VIII INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF MYTHOCRITICISM
I INTERNATIONAL COLLOQUIUM OF THE LATIN AMERICAN NETWORK OF MYTHOCRITICISM PACHAMAMA
For a critique of the myth from Latin America
University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón
October 29 to 31, 2024
First call
Mythocriticism has developed since 1960s. Especially with regard to literature and cultural studies. At the beginning of the 21st century, with the formulation of a Cultural Mythocriticism meticulously stablished by Professor José Manuel Losada, this theory is completed. Thanks to the interdisciplinary and holistic vision proposed by Lozada, under whose tutelage the ACIS Mythocriticism Research Group has organized seven international conferences, this discipline had expanded and deepened the theory.
It was at the recently meeting in Madrid, in October 2022, that some Latin American academics has the idea of establish a parallel research organization that would respond to certain shared concerns, namely: what is the value, home and function of myth in Latin American cultures of the past, present and future?; Are the theories of myth developed in Europe sufficient for Latin American thought and circumstance? How has the history of Latin American civilizations developed from the point of view of myths? Does a mythical thought still survive in Latin America? Thus, to delve into the American imagination and incorporate this perspective into the discussion, the Latin American Network on Mitocriticism, Pachamama, was born, with the spirit of collaborating with its (larger) sister association Asteria, International Association of Mythocriticism.
For this first meeting, we have located the concerns that mobilize us into three large blocks that cover specific thematic lines. The first and fundamental of an epistemological nature, refers to the underlying theoretical issues and is closely related to viceregal and colonial history and to the encounter of civilizations and cultures that occurred in the lands that we currently call Latin America, as well as to the way knowledge was established based on European religious, philosophical and scientific concepts in contrast to local indigenous forms of knowledge. The second block refers to the most diverse cultural expressions of myth that range from oral forms to rituals and artistic, literary and media representations (cinema, series, advertising, etc.). Finally, myth has always been present in political dimensions, whether in the elaboration of historically constructed and instituted discourses, whether in the conflictive relationship between myth and "truth" or even in issues such as ecology, gender relations and diversity, so central to our times.
To inaugurate the debate around these reflections, Pachamama RLM and Asteria AIM have joined forces in this VIII Congress and invite interested researchers to send proposals around the following thematic lines or related topics:
Myth and epistemological issues
Pre-Columbian myths and religions: the problem of their recovery
Latin American theorizations, methods, and objects for mythocriticism
From ethnography to mythocriticism: communicating vessels
Classical European mythology in contemporary American cultures
Culture, magic, and myth in the Latin American imagination
Cultural expressions of myth
Recovery of myths and mythical figures in literature
Myths and religions of American antiquity in the arts
Cinema and audiovisuals as mean of cultural recovery
Oral tradition and the survival of the myth
The myth and its political implications
America, Abya Yala, Cem Anahuac or how a continent is invented
Humans, gods, and other beings that share life in Latin American societies
Myth, politics, and post-truth in Latin America
Myth and processes of recovery of historical memory
Pachamama, myth and ecology
The communications, in Spanish, Portuguese, French and English, must last 20 minutes, followed by a discussion. The publication of the communications will be in Universi Contemplator, Journal of human sciences of the University of Puerto Rico in Bayamón.
Proposals must be submitted with an abstract of 400 to 500 words to the address redlat.mitocritica@upr.edu for approval, until May 31, 2024. Proponents should indicate, in the abstract, whether they are opting for an in-person or remote presentation.
The organizing committee will acknowledge receipt and confirm acceptance no later than June 30, 2024.
Inscriptions permitted until July 15, 2024.
Registration fee: $60.00 USD
Registration fee for Pachamama members: $30.00 USD
Student fee: $30.00 USD
Fee for attendees interested in receiving a certificate: $15.00 USD
Memberships
Latin American Pachamama Network: $30.00 USD
Asteria, International Association of Myth Criticism: 40€
Scientific Comittee
Luis Pabón Batlle, Universidad de Puerto Rico en Bayamón
José Manuel Losada, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, España
Luis Canting Placa, Universidad de Puerto Rico en Bayamón
Ana González-Rivas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, España
Florence Dravet, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasil
Cristina Mondragón, Université de Genève, Suiza
Luis Alberto Pérez-Amezcua, Universidad de Guadalajara, México
Miriam Silva, Universidade de Sorocaba, Brasil
Álvaro Córdoba Obando, Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia.
Gabriel Caldas, Universidad Autónoma Latinoamericana – Medellín, Colombia
