An increasing number of scholars in the humanities and the social sciences are dealing with the concept of “memory.” How we remember the past has far-reaching implications for politics, society, and culture. Scholars now recognize that memory is not only a personal faculty but rather is a key process in social stability and change. For instance, ethnic minorities unify and mobilize by way of the histories they recount of their roots. Establishing the true history of civil wars or military regimes is the work not only of historians but also of those pursuing reconciliation. In this sense, memory is power. A principal goal of this conference is to explore issues of memory with a special emphasis on Latin America, which has always been at the center global historical developments such as colonialism, nationalism, and neoliberalism. By what mechanisms does collective memory gain power? What are the differences and commonalities among various practices of collective remembering in Latin America? What are the best methods or theoretical tools for comprehending memory’s role in social and political processes?

The topics of this conference include but are not limited to:

-Expressions of memory in popular culture

-Identities in, negotiations of, and the politics of memory

-Theories of memory in politics and society

-Memories of the dictatorships in Latin America

-Diffusion of memory over geographical frontiers

-Role of memory in social movements and contentious politics