Many Faces of War X Conference; South Dakota State University

Conference:  Many Faces of War X Conference at South Dakota State University, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
March, 6 – 7, 2025

Presentation: Royalists in Post-Independence Colombia

REPORT:

Last month I participated in The Many Faces of War X conference held in Sioux Falls, and sponsored by South Dakota State University. The conference brought together military history scholars from a range of historical periods and methodological approaches. The organizers conceived this conference as a platform for well-established scholars, junior scholars and graduate students alike. The panels reflected this conception, and topics ranging from colonial warfare in India or Africa were discussed alongside Ancient Warfare and Persian units. The conference’s name highlighted the political, social, and cultural dimensions of conflict across different geographies and eras.

I presented a paper titled From Defeat to Adaptation: The Fate of Royalist Veterans in PostIndependent Colombia as part of the panel Colonial Conquest and Independence. My paper examined the various outcomes for those who opposed independence and lost during Colombia’s civil wars. I emphasized the various avenues that existed for royalist individuals, and reduced it to three options: conversion, exile or execution. I relied on some individual examples and the presentation was well received. The Q&A sparked many questions on my paper, probably the most in the panel, and the subsequent discussion offered valuable feedback, particularly on the topic of numbers and the role of “class” as a key factor to understand divisions among those who supported and those who opposed independence.

Beyond my own presentation, I attended a number of panels that aligned closely with my research interests, including sessions on memory and commemoration of war, as well as political participation after conflict. These sessions, and interacting with the presenters, provided me with knowledge about current historiographical debates on other geographies that apply to my own research. This made me interested in comparative research as an approach to my work, especially as it concerns the fate of “unfaithful” populations in a territory with a new political regime.

The conference also served as a productive networking opportunity. I connected with scholars working on related topics in colonial military history and early modern warfare, and discussed archival strategies. I was especially pleased to meet Dr. Graham Wrightson, who organized the conference, as well as Dr. Jeffrey Rop, department chair at the History Department at University of Minnesota Duluth. Their feedback and comradery prompted me to edit my paper for future publication.

Overall, my participation in The Many Faces of War X conference was professionally rewarding.

It allowed me to engage with a vibrant community of scholars and refine my own research within a broader framework of war studies and served as a platform to discuss my work in progress as I transform this paper into an article.