NCCLAS 2026 Conference Brings Community Together Around Latin American and Caribbean Studies
The 2026 NCCLAS: Conference in Latin American and Caribbean Studies was a great success, bringing together a vibrant community of students, researchers, faculty, and community partners from across North Carolina and beyond. Held on Saturday, February 21, 2026, this year’s conference centered on the theme Re-Imagining Latin American and Caribbean Studies, encouraging participants to reflect on new ways of understanding, teaching, and engaging with the region.
The conference was free and open to the public, creating an inclusive and welcoming space for dialogue and exchange. Over the course of the day, the program featured six blocks of concurrent sessions, including academic panels and roundtables that addressed topics such as migration, health, environment, literature, politics, and community engagement .
In total, the conference brought together more than 60 presenters. Participants represented a wide range of institutions, including UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University, UNC Charlotte, Wake Forest University, Hollins University, Davidson College, and community organizations such as Haitians of the Triangle. Their contributions reflected a rich diversity of disciplines and perspectives, highlighting the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of Latin American and Caribbean studies today.
The program included a combination of research presentations, interdisciplinary panels, and book roundtables, creating space for both scholarly discussion and broader reflection. Throughout the sessions, there was a strong emphasis on connecting academic work with real-world challenges and on expanding access to knowledge beyond the university.
A key moment of the conference was the final plenary roundtable, Re-Imagining Latin American and Caribbean Studies, introduced by Leo Ching, Dean of Humanities and the Arts at Duke University, and moderated by Gabriela Valdivia, Director of the Institute for the Study of the Americas at UNC-Chapel Hill. The session brought together leading scholars to reflect on the future of the field and the importance of collaboration across institutions and disciplines.
The conference concluded with a special performance, A Tango Love Story, presented by the Alma Coefman collective. The performance offered a powerful artistic experience that combined music, movement, and storytelling, serving as a meaningful closing to a day centered on dialogue, creativity, and shared inquiry.
Overall, NCCLAS 2026 created a dynamic and engaging environment that brought together research, teaching, and the arts. By opening its doors to the broader community, the conference reaffirmed its commitment to making Latin American and Caribbean studies more accessible, collaborative, and relevant.
For more information, check out the conference program here: https://lacsconsortium.org/2026%20NCLAS%20CONFERENCE%20PROGRAM/
