Call For Papers: Colombia Across Disciplines: Critical and Creative Perspectives from and about Colombia, its Territories and Diaspora (Hybrid Conference)
CALL FOR PAPERS
Colombia Across Disciplines: Critical and Creative Perspectives from and about Colombia, its Territories and Diaspora
(Hybrid Conference)
Submission Deadline: Friday, September 26, 2025
Acceptance Announcement: November 2025
Conference Date: Friday, February 27, 2026 – Saturday, February 28, 2026
Despite being the third-most populous country in Latin America, comparatively few scholars in the United States study Colombia. Since 2010, the Colombian Studies Group (CSG), based in New York City, has brought together academics and researchers from various universities across the U.S. and around the world to create a community of scholars who share an interest in the study of Colombia from an inter-American and interdisciplinary perspective. The CSG therefore seeks to encourage academic collaboration, cultural exchange, public outreach, and diasporic engagement that promote a broader understanding of and interest in Colombia, the Colombian diaspora, and its scholarly community.
For its 2026 conference, the CSG at the CUNY Graduate Center invites scholars to submit proposals that critically and creatively engage with the diverse experiences of Colombians, past and present, within the national territory as well as the Colombian diaspora. We welcome proposals from across the academic disciplines—including the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. Below are some suggested topics, questions, and themes intended to stimulate the interest of potential contributors:
Collective Memory: What roles have conservation and preservation efforts, archives, and truth commissions played in constructing Colombia’s past? How have oral histories and public history initiatives informed the understanding Colombians have of their present? How can scholars of Colombia cross disciplines to construct strong, culturally relevant narratives to strengthen these understandings of past and present?
Ecology and Biodiversity: What can the study of Colombia’s geography and biodiversity teach us? What responsibilities do Colombia and other nations have in protecting or conserving Colombia’s megadiversity? How does geographic isolation and fragmentation affect the development of Colombian biodiversity?
Environmental and Climate (In)Justice: What factors have shaped the way Colombians have responded to environmental and climate injustices? What does environmental and climate justice look like for Colombia’s diverse communities, and in what ways can scholars of different discipline work together to advance these goals?
Indigenous Knowledge and History: How does the transfer of knowledge between groups impact communities dissimilarly, especially for Indigenous Colombians who have been harmed by state and non-state actors? Is environmentally embedded local knowledge isolated, or should scholars reconsider what connectedness means?
Internal Conflict: How have Colombians, past and present, grappled with the tremendous challenges confronting Colombia’s delicate sociopolitical climate? What could possible paths to peace look like? What does Colombia need to move toward lasting healing and justice?
Labor: How does the circulation and organization of labor within Colombia, its diaspora, and the global labor market impact our understanding of isolation and fragmentation (or, alternately, connectedness) on a regional or national level? How do histories of infrastructure planning, construction, or use intersect with wider themes of labor, fragmentation, and isolation?
Language and Literature: What is the role of shared language or literature in bringing people and communities together across political or spatial divides? How does literature engage with linguistic diversity? What are some of the factors involved in language acquisition and the choice to learn a language? Why might a community decide to stop teaching its traditional language?
Migration and Diaspora: How does the circulation of people to and from Colombia challenge understandings of the nation-state and the concept and reality of national borders? How do migration and diasporic populations shape current policy perspectives or practices? How do the links between Colombians inside Colombia and abroad affect these ideas?
New Methodologies and Archives: How does disciplinary formation inform the questions scholars ask and the resources they use to find answers? What new methodologies or creative approaches can be used to offer a more interdisciplinary or nuanced approach to your subject of inquiry?
The CSG Conference Committee welcomes proposals of several types:
Individual Papers: Individuals are invited to submit abstracts for independent research presentations. Submissions must include a title for the paper, the author’s name, title, and institutional affiliation, if you plan on in-person or online attendance, and an abstract between 150 – 200 words. Paper abstracts must be submitted as a Word Doc.
Panel Sessions: A group of 3 or 4 papers can be submitted together as a panel, with a chair listed in the session proposal. Please include in your proposal a title and a brief description of the panel, as well as the names of the proposed panelists with their institutional affiliations, titles, and respective abstracts. Include the abstracts for each of the panelists presenting papers. Session proposals should also state if you would like this to be an in-person session, a virtual session, or a hybrid session. Please send session proposals as a Word Doc.
Unconventional Sessions: Feel free to propose a session with a format that diverges in useful ways from a traditional panel. These can include (but are not limited to) round-table sessions, workshops, sessions with pre-circulated papers, poster sessions, or screenings. Other creative formats can facilitate communication, dialogue, and audience involvement. Please send session proposals as a Word Doc. Session proposals should also state if you would like this to be an in-person session, a virtual session, or a hybrid session. Contact email: conference.csg@gmail.com.
Submission Process
Please submit all individual paper abstracts or session proposals as a Word Doc to conference.csg@gmail.com.
Please include all names, titles, and institutional affiliations of individuals attached to the proposal. Include a proposed title for panel (if applicable), all abstracts for participating panelists, and your preferred contact email. For an individual paper submission, please include the above information for yourself and your own abstract.
Abstracts should be between 150 - 200 words.
Please include 3 – 5 keywords.
Submissions in English and Spanish are welcome.
In the subject line of your email, please put:
LAST NAME – CSG 2026 Conference Submission
Colombia Across Disciplines: Critical and Creative Perspectives from and about Colombia, its Territories and Diaspora
(Hybrid Conference)
Submission Deadline: Friday, September 26, 2025
Acceptance Announcement: November 2025
Conference Date: Friday, February 27, 2026 – Saturday, February 28, 2026
Despite being the third-most populous country in Latin America, comparatively few scholars in the United States study Colombia. Since 2010, the Colombian Studies Group (CSG), based in New York City, has brought together academics and researchers from various universities across the U.S. and around the world to create a community of scholars who share an interest in the study of Colombia from an inter-American and interdisciplinary perspective. The CSG therefore seeks to encourage academic collaboration, cultural exchange, public outreach, and diasporic engagement that promote a broader understanding of and interest in Colombia, the Colombian diaspora, and its scholarly community.
For its 2026 conference, the CSG at the CUNY Graduate Center invites scholars to submit proposals that critically and creatively engage with the diverse experiences of Colombians, past and present, within the national territory as well as the Colombian diaspora. We welcome proposals from across the academic disciplines—including the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. Below are some suggested topics, questions, and themes intended to stimulate the interest of potential contributors:
Collective Memory: What roles have conservation and preservation efforts, archives, and truth commissions played in constructing Colombia’s past? How have oral histories and public history initiatives informed the understanding Colombians have of their present? How can scholars of Colombia cross disciplines to construct strong, culturally relevant narratives to strengthen these understandings of past and present?
Ecology and Biodiversity: What can the study of Colombia’s geography and biodiversity teach us? What responsibilities do Colombia and other nations have in protecting or conserving Colombia’s megadiversity? How does geographic isolation and fragmentation affect the development of Colombian biodiversity?
Environmental and Climate (In)Justice: What factors have shaped the way Colombians have responded to environmental and climate injustices? What does environmental and climate justice look like for Colombia’s diverse communities, and in what ways can scholars of different discipline work together to advance these goals?
Indigenous Knowledge and History: How does the transfer of knowledge between groups impact communities dissimilarly, especially for Indigenous Colombians who have been harmed by state and non-state actors? Is environmentally embedded local knowledge isolated, or should scholars reconsider what connectedness means?
Internal Conflict: How have Colombians, past and present, grappled with the tremendous challenges confronting Colombia’s delicate sociopolitical climate? What could possible paths to peace look like? What does Colombia need to move toward lasting healing and justice?
Labor: How does the circulation and organization of labor within Colombia, its diaspora, and the global labor market impact our understanding of isolation and fragmentation (or, alternately, connectedness) on a regional or national level? How do histories of infrastructure planning, construction, or use intersect with wider themes of labor, fragmentation, and isolation?
Language and Literature: What is the role of shared language or literature in bringing people and communities together across political or spatial divides? How does literature engage with linguistic diversity? What are some of the factors involved in language acquisition and the choice to learn a language? Why might a community decide to stop teaching its traditional language?
Migration and Diaspora: How does the circulation of people to and from Colombia challenge understandings of the nation-state and the concept and reality of national borders? How do migration and diasporic populations shape current policy perspectives or practices? How do the links between Colombians inside Colombia and abroad affect these ideas?
New Methodologies and Archives: How does disciplinary formation inform the questions scholars ask and the resources they use to find answers? What new methodologies or creative approaches can be used to offer a more interdisciplinary or nuanced approach to your subject of inquiry?
The CSG Conference Committee welcomes proposals of several types:
Individual Papers: Individuals are invited to submit abstracts for independent research presentations. Submissions must include a title for the paper, the author’s name, title, and institutional affiliation, if you plan on in-person or online attendance, and an abstract between 150 – 200 words. Paper abstracts must be submitted as a Word Doc.
Panel Sessions: A group of 3 or 4 papers can be submitted together as a panel, with a chair listed in the session proposal. Please include in your proposal a title and a brief description of the panel, as well as the names of the proposed panelists with their institutional affiliations, titles, and respective abstracts. Include the abstracts for each of the panelists presenting papers. Session proposals should also state if you would like this to be an in-person session, a virtual session, or a hybrid session. Please send session proposals as a Word Doc.
Unconventional Sessions: Feel free to propose a session with a format that diverges in useful ways from a traditional panel. These can include (but are not limited to) round-table sessions, workshops, sessions with pre-circulated papers, poster sessions, or screenings. Other creative formats can facilitate communication, dialogue, and audience involvement. Please send session proposals as a Word Doc. Session proposals should also state if you would like this to be an in-person session, a virtual session, or a hybrid session. Contact email: conference.csg@gmail.com.
Submission Process
Please submit all individual paper abstracts or session proposals as a Word Doc to conference.csg@gmail.com.
Please include all names, titles, and institutional affiliations of individuals attached to the proposal. Include a proposed title for panel (if applicable), all abstracts for participating panelists, and your preferred contact email. For an individual paper submission, please include the above information for yourself and your own abstract.
Abstracts should be between 150 - 200 words.
Please include 3 – 5 keywords.
Submissions in English and Spanish are welcome.
In the subject line of your email, please put:
LAST NAME – CSG 2026 Conference Submission
