Representations of Afrolatinidad
University of Pittsburgh
April 11-13, 2019
Conference Convened by the Afro-Latin American and Afro-Latinx Studies Initiative
About the Conference:
The intersections of race, ethnicity, and representation have shaped historical and contemporary articulations of Afrolatinidad. As an expression of multivalent identity, both shared and unique, Afrolatinidad informs the experiences of over 150 million Afro-Latin Americans and millions more within diasporic communities in the United States, Canada, Europe, and beyond. The conference seeks to foster an international dialogue that addresses regional, national, and transnational links among the ways Afro-Latin Americans and Afro-Latinxs create, sustain, and transform meanings surrounding blackness in political, social, and cultural contexts.
This two-day symposium aims to engage multiple depictions of Afro-Latin Americans and Afro-Latinxs – whether self-fashioned or imposed. The varied portrayals in the past and present reflect the ongoing global realities, struggles, vibrancy, and resiliency of Afro-Latin diasporas throughout the Americas and elsewhere. The symposium will feature keynote addresses by Dr. Juliet Hooker, Professor of Political Science at Brown University, and Dr. Nancy Mirabal, Associate Professor of American Studies and Director of the U.S. Latina/o Studies Program at the University of Maryland-College Park. Their work on Afro-descendant politics in Latin America and Afro-Latinx discourses of race, gender, and territoriality, respectively, will spark broader exchanges around Afrolatinidad and representation among presenters and attendees.
Co-Sponsors: University of Pittsburgh Office of the Chancellor, Afro-Latin American and Afro-Latinx Studies Initiative, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, Year of Pitt Global, Humanities Center, Center for Latin American Studies, and the Department of Africana Studies
For questions or additional information, contact Dr. Michele Reid-Vazquez, University of Pittsburgh, mbr31@pitt.edu