Our Coloquio Interdisciplinario is conceived as a space of dialogue and multi-disciplinary encounters: offering an inviting window overlooking various configurations (or encrucijadas) of theoretical and methodological approaches, with the common preoccupation in and around Spain and/or Latin America.

As was the case during the tenure of the department’s previous speaker series, The Transatlantic Seminar (2002-2021), the Colloquium continues to acknowledge the enduring legacies of the post/colonial condition, while at the same time being open to current debates around language and culture.

In this vein, this year we have invited scholars who will speak to us on diverse topics such as on indigenous hip hop, Afro Latinx cultures, decolonial feminism, the Anthropocene and Eco Crip theory (disability studies and environmental humanities) and creativity.

As a secondary objective, of course, has to do with an introspective and formative curiosity. To this end, we invited not only a few of our faculty members to present, but also three Western alumni now established in academia, as well as all of our first year MA and PhD students, and three of our fantastic PhD ABD (all but dissertation) candidates.

Additionally, we dedicated one entire session specifically to an alumni reencuentro; where our alumni shared their insights about their experiences after Western i.e., in academia and beyond (in the fields of law, administration, public service, translation, academic adjacent, activism etc.)

Dr. Felipe Quetzalcoatl Quintanilla

2023-24 Colloquium Organizer