2nd Oxford Berlin Latin American Graduate Conference

Annual Meeting of the International Latin American Graduate (ILAG) Network

26. - 27.07.2023

For the interdisciplinary conference, six PhD candidates and one master's student from the University of Oxford traveled to Berlin to discuss current topics in Latin American Studies with their colleagues from the International Latin American Graduate (ILAG) Network, various external guests, and the audience.

The ILAG Network connects PhD and Master’s students from the Institute for Latin American Studies (LAI) of Freie Universität Berlin and the Latin American Center (LAC) of the University of Oxford with the aim to exchange ideas and create a platform for young researchers working on different topics and regions of Latin America. This year’s annual meeting took place from 26-27 July 2023 at the LAI.

Over the two conference days, all participants had the opportunity to present their master's and PhD projects from various disciplines, engaging in in-depth discussions with the group and receiving valuable feedback. The participants explored the institutional history of Latin American Studies in Germany and the United Kingdom and critically examined the intersections of academia, art, and activism together with the invited guests Marcela Torres (University of Vienna), Mirjana Mitrovic (Berlin University of the Arts), and Beatriz Rodríguez Flores (Berlin University of the Arts). Guest researchers Brenda María Canizales Topete and César Gallegos Torres (Autonomous University of Baja California) further enriched the discussion by presenting the initiative “Aliadxs Cimarronxs”, which combats gender-based discrimination in academic contexts.

Between the panels, there was ample time for discussions and networking, allowing for an exchange of ideas and perspectives with the colleagues from Oxford and Berlin. The conference was held in a hybrid format to enable virtual participation for students who could not attend in person.

The conference was funded by the Oxford Berlin Research Partnership as well as the Institute for Latin American Studies of Freie Universität Berlin, providing an inspiring platform for students and early-career researchers from the Institute for Latin American Studies at Freie Universität Berlin and the Latin American Center at the University of Oxford.