The 2011 Lozano Long Conference . From Natural Events to Social Disasters in the Circum-Caribbean

February 24-25, 2011

What are the multiple consequences of so-called natural disasters for the peoples of the Caribbean, the coastal regions of the southern United States, and Central America? As a region linked together by U.S. imperial power, the circum-Caribbean has been an area where environmental disasters often have been catalysts for social and political transformation. From hurricanes to earthquakes to landslides, natural disasters have profoundly shaped the relationship between humans and the environment in the region. Not unlike the earthquakes that struck Nicaragua and Guatemala in the 1970s, the destruction brought to New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010 revealed historical and ongoing forms of social inequality, environmental hazards, and political crisis that plague the circum-Caribbean region. This conference brings together scholars from multiple disciplines, artists, and activists who have been immersed in disaster relief and solidarity efforts. Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Haiti offer the most salient examples, and these two sites will serve as focal points for the conference.

Conference themes will include but are not limited to:

  • Social, economic, and political determinants
  • Environmental and demographic ramifications
  • Racialization of natural events
  • Postdisaster activism and cultural production

The conference committee calls for papers that examine the various consequences of natural disasters throughout the circum-Caribbean. We are especially interested in papers that foreground the linkages between environmental transformations, social inequality, and cultural production. Although the conference focuses on the circum-Caribbean, participants are invited to present comparative work on natural disasters in other parts of the Americas. Limited support will be available for presenters coming from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Those interested in participating should send their abstracts (between 250 and 300 words) as well as a short bio-bibliographical notice (200 words) to the two conveners: Dr. Jossianna Arroyo and Dr. Frank Guridy. The deadline for sending the proposals is October 20, 2010. Notification of acceptance will be sent by November 20, 2010.

Organized by the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies and cosponsored by the Departments of African and African Diaspora Studies, English, History, and Spanish and Portuguese; and the Program in Comparative Literature.

Conference photos