Speaker DAY 2: Questioning Notions of Mestizaje
Although mestizaje has been widely questioned from the perspective of race and national identity politics in Latin America and the Caribbean, it is also a term that defines a space of social and political resistance, as in the context of Chicano culture. This working group takes the contradictions of this concept, that materialize the modern identity of cultural hybridization by suppressing local indigenous, Afro-descendant and other subjectivities, as a theme. From mestizaje as an epistemic axis of border thinking, as defined by Chicana queer thinker Gloria E. Anzaldúa, the objective is to discuss diverse Latin-Canadian artistic practices that question heteronormativity, power relations and colonialism.

ABOUT THE SYMPOSIUM

The symposium seeks to address the systemic barriers faced by the Latin American and Latinx community in Canada and will identify common grounds from where to begin an analysis with the intention to develop strategies of resistance, build networks of solidarity and exchange, improve the livelihood of art practitioners, and grant opportunities for an underrepresented community.

The symposium will be a 4-day gathering of a range of voices concerned with Latin American and Latinx art in Canada. Our intention is to build community, valuable contacts, and long-lasting networks. During the symposium we will offer opportunities to engage with artists and scholars during various events, expand perspectives, and develop frameworks for the study ofLatin American and Latinx art in Canada.

Link to Sur Gallery Symposium:
https://www.surgalleryvirtual.ca/day-2-symposium