide range of quality papers.
Notable examples of the inter/multi-disciplinary nature of the conference were panels
on environmental justice, extractive activities, and social movements. These panels
provided a space for interdisciplinary dialogue together with original and relevant
political reflections comparing different countries. Historical studies included panels
and papers on the history of science in Latin America, statistics and the State, and
music in pre-Hispanic and colonial times. The inter-disciplinary spirit was also
apparent in the panels on education, inter-cultural relations, race and ethnicity. The
relationship between human rights activism, visual representations, and research on
historical memory was the central topic of a panel on “The Art of Truth-telling”. The
panel benefited from the contribution of the artist, human rights activist, and
anthropologist, Edilberto Jimenez, and we thank the British Embassy in Peru for
supporting his attendance. Contemporary politics, development studies and migration
proved to maintain their popularity among SLAS members. Particular mention
should also be made of the three panels on various aspects of Latin American music.
This is a topic that rarely makes an appearance at SLAS conferences, and for this
year’s conference to attract three panels of high quality was particularly pleasing.
This year’s conference offered two plenary sessions and both were very stimulating
and warmly received by the audience. Dr. Carlos Ivan Degregori, anthropologist,
political analyst, and one of the twelve commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission in Peru, presented an engaging reflection on the potential political effects
of the work of these bodies in different Latin American societies. He did so in the
light of his own experience and close knowledge of Truth Commissions in the region.
After presenting herself as probably the only person present to hold a complete
collection of BLAR, Professor Fiona Wilson, from Roskilde University, delivered a
very rich and insightful paper. Based on her work among school teachers in Peru, she
explored the links between the struggle for an inclusive citizenship, racial relations
and the political role played by education, and particularly the expansion of the
teaching profession to renegotiate political identities in the provincial middle classes
in the Andes.
While SLAS conferences always attract a healthy number of postgraduate, this year’s
organisers made a conscious effort to engage with undergraduate students from the
region who might benefit from attending such a conference. Music at Friday night’s
evening meal was provided by undergraduate music students María Martinez (voice
and piano) and Francesco Sologuren (percussion), who offered original arrangements
from a selection of classic Latin American songs. The main conference meal was
held at the Civic Centre and was preceded by a reception attended by the Lord Mayor.
The highlight of the reception, however, was twelve year old Jessica Lamb, who
entertained delegates with a medley of traditional regional tunes played on the
Northumbian pipes.
An unusual feature of this year’s conference was the parallel activities of the locallybased organisation “Vamos”. Dedicated towards building stronger links between
academics and the public, the organisers of “Vamos” and the SLAS conference liaised
closely to provide a range of activities, including film viewings and Latin American
music evenings. The programme began with Keith Brewster introducing the premier
screening of Nick Higgins’s film “Acteal: a Massacre Foretold”.
Undermining the image of the “frozen North” delegates at Newcastle were treated to a
weekend of warm sunshine: ideal conditions for enjoying the delights of the beautiful
city centre and quayside bars.