KU News Release

KU conference to explore ever-growing Latino/a population, effect on Kansas

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas will host a conference that addresses the provocative, often contentious, question of what the growing Latin American population means to the future of the United States.

Nuestra America in the U.S. will feature acclaimed experts discussing how the shift in the population has affected communities, labor, politics, education and cultural production in the U.S. The event takes place Feb. 8 and 9 in the Kansas Union.

The title of the conference is a reference to poet, writer and leader of the Cuban Independence movement Jose Marti’s concept of “Our America.”

“This is a very pressing topic no matter which side you fall on,” said Marta Caminero-Santangelo, associate professor of English and an organizer of the conference. “It is a somewhat provocative question — what to do about all of these issues — but one that affects us all.”

Recent census data shows that Latin Americans have exceeded African-Americans as the largest minority group in both Kansas and the United States. Panels at the KU event will address issues of migration and immigration, transnationalism, education, the reformulation of racial and ethnic identities, Latinos/as and labor practices, militarization of the border, Latino consumer marketing, Latino media, Latinos/as and the law, political activism and coalition, immigrant rights struggles, community organizations serving Latino populations and the impact of “Latinization” on U.S. culture.

The conference, which coincides with the launch of a Latino/a studies minor at KU, will feature numerous researchers from the university who have studied related topics as well as a wealth of speakers, including some of the foremost experts on Latino/a topics from around the nation. Helena Maria Viramontes of Cornell University will be the keynote speaker at a dinner banquet Friday, Feb. 8. Other speakers include Juan Flores of New York University; Emma Pérez of the University of Colorado-Boulder; Roberto Suro and Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo of the University of Southern California; and Suzanne Oboler of the City University of New York.

Graduate students who submit papers for the conference will be eligible for the Katzman-Yetman Award. The winner of the prize, named for KU faculty David Katzman, professor of American Studies; and Norman Yetman, professor emeritus of American studies and sociology, will receive $250 from the Mid-America American Studies Association.

Caminero-Santangelo said the broad array of topics addressed at the conference will be beneficial to many, from educators dealing with the challenges of teaching the children of immigrants to students seeking the most recent, pertinent research on the topic. It will also be a chance to showcase KU as a leader in Latino/a studies.

“We have a lot of faculty from many disciplines working and producing research on these topics, and this will be a great chance to bring them together to show that KU is at the forefront of a very important issue facing the United States in the 21st century,” Caminero-Santangelo said.

The conference is open to the public and is free to KU affiliates. Costs for attending sessions range from $15 for Oboler’s lunch presentation to $80 for on site conference registration. Special rates are available for K-12 educators and graduate students. Pre-registration is required for the presentations by Oboler and Viramontes. For full registration information, including program, costs and information on presenters, visit the Continuing Education Web site.

The conference is presented by KU Continuing Education. KU sponsors include the Department of English; Hall Center for the Humanities; College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Office of the Provost; Office of the Chancellor; School of Education; William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications; School of Social Welfare; the departments of Spanish and Portuguese, sociology, political science, history, public administration, religious studies and anthropology; the women’s studies, American studies, Humanities and Western Civilization and Latin American studies programs; the Hispanic American Leadership Organization; the Institute for Policy and Social Research; and the Center for Research on Global Change.

Other sponsors include the Mid-America American Studies Association, Milton and Miriam Handler Foundation, St. Anthony Educational Foundation and Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority Inc.

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The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.