The Sixth International Colloquium on Latino Studies in the United States has opened at Casa de las Américas in Havana, under the theme of “Latinidad and Human Geographies: (In)visible Borders and Their Spaces of Power.”
According to the cultural institution’s Facebook profile, the welcoming remarks for the event, which will conclude this Thursday, were given by Antonio Aja, director of the Latino Studies Program in the United States at Casa de las Américas.
Aja commemorated José Martí, Cuba’s National Hero, as a precursor to Latin American identity in the United States, and mentioned the complexities of anti-immigrant policies facing Latin America and the Caribbean.
This sixth edition is dedicated to the diversity of knowledge and networks, addressing the geographical histories of Latin American identity in the United States (US), border policies, the challenges of Afro-Latin and Indigenous migrants south of the Rio Grande, and the peculiarities of the Latino vote in the 2024 presidential elections.
The first panel, “Migrant Subjects, Latin American Identity, and Borders,” featured presentations by three researchers: Laura Torres Vargas (Colombia), Itzél Delgado (US), and Julia Albarracin (Argentina).
Also on Facebook, Abel Prieto, president of Casa de las Américas, asserted that the colloquium is of great significance in the current context, dominated by the rise of fascist tendencies and racism and xenophobia in the U.S. and Europe.
[ SOURCE: AGENCIA CUBANA DE NOTICIAS ]
