Chicano/Latino Graduate Student Colectiva
CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT
Graduate Student Conference
November 17th, 2007
University of California, Santa Barbara
Reclaiming Our Bodies, Streets, and Communities: Scholarship and Transformative Space
Conference program
The Conference program is now available for viewing.
Conference registration
Abstract submission has ended; please register for the Conference. Presenters and attendees should register by November 11th.
Chicana/o Graduate Student Colectiva
We are representatives of the Chicana/o Graduate Student Colectiva, an organization promoting activism, community building, networking, retention, collaboration, and professional development among self-identified Chicana/o and other Latina/o graduate students at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Objective
Through this conference we seek to build upon the legacy of scholarship and community work that has not only documented but used as impetus, the struggles and contributions of Chicanas/os and Latinas/os, and provided a source of knowledge and empowerment to students and our gente as we reclaim our bodies, streets and communities. In reclaiming our mind, body, and spirit we are decolonizing the way we think about (his)tory, government, our communities, our writing and even ourselves. In reclaiming this we are rejecting the destructive and imbibing effects of colonization, displacement, racism, forced sterilization, homophobia, globalization. The list goes on. Reclaiming as a tool of decolonizing necessitates “auto criticism, self-reflection and a rejection of victimage” as Cavender Wilson writes. As we seek self determination it is to remember “that situations can be transformed” it is “a belief and trust in our own peoples’ values and abilities and a willingness to make change. It is about transforming negative reactionary energy into the more positive rebuilding energy needed in our communities.” Similarly, Cherrie Moraga reminds us of this when she says that “for immigrant and native alike, land is also the factories where work, the water our children drink, and the housing project where we live”. “For women, lesbians and gay men land is that physical mass called our bodies”, she continues. This conference then will serve as a vehicle for building and maintaining a sustained network among scholars conducting research on (and with) Chicana/o and other Latina/o communities and foster dialogue between community activists, artists, cultural workers and academics. While facilitating greater interdisciplinary dialogue on methodological reflexivity as we bridge scholarship with community activism, we aim to provide opportunities for professional development through the publication of conference proceedings and most importantly transform and fill the often fissured space between academia and activism.
Theme
We invite abstracts/proposals for papers/workshops/roundtables from graduate students in all disciplines and interdisciplinary areas including the arts, education, humanities, law, the sciences, and social sciences. In particular we encourage research that exemplifies activist scholarship. By activist scholarship, we mean an applied scholarship that not only documents and analyzes the various issues facing Chicana/o and other Latina/o communities, but is also engaged with these communities in sharing knowledge and creating strategies for collective empowerment and social change. The conference will provide a forum for research that contributes to and informs (directly and indirectly) Chican@/Latin@ communities. We also want to welcome individuals from community organizations/entities who would like to present their work as we engage in authentic dialogue between/through activism and scholarship. Themes may include, but are not limited to, the following:
| Chicana Feminisms | Communication |
| Globalization | Education |
| Health/Mental Health | Identity |
| Immigration | Community Studies |
| Performance Studies | Transnational Studies |
| Organizing | International Relations |
| Music/Arts/Literature | Philosophy |
| Policy | Race/Class/Gender |
| Social movement | Urban Studies |