ACADEMIC
INCLUSIVITY
Revisiting a WiSPS conversation on inclusion, representation and the challenges facing contemporary Luso-Hispanic Studies.
La Habana, Cuba.
Academic Inclusivity and Luso-Hispanic Studies Today: An online conversation
Tamara Walker and Catherine Boyne Chaired by Alison Ribeiro de Menezes
Tamara Walker and Catherine Boyne Chaired by Alison Ribeiro de Menezes
On 1 February 2021, WISPS hosted an online conversation entitled Academic Inclusivity and Luso-Hispanic Studies Today, bringing together scholars to reflect on inclusion, representation and academic practices within the field.
The discussion featured Tamara Walker (University of Toronto) and Catherine Boyle (King’s College London), and was chaired by Alison Ribeiro de Menezes.
The event explored the extent to which Luso-Hispanic academia had become more inclusive, questioning whether debates surrounding cultural identities and disciplinary terminology had translated into meaningful changes in research, teaching and professional life.
Particular attention was given to forms of exclusion that remain overlooked, the potential unintended consequences of inclusion debates, and the importance of recognising voices that have historically been marginalised within academic institutions.
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Just how inclusive is Luso-Hispanic academia today?
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We have seen debates regarding the nomenclature of our fields of research and teaching, and thus the names of our departments and schools, but has this attention to cultural and identity differences extended to intellectual approaches, to scholarly practices, and to professional life?
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Do some debates on inclusion lead to hidden or unexpected exclusions and segregations?
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Which exclusions have not been attended to, and what are the consequences?
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Whose voices don’t get heard and how might we remediate this?
Registration Information
Date: Monday, 1 February 2021
Time: 5:00 pm GMT (12:00 pm EST)
Format: Online event (Zoom)
Status: Registration for this event is now closed.
keyNOTE
speaker
tamara
walker
Examining the histories of slavery, race and gender in Latin America, with particular attention to marginalised voices, cultural representation and the recovery of overlooked historical narratives.
Tamara Walker, Associate Professor of History at the University of Toronto. Speaker at the WISPS online conversation Academic Inclusivity and Luso-Hispanic Studies Today, 1 February 2021.
Tamara Walker: Tamara Walker: Race, Gender and Historical Memory in Latin America
Slavery, Race & Gender in Latin America
Tamara Walker is Professor of Africana Studies at Barnard College. Her research examines the histories of slavery and freedom in Latin America, racial formation and the intersections of race, gender and identity. Her scholarship seeks to recover the experiences and perspectives of people of African descent whose voices have often been marginalised in historical records. She is the author of Exquisite Slaves: Race, Clothing, and Status in Colonial Lima (2017) and Beyond the Shores: A History of African Americans Abroad (2023), which explores the experiences of Black Americans travelling and living internationally during the twentieth century.
Tamara Walker – Academic Profile, University of Toronto
University of Toronto – Tamara Walker
Tamara Walker – Academic Profile, Barnard College
Barnard College – Tamara Walker
keyNOTE
speaker
catherine
boyle
Exploring the intersections of language, theatre, translation and cultural identity, with a focus on Latin American cultural studies and the transformative potential of artistic expression.
Catherine Boyle, Professor of Latin American Cultural Studies at King's College London. Speaker at the WISPS online conversation Academic Inclusivity and Luso-Hispanic Studies Today, 1 February 2021.
Catherine Boyle: Catherine Boyle: Language, Theatre and Cultural Transformation
Cultural Studies, Theatre & Translation
Catherine Boyle is Professor of Latin American Cultural Studies at King's College London. Her research explores the ways in which cultural expressions are produced within their socio-historical contexts, with particular interests in cultural studies, theatre, translation and performance. She was co-founder and editor of the Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies (1992) and Principal Investigator of the AHRC-funded Language Acts and Worldmaking project. She served as President of the Association of Hispanists of Great Britain and Ireland from 2020 to 2024. Her recent research includes the Leverhulme Trust-funded project Theatre Research, Translation and Performance from Chile to the UK Across Time (2025–2026).
Catherine Boyle – Academic Profile and Publications, King's College London
King's College London – Catherine Boyle