Call for proposals

Conference 2025 2jpgNALAS Conference 2025

“Encounters, Transitions, and Resistances”

Venue: University of Bergen

Date: June 19-20, 2025


Call for Proposals

The Norwegian Association of Latin America Studies (NALAS), in collaboration with the University of Bergen, invites academics and practitioners, as well as other professionals working on cross-cutting topics related to Latin America to submit a proposal to the 3rd NALAS Conference. The conference seeks to promote the cross-disciplinary field of Latin American Studies by fostering a necessary dialogue among actors involved in understanding the region’s “Encounters, Transitions, and Resistances”.

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By focusing on "Encounters, Transitions, and Resistances in Latin America" the third NALAS conference aims to explore the region’s responses to the current planetary polycrisis and shed light on ongoing processes of ecological, social, cultural, technological and political change. Latin America’s encounters with and resistance to such crises are evident in various movements, plural ‘knowledges’ and politics, and unique initiatives from the region, such as those emerging from debates proposing post-growth, post-materialist, post-development, biocentric, post-extractivist, decolonial, and pluriversal paradigms (Quijano, 2007; Escobar, 2007, 2011, 2021). All of them re-imagining transitions to an altogether different world.

To what extent have these encounters, transitions, and resistances to systemic failures shaped the identities, cultures, arts and politics of Latin America? How have different groups resisted, challenged, or supported, the dominant discourses and structures of power that drive these processes? What are the current obstacles and opportunities for dealing with intersecting crises in Latin America today? What role can human rights activism, new forms of political engagement, arts, and popular culture at large play? How can we understand the polarizing tendencies in politics, identities and society at large? How have governments in the region responded to these current challenges in terms of policies and related to demands from civil society and voters? These are some of the questions that the conference aims to explore by bringing together scholars and practitioners from different disciplines and backgrounds.

We welcome proposals that address the conference theme, or any other relevant topic related to Latin America. Submissions from all disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences are welcome. The conference also welcomes submission of film presentations, book launches, and alternative formats that might fit thematically and logistically our program.

Although hybrid panels are possible, the conference will prioritize proposals based on in person presentations. Proposals containing only virtual presentations will not be considered.

All proposals should be sent to nalasconference2025@nalas.org

Deadline to submit proposals: November 29, 2024.

For more information and updates, please check our conference webpage.


Proposal modalities:

1. Panel

  • A panel should comprise a minimum of three and a maximum of four presentations. Panels with participants from different institutions will have priority.

  • A panel should comprise presenters, a chair, and discussant(s). The chair might also be a presenter or a discussant in the same panel.

  • A participant can have only one panel presentation during the conference. In addition, (s)he might hold the role of chair or discussant in one additional panel or in another proposal modality.

  • The panels may be organized in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Each panel submission should be submitted in one language only.


2. Individual paper

  • Participants can submit one individual paper to be included in a panel by the conference.  

  • Participants can submit an individual abstract only if they are not part of a panel proposal as a presenter. In addition, participants might hold the role of chair or discussant in one additional panel or in another proposal modality.

  • The abstract may be in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.


3. Round table

  • A round table should comprise a minimum of four and a maximum of six members. Round tables with participants from different institutions will have priority.

  • A round table should comprise one moderator and three to five speakers.

  • A participant can be part of only one round table either as moderator or speaker. Participants of a round table can also be part of one additional proposal modality in any role - applying panel’s restrictions.  


4. Film presentation

  • A film presentation should comprise one to three members

  • A film presentation should comprise at least one chair and, at most, two discussants.

  • A participant can be part of only one film presentation either as chair or discussant. Participants of a film presentation can also be part of one additional proposal modality in any role - applying panel’s restrictions. 


5. Book launch

  • A book launch should comprise two to three members

  • A book launch should comprise at least one author and one to two discussants.

  • A participant can be part of only one book launch either as an author or a discussant. Participants of a book launch can also be part of one additional proposal modality in any role - applying panel’s restrictions.


Requirements for proposals:

1. Panel proposals should include:

  • a title;

  • a description of max 250 words;

  • names of presenters, institutional affiliation, title of their presentations with an abstract of max 200 words;

  • name of the chair, institutional affiliation and email address.

2. Individual abstract:

  • a title:

  • a description of max 200 words:

  • names of the author(s), institutional affiliation and email address;


3. Round table proposals should include:

  • a title:

  • a description of max 500 words;

  • names of speakers, institutional affiliation;

  • name of the moderator, institutional affiliation and email address.


4. Film presentation proposals should include:

  • a title:

  • a description of max 500 words;

  • names of speakers, institutional affiliation;

  • name of the moderator, institutional affiliation and email address.


5. Book launch proposals should include:

  • a title:

  • a description of max 500 words;

  • names of discussants and institutional affiliation;

  • name of the author(s), institutional affiliation and email address(es).



Organizing committee

Yuri Kasahara, Gabriela Mezzanotti, Ana Maria Ramirez Gomez, Kjettil K. Bøhler, Ana Lorena Ruano, Hans Egil Offerdal, Marcela Douglas, Jorge J. Locane and Leiv Marsteintredet.