The I International Congress on the Caribbean: The Myth of the Caribbean Woman is organized in order to approach the ideas that have been formed about the Caribbean from a gender perspective. To discuss a myth arisen from the feminine is frequent, as is uniting specialists from different places and fields of knowledge, uniting artists, creators, students and the general public to discuss this topic. This will be done from Monday November 16 to Thursday November 19 2009, in the University of Carlos III as the main place, which will be complemented by other places within Madrid. Four days of academic, social and cultural activities that will engage the Caribbean woman and the myth that has been created about her; four days in which what is being searched for is dialogue, exchange and the possibility of making this meeting an event for everyone interested in the Caribbean and gender studies. In addition, this congress is presented in order to explore beyond the limits of the Hispanic Caribbean (continental and insular) and engage—with the rest of the Antilles—the poetics of these historic, literary, artistic, affective and always present relationships between the Caribbean and the European space.
The Program
Conferences: Invited Speakers and Communications
The following have confirmed their assistance as main speakers: Gloria Wekker (Surinam- Low Countries), Jesús “Chucho” García (Venezuela), Carmen Rivera Villegas (Puerto Rico), Lorna Goodison (Jamaica-United States), Ian Bethell (Barbados- Puerto Rico), Awilda Sterling (Puerto Rico) y Emilia Azcárate (Venezuela- Spain), who will be accompanied by the Spanish professors, Carmen González Marín y Juan Varela-Portas.
In addition, the congress opens a space for the exchange of ideas, results and impressions by creators of different fields, professors and students who are in tune with the topic and will arrive to Madrid from different parts of the world. The organization would like to thank all of them for their interest and participation.
Social Space
Diasporas have marked the history of the Caribbean. We are interested in sharing and learning about the reality of many Caribbean women who have left their homes in order to start over in another country. The congress opens a special space dedicated to the social themes, centered on the immigrant population from the Caribbean that lives in Madrid. We will be talking about gender and immigration and the challenges of cohabitating with the collaboration of institutions and professionals who are working on these issues.
The Activities
They will be the complement to the academic debate and to the social exchange. These activities have been designed to offer a place of entertainment, learning and cultural exchange through dance workshops, performance, photographic exhibitions, book presentations, music and poetry. In addition, we invite you to a Caribbean date—every night after the end of workday—in the Yemayá, located in the neighborhood of La Latina, where you will be able to enjoy some mojitos.
Organizad By
This congress is an initiative of YoSoyElOtro, which has counted with the immeasurable support of the Grupo Kóre de Estudios de Género (Kóre Group of Gender Studies) of the University Carlos III of Madrid. They have all made possible the realization of this pioneering activity with which to open a small space to comprehend themes of gender and the Caribbean in Madrid.
