Between Thursday May 24 and Saturday May 26, I attended the
XXX International Congress of the Latin American Studies Association in San
Francisco.
This is a giant inter-disciplinary
conference with thousands of attendees coming from around the world.
I spoke with participants who teach on
three continents. Among the other attendees was Dr. Mary Rose Kubal from our
Political Science Department, whom I did not see. She was not the most famous
person to go to the conference.
The granting of a visa to attend the conference to Raúl Castro’s
daughter, who is a vigorous supporter of gay rights, produced strong protests
from elements in the Cuban-American community. While I did not see her either,
her presence may help explain the armed guards that were scattered around the
hotel where the conference was held.
The principal activity at these conferences is the many
panels; the program lists 999. The
panels usually have presentations by three to five scholars on a specific
subject with a commentary by another scholar. This is usually followed by questions from the audience. This allows attendees to hear some of
the latest scholarship. Some of
the panels were excellent and several were, as they say, not ready for prime
time.
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