NACCS XLI
April 9-12, 2014
Hilton Salt Lake City Center
Fragmented Landscapes in Chicana and Chicano Studies: Deliberation, Innovation or Extinction?
Submission deadline is October 15, 2013.
Nearing half a century, Chicana and Chicano Studies remains a site of fragmented spaces. We continue to confront the legacy of racialized, classist, homophobic, and sexist certainties. We are in the midst of great demographic change while encountering major social upheavals such as globalization, technological innovations, social media, educational standards, and college access which transform and invent new inequalities. We exist in the context of the so-called “post-racial” era. It is fitting then, that we ask of our discipline: Are we post-Chicanas and Chicanos? How does the idea of post-racial life affect us? Is this even a valid point in our communities?
As Chicana and Chicano Studies moves into the depths of 21st century, we must develop tools to combat the struggles that shaped Chicana/o Studies in a form that fits the present. Identity, inequality, racism are more complex in the present. The landscape of Chicana and Chicano Studies has shifted, fragmented and transformed into segments of experiences, needs, and objectives. These changes, however, are deeply rooted and connected to the legacy that shaped Chicana and Chicano Studies as a field in quest of social justice.
As our communities and we have changed, new tensions have emerged. Let our 2014 gathering be a space for creating depth in our discourse with critical narratives for a context of innovation and continuity. Let us use our space to engage in critical dialogue to make steps for change and action. We seek actions, not mere words, as we rise to the challenge of praxis for liberation rooted in our experiences of hope.
NACCS welcomes submissions of papers and panels to present at the conference.
Carlos Reyes Guerrero, Chair-Elect, carlos @ naccs.org
National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies