Current News: October 2007

The Fall 2007 Newsletter is now online in MS Word Format.

The Fall 2006 Newsletter is now online in Adobe PDF Format .

The Fall 2005 Newsletter is now online in Adobe PDF Format .

The Summer 2005 Newsletter is now online in Adobe PDF Format or in Word Document format.

The Summer 2003 Newsletter is now online in Adobe PDF Format or in Word Document format.

The 53rd MALAS Conference will convene in Charleston, Illinois, on the beautiful campus of Eastern Illinois University in downtown Charleston from TBA October until TBA October, 2003. Details are available on this site: just click on: 2003 Conference.

The 52nd MALAS Conference convened in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Ramada Inn Conference Center in downtown Nashville from Thursday 24 October until Saturday 26 October, 2002. Details are available on this site: just click on: 2002 Conference.

The 51st MALAS Conference convened in Cleveland, Ohio, on the campus of Cleveland State University from Thursday 18 October until Saturday 20 October, 2001. Details are available on this site: just click on: 2001 Conference.

The 50th Annual MALAS Conference Session Schedule is posted.

The Second Call for Registration for the 50th Annual MALAS Conference in Huatusco, Mexico, has been mailed! Send in your registration today...

The Summer 2000 Newsletter is now ONLINE.

The 50th MALAS Conference convened in Huatusco, Veracruz, Mexico, at the Los Cocuyos Hotel and Club de Golf from Saturday 18 November until Monday 20 November, 2000. Details are available on this site: just click on: 2000 Conference.

Thanks to all the attendees at the 1999 MALAS Conference convened in Charleston, Illinois, November 4-6 1999, and to EasternIllinois University for logistical and financial support.

The Board of Directors voted Cleveland State University as the host of the MALAS 2001 Annual Conference.Philippa Yin Brown volunteered to serve as conference organizer. Thanks Philippa!

Winners of the 1998 Conference Faculty and Student Research Paper Awards, as determined by the MALAS Paper Awards Jurado,were: Dr. David J. Keeling (Geography and Geology, Western Kentucky University), Dr. Phil Kelly (Political Science,Emporia State University), and Kristin Helm (Geology and Geography, Eastern Illinois University). Congratulationsto the winners!

Preparations are underway for the 2000 Conference in Huatusco, Mexico. Please check the web site regularlyfor news and information. Email Dr. Richard Pace mailto:rpace@mtsu.edu for more information.

MALAS Election Results: Dr. Betty Smith (President), Dr. Richard Pace (Vice President and2000 Conference Organizer.

M.A.L.A.S. NOTICIAS

Newsletter of the Midwest Association for Latin American Studies, June, 2000

FROM THE EDITOR:

Many thanks to Bruce Ergood, David Keeling, and Richard Pace for their contributions to this issue of MALAS Noticias. Note that MALAS now has a webpage, thanks to the efforts of David Keeling. There are many sections of the webpage that require input from the membership. We especially encourage each of you to e-mail your recent publications, your personal and/or departmental web address, your e-mail address, and suggestions for webpage design and content to David Keeling. This is your webpage so feel free to make suggestions. This newsletter is to be included on the page, giving the organization a broader reach. Also, we are trying to include a membership list with e-mail addresses, so if you are not listed, please send your stuff to David.
If you have items for the next MALAS NOTICIAS, or other communications, please send them to Dr. Ed Rolison, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Weatherford, OK 73096. Telephone: 580-774-3774. FAX 580-774-3795. E-mail: rolisoe@swosu.edu.

ANNUAL MEETING AT EASTERN ILLINOIS A GREAT SUCCESS

     The Annual Meeting held last November 4-6, 1999, in Charleston Illinois, and hosted by Eastern Illinois University was another great success. We were again blessed with excellent weather and outstanding hospitality and food. Many thanks to Betty Smith and all her colleagues at Eastern Illinois University for putting together the excellent program.
     Dinner speeches were presented by Pompeyo Carlos Layus, Deputy Consul General of Argentina and by C. Thomas Burke, former Panama Canal Study Commissioner, U. S. Department of State. An international panel was made up of Marisa Sagua (Argentina), Mario Andino (Ecuador), and Beatriz Caceres (Venezuela). The Friday evening banquet was followed by musical entertainment, including an opportunity for a number of audience members to "join the band" to everyone's delight. At least 40 papers were presented during 14 sessions.
     Officers were elected for 2000-2001 and the 2000 meeting was confirmed for Huatusco, Mexico, near Veracruz, with Richard Pace, David Keeling, and Betty Smith as conference organizers. Salvador Dmaz Cardenas of the host institution (La Universidad Autsnomo de Chapingo, Huatusco Campus, Huatusco, Veracruz, Mixico) is serving as local organizer.
     The 2001 annual meeting was set for Cleveland State University with Philippa Brown Yin as conference organizer.

MINUTES: November 4-6, 1999 (unapproved)

The meeting was called to order by President David Keeling.
     Phil Kelly circulated the minutes of the previous Bowling Green, Kentucky, meeting; minutes approved. He likewise presented a treasurer's report (attached); also approved.
Election of Officers:
      President, Betty Smith
      Vice-President, Richard Pace
      Sec.-Treasurer, Phil Kelly
      Editor, MALAS Noticias, Ed Rolison
      2000-2001 Advisory Committee: (new members) Mario Andino, Luis Clay- Mendez, Bruce Ergood, Tony Litherland, Richard Millett, Michael Millar, Juan Ramon Perez, and Joe Werne.
     A resolution was made and accepted, thanking Eastern Illinois University for hosting the MALAS meeting. President Keeling will write a thank you to the appropriate university officials.
     Several resolutions followed thanking Betty Smith for her excellent organization of the present meeting. Also, to Phil Kelly, Ed Rolison, and David Keeling for their leadership in MALAS.
     After discussion, it was decided to hold our next MALAS meeting at Huatusco, Vera Cruz, Mexico, with Richard Pace the program organizer. In the year 2001, we will meet in Cleveland.
     Ed Rolison brought up Bruce Ergood's idea that members of the MALAS advisory committee should be solicited at times for advice. David Keeling felt these members could also assist in recruiting new members and students to MALAS. Betty Smith commended David on his MALAS webpage. David added that MALAS should take advantage of the new communications technology to bring MALAS members closer together.
     Phil Kelly moved that another donation be made to the Foundation of Integrated Education and Development, or FUNEDESIN of Quito, Ecuador. Betty Smith suggested a sum of $400. Motion was approved.
     Joe Werne announced the winners of last year's conference papers, as decided by the Jurado of Orlando Perez, Connie Garcia-Blanchard, and himself: first prize, David Keeling, second prize, Phil Kelly. Best student paper, Kristi Helms.
     David Keeling announced that papers of the meeting should be given to Phil Kelly, who will send these to David Keeling, Philippa Yin, and Richard Pace of the present MALAS Jurado, or paper prize committee.
     Discussion ensued relative to a MALAS Proceedings. David Keeling and Philippa Yin were appointed co-editors.
Meeting adjourned.
Respectfully submitted by Phil Kelly, Secretary

EL RINCON DE BRUCITO: Take the Bus First!

     Most travelers to Central and South America go by plane. They enjoy their international travels on relatively uniform jets, eat beef or chicken seemingly all prepared from the same recipe somewhere in one huge "airline kitchen," and arrive into terminals which increasingly all look the same. Oh yes, the clouds too appear the same everywhere.
     This mode of travel has several attractions: it is convenient, it is fast, relatively relaxed, somewhat cosmopolitan--although this is rapidly vanishing--and it is an appropriate means of travel for persons of high social status--although this too is less and less true.
     However, from my point of view, it is too fast. Before one has a chance to digest one's meal eaten at home, he or she is eating dinner in a foreign country. And what is true for the digestive system is true for our thought processes. There has been no time to adjust. The transition is too fast.
     Let's consider the bus as an alternate means of travel. Crossing the border is a slow process--and one quietly realizes s/he is in a foreign place--uniforms, smells, sounds, signs, pace, to name the obvious. But there is still a bi-cultural flavor at the border--one is out of one's homeland, but not completely out. Borders tend to be bi-national--where both sides can feel somewhat at home.
      As the bus proceeds into the country, the familiar slowly fades away, giving place to the new, the foreign. At the same time, passengers exit, new passengers board. The population becomes more "foreign" (read, "national"); thus, the internal environment of the bus begins to reflect the external environment. Slowly the traveler becomes totally immersed in the new culture. And the process takes place where the food is now distinctly not "air line" uniform, the view from the windows not the same old clouds, and there are many buses--very different in styles, models, and age.
     Moreover, the passengers are liable to be of a more "common" variety. You, the foreigner, get a view and a taste of the new society--its people, its towns and villages, its food, music, and language. And all for the cheap fare of bus travel.
     I learned all this on my first trip to Mexico City in 1953. Thirty-six hours--and me with six words in Spanish--si, no, adios, tortilla, San Francisco y Tejas--and I was the only "gringo" on the bus. But I learned a lot in those 36 hours, was treated like a guest, cared for, and made to feel comfortable and secure. And I saw the country--and heard it-- and smelled it.
     For second time travelers, fly. You know where you're going and what to expect. But for first time travelers, take the bus!
           Brucito.........3/2000.

ABOUT MALAS:

The Midwest Association for Latin American Studies (MALAS) was organized to foster an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach to education and research on Latin America. To accomplish this objective, MALAS organizes national and international annual conferences that address the myriad themes reflected in the diverse interests of the membership. It publishes a regular Newsletter (MALAS Noticias) and operates an electronic listserv MALASnet. MALAS welcomes the participation of social and natural scientists, artists, and humanists from all disciplines at its meetings and in its publications. MALAS also makes several awards each year to recognize outstanding student and faculty research papers presented at the annual MALAS conference.

Call for 2000 MALAS Dues:

Advantages of MALAS Membership:
          -- Stimulating participation with enthusiasts of Latin American affairs
          -- Subscription to M.A.L.A.S. Noticias
          -- News of upcoming MALAS conferences
          -- First-rate meetings in the Mid-West region and in Latin America

Kindly remit ($10.00) to:
      Phil Kelly
      MALAS Secretary-Treasurer
      Box 4032
      Emporia State University
      Emporia, KS 66801

50TH ANNUAL MEETING PLANS MADE FOR NOVEMBER 18-20, 2000, in HUATUSCO, VERACRUZ, MEXICO

          This is the first call for registration and paper abstracts for the 50th Annual MALAS Conference, which will convene at Los Cocuyos Resort and Club de Golf in Huatusco,Veracruz, Mexico, from Saturday, November 18 through Monday, November 20, 2000. Full details about the conference site, registration forms, and other useful information are located at the conference website: http://www.wku.edu/geoweb/malas/mexico00.htm
The MALAS homepage is located at: http://www.wku.edu/geoweb/malas/index.html
          Those without easy internet access, may contact David Keeling at 1-270-745-5986 and a copy of the materials can be mailed or faxed directly to your home or office. Please check the website often as updates will be posted when new information is received.
          The 50th Annual MALAS Conference is convening in Mexico in partnership with the Autonomous University of Chapingo's Eastern Regional Research Center (UACH-CRUO), located in Huatusco, Veracruz, Mexico. We anticipate that a good number of Mexican professors, researchers, and students from the surrounding region (Xalapa, Veracruz, and Csrdoba, etc.) will attend the conference. Their participation will provide a unique opportunity to exchange ideas, discuss mutual research interests, make new contacts, and to learn more about the country, regions, and cultures of Mexico.
          The general theme of the 2000 Conference is "New Directions in Latin America in the Context of Globalization," and papers or panels on this or related themes are welcomed. However, MALAS strongly encourages papers or panels on any theme that addresses Latin America, its people, and its culture regardless of discipline, specialty, or research agenda. As a truly multidisciplinary organization, MALAS seeks to provide a comfortable and friendly forum for all voices.
           The 2000 conference will convene in the city of Huatusco (population 30,000), which is nestled on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Oriental about 2,500 feet above sea level. The city is situated in the shadow of Mt. Orizaba, amidst the coffee plantations that define the social and economic character of the region. About 75 miles inland from the port of Veracruz, Huatusco and the conference hotel (Los Cocuyos) provide a comfortable, safe, and friendly environment for the MALAS meeting. Full details about the resort hotel, with pictures of the facilities and of the community of Huatusco are located on the website at http://www.wku.edu/geoweb/malas/huatusco.htm
          Opportunities are available before and after the conference for visits to a variety of tourist sites, including the indigenous ruins of Tajin, the Catamaco lake, the museums of Xalapa, and the Caribbean-flavored city of Veracruz. Details of these and other pre- and post-conference possibilities will be posted on the website.
          The conference organizing committee, Richard Pace (Middle Tennessee State), MALAS President Betty Smith (Eastern Illinois), and David Keeling (Western Kentucky), is negotiating a very favorable package at the conference hotel, which will include all meals, conference facilities, use of the golf, tennis, and volleyball equipment, continuous coffee and juice during the sessions and meals, and gratuities. The committee anticipates a daily room rate (per person, share double room) of about $25, with meals and all other services costing about $28 per person, for a daily all-inclusive cost of around $53 (plus IVA taxes). Single room occupancy is available for an additional $10 per night.
          This is a very competitive package, given the quality of the resort hotel and the services provided. A non-conference hotel is available in the city of Huatusco (about 3 kms away) called the "Marsella" for about $10-15 per person, but it is spartan and lacking the facilities offered by the conference hotel.
           In order to plan for the conference, the organizing committee would appreciate receiving a short e-mail, fax, or phone call indicating your intent to participate in the conference as soon as possible. Abstracts and registration fees are due anytime between now and October 1, 2000, which is the final deadline for receipt of abstracts and registration. Early notice of paper proposals and registration is encouraged.
          The 2000 Conference will also feature two plenary sessions (Ponencias Magistrales) that will address the main conference theme, "New Directions in Latin America in the Context of Globalization." In the first Plenary Session, a MALAS member will present a paper on this theme, with a Mexican colleague serving as the principal discussant. The second Plenary will feature a Mexican professor, who will provide a Mexican perspective on the theme, with a MALAS member serving as the principal discussant. Those interested in being the Plenary speaker (good Spanish language ability would be helpful, although we will have translators available for the Plenary sessions) please contact Richard Pace mailto:rpace@mtsu.edu or David Keeling mailto:david.keeling@wku.edu during July or August. Final copies of the Plenary paper (in English and Spanish) must be received no later than November 1st so that conference copies can be produced.
          In summary, I think we're going to have a very enjoyable, informative, and fun conference in Mexico this year. Please spread the word to friends, colleagues, and students, and feel free to post a copy of the conference announcement and registration forms on listservs, bulletin boards, and office doors. The conference committee looks forward to welcoming you to Huatusco in November.
Until then,
Saludos.
Richard Pace, Betty Smith, and David J. Keeling -- 2000 Conference Committee.

MORE INFORMATION ON SUBMITTING PAPERS FOR MEXICO, 2000

          Interdisciplinary papers may deal with any topic related to Latin America. The theme of "Latin America's New Directions" reflects Mexico's role as a major trade partner of the United States, as well as the long history of cultural contacts in this region. Papers dealing with issues related to Latinos in the United States, as well as those on borderlands, boundary, and identity issues are also especially relevant.
          Presentations may be in the form of oral papers, poster sessions, or panel discussions, and papers may be submitted individually or as part of a special session or panel discussion organized around a specific topic or theme.
          Presenters of individual papers should send a 150-word abstract on disk (any standard PC, Microsoft Word or RTF version is preferred) and hard copy. Organizers of special sessions and panels should send a list, arranged in the preferred order of presentation, of the names and address/phone number/e-mail address of presenters and paper titles (or panel discussion topics) along with abstracts of papers for special sessions and registration fees for all participants. Special sessions and panels should have between 4 and 6 participants. Sessions will be programmed to allow 20 minutes for individual presentations unless other arrangements are requested. All abstracts and accompanying materials should be sent to:
Dr. Richard Pace, MALAS 2000 Organizer, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 37132, USA.
          The Conference Organizers plan to publish a Proceedings of the 2000 MALAS Conference and those interested in submitting a paper for consideration should contact Dr. David Keeling at the Department of Geography and Geology, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101-3576, USA.

Stay Tuned for more news.

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This page last updated on 9/14/06.