The Center for Global & International Studies at the University of Kansas is pleased to announce its upcoming conference, The Middle East & Latin America which will take place on Friday, April 21, 9 am-5 pm.
Description
The regions of the Middle East & Latin America have been connected for centuries. This interdisciplinary conference will explore the impact of the cultural, social, and political intertwining of the countries, communities, and influencers from these two areas of the world. This event will feature in-person keynote speakers at KU & online panel discussions. Scholars are invited to submit panel proposals or apply individually with a paper proposal.
Call for Proposals
Globalization, economic development, and immigration have connected Arab and Middle Eastern communities to Latin American nations since at least the 19th century. Global social and cultural trends from Shakira to Brazilian soccer have linked together cultural trends and enthusiasts from both regions. Many nations on both areas of the World shared similar trajectories in economic development, including issues in post-colonial development, import substitution industrialization, and the fluctuation of oil markets. Historical events led to significant migration flows of people from the Middle East and North Africa and Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine in particular, to many areas in Latin America. Although the influence of these citizens with legacies from the Middle East has often not been acknowledged enough, these immigrants and their descendants have become important members of the communities they have joined, and they have helped to shape national identities in countries such as Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico, for example. There is a great need to explore further the impact of the cultural, social, and political intertwining of the countries, communities and influencers from these two areas of the World.
In this vein, the Center for Global and International Studies, the Middle East Studies Program, and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University of Kansas will be holding a hybrid interdisciplinary conference, “The Middle East and Latin America,” on Friday, April 21, 2023. The conference will include two keynote speakers, who will present in person on conference themes, and hybrid/virtual panels throughout the day. Scholars are invited to submit panel proposals or apply individually with a paper proposal.
We encourage related topics from a variety of fields and disciplines, including but not limited to:
| · religious studies | · social and cultural studies |
| · political science | · film studies |
| · history | · literature |
| · economics | · architecture |
| · sociology | · immigration studies |
| · anthropology | · geography |
Topics may include:
| · Arab or Jewish Diaspora in Latin America | · comparative gender, race, ethnicity, and religious studies |
| · Middle Eastern influence in Latin American art | · international relations |
| · Latin Islam |
Panels and papers can be in English, Spanish, Portuguese or Arabic. Interpretation will be provided.
Please submit your panel (three or four presenters) proposal at : https://kusurvey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3xurS6VDWuDzNMW
Or individual paper proposal at https://kusurvey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8AnoNQ6Ogjo3cgu
Submission deadline: March 31, 2023
Please contact Professors Luciano Tosta (lucianotosta@ku.edu), Mike Wuthrich (mwuthrich@ku.edu), and Rami Zeedan (rzeedan@ku.edu) if you have any questions.