UF Center for Latin American Studies
Two-day event of roundtable discussions and presentations will take place April 15-16, 2021
The UF Center for Latin American Studies 69th Annual Conference, originally scheduled for March 2020, returns to the calendar for a virtual two-day program on April 15-16, 2021. The conference, titled “Indigenous Rights, Environmental Change, and Development in South America’s Chaco,” will bring together frontline actors and academics to share their perspectives on the most pressing contemporary social and environmental issues in South America’s Gran Chaco.
The Gran Chaco is one of Latin America’s most threatened forest ecosystems. Global demand for beef, soybeans, and hydrocarbons are driving a multi-billion dollar infrastructure boom, deforestation, and new migration dynamics across the region. As a result, the Chaco been the site of landmark Indigenous land rights cases, profound social change, and enduring efforts to conserve its threatened landscapes and falling forests.
On Thursday, April 15, three sessions will span from 11:00 am to 4:30 pm, featuring speakers from Indigenous communities across Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina, covering topics of Indigenous land rights, human rights, and conservation in the time of Covid-19. Thursday sessions will be delivered in Spanish, with opportunity for roundtable discussion after each presentation.
On Friday, April 16, the conference will feature presentations by the authors of the book “Reimagining the Gran Chaco: Identities, politics, and the environment.” This volume of essays explores the socioeconomic and environmental changes taking place in the Gran Chaco, with multinational perspectives from 13 expert field workers. Some sessions will be in Spanish, and others in English. Friday’s activities will begin at 11:00 am and culminate at 4:45 pm with an hour-long celebration of free conversation and live music.
Interested parties may register for either or both days of events and attend sessions at their convenience throughout the schedule.
For more information about Day 1’s sessions, click here.
For more information about Day 2’s sessions, click here.
The book “Reimagining the Gran Chaco: Identities, politics, and the environment” is available for purchase from the University Press of Florida. Use the code LASA21 and receive a discounted price of $28 for paperback or $50 for hardcover, plus free shipping. Offer expires June 30, 2021.
For more information about the 69th Annual Conference, contact Christa Markley at cmarkley@latam.ufl.edu.
