Latin American Studies Association (LASA) Congress; Vancouver, Canada

Presentation:“Travestis Enter the Scene: Aesthetics and Politics in Latin American Travesti Literature”

Conference: Latin American Studies Association (LASA) Congress; Vancouver, Canada
May 24 – May 27, 2023

Report:

My participation in LASA conference “Latin America and the Caribbean: Thinking, Representing and Fighting for Rights” in Vancouver (May 24-27, 2023) and also the LASA Sexualities Section Pre-Conference (May 23, 2023) was a very important experience because:

At the Sexualities Pre-Conference I presented my paper, “The absent enter the scene: trans and travesti writings in Latin American literature of the 21st century.” along with leading researchers in the field of gender theories, sexualities and queer theories from both Latin America and the United States. The paper consisted of a global summary of my doctoral dissertation project that I will defend at Fall. So the feedback I received will undoubtedly be a great contribution to strengthen my project. In addition, I was able to dialogue with the keynote speaker, Professor Lawrence Lafountain-Stokes, who is a member of my dissertation committee. The dialogue and his feedback was very helpful and important to refine the proposal.

At the conference I presented my paper “The landfill piles: travesti transfigurations of dirt in the Latin American Southern Cone” in a panel with other doctoral students and an academic (New Mexico State) interested in gender and sexuality studies and, in particular, trans studies in Latin America. The panel was very enriching, as we shared common interests, common bibliography and projected possible meetings in the future.

In short, beyond my two presentations, LASA was a very meaningful experience because I was able to connect with scholars and peers in my areas of interest, attend book presentations, and even had the possibility to establish contact with the writer Ariel Florencia Richards who is part of my doctoral dissertation project.