On September 23 & 24, 2022 Rutgers University will host an in-person conference entitled “1522: Exploring Indigenous Perspectives on the Post-conquest Years.”
We live in an era when Indigenous scholars are coming into their own. Scores of young people are obtaining their doctorates and entering the scholarly conversation. This conference will bring together scholars who work with Indigenous-language sources and Indigenous academics who may not study the conquest per se, but who have spent years thinking about the results of the conquest from an Indigenous perspective. A new book will emerge from the conference.
The event is open to the public, but the first day (Friday) is intended for the chapter writers to present their work to each other, while the Friday night concert and the events of the second day (Saturday) should be of interest to all. Meetings will be held at the Rutgers Center for Historical Analysis facilities (Rutgers Academic Building, 15 Seminary Place, West Wing, 6th Floor, New Brunswick, NJ 08901)
We have invited six young Mexican Indigenous scholars who are passionately dedicated to preserving their people’s past and protecting their futures. Among them:
- Yasnaya Elena Aguilar
- Abelardo De la Cruz
- Eduardo De la Cruz
- Selene Galindo
- Baruc Martínez
The conference will also feature a performance by Ricardo Gallardo, a Mexican percussionist who will perform Indigenous songs.
FULL PROGRAM
Friday, September 23
9 AM-5 PM Book Chapter Workshop (may only be of interest to scholars)--
Chapter Writers:
- Sandra Acocal, PhD, Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Mexico
- Josh Anthony, Doctoral Candidate in History, Rutgers
- Clio Isaacson, Doctoral Candidate in History, Rutgers
- Tara Malanga, Assistant Professor, Rutgers Writing Program
- Celso Mendoza, Doctoral Candidate in History, Rutgers
- Barbara Mundy, Robertson Chair in Latin American Art, Tulane University
- Justyna Olko, Professor of Humanities, University of Warsaw
- Peter Bjorndahl Sorensen, Andrew Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow, Wolf Humanities Center, U. Penn
- Camilla Townsend, Board of Governors Professor of History, Rutgers
With comments by:
- Kasia Granicka, Lecturer, University of Warsaw
- Javier Molina, Doctoral Candidate in History, UNAM
6:30 PM Concert
Ricardo Gallardo, Artistic Director of Mexico’s Percussionist Quartet Tambuco
Zimmerli Art Museum, 71 Hamilton Street
All are welcome! There will be food available.
Saturday, September 24
10:30 AM Welcome
Raven Manygoats
Doctoral Candidate in History, Rutgers University
10:45 AM Introductory Remarks
Camilla Townsend
Board of Governors Professor of History, Rutgers University
11:00 AM Keynote Address: “Trauma, Agency and Resilience in the Nahua Past and Present”
Justyna Olko, prof. dr. hab.
Professor of Humanities, University of Warsaw
Director, Center for Research and Practice in Cultural Continuity
12 Noon Luncheon
1:00 PM Modern Indigenous Scholars’ Thoughts on the Spanish Conquest
Yasnaya Elena Aguilar G.
Author of Ää: manifiestos sobre la diversidad lingüistica
Abelardo de la Cruz
Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Latin American Studies, University of Utah
Eduardo de la Cruz
Director, Instituto de Docencia e Investigaciones Etnológicas de Zacatecas
Selene Yuridia Galindo C.
MA documentary film student
Escuela Nacional de Artes Cinematográficas, UNAM
Baruc Martínez
Doctoral Candidate in History, UNAM
4:00 pm Reception
Getting Here:
The main part of the conference will be held at the Rutgers Center for Historical Analysis facilities (Rutgers Academic Building, 15 Seminary Place, West Wing, 6th Floor, New Brunswick, NJ 08901). This is on Rutgers's New Brunswick (College Avenue) campus, which can be accessed via car, train, and bus. For more information about how to get here see this page. Complimentary parking is provided for event attendees and overnight travelers in LOT 82, also see the above link for more information.
Rutgers University Inn also provides accommodation in the heart of the New Brunswick campus. For more information visit the Rutgers University Inn and Conference Center page.
The conference will be a building block in the production of a book edited by Board of Governors Professor of History Camilla Townsend called After the Broken Spears: The Aztecs in the Wake of Conquest. The book will consist of chapters written by experts who study Indigenous-language sources from the early decades after the conquest, juxtaposed with other chapters written by Indigenous thinkers whose own area of academic expertise may be somewhat different.
The Conference is organized by Professor Townsend and sponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies, The Department of History and the School of Arts and Sciences.
Updates will be posted here and sent to the CLAS email list.