Source: University of Kansas Libraries (3/7/24)
International Collections highlights, extends upcoming collaborative conference
By Abdullah Al-Awhad
A new exhibit in International Collections on the fifth floor of Watson Library [University of Kansas] highlights the history and relationships between Latin America and China – combining materials from two of KU Libraries’ regional collection strengths and supplementing an upcoming collaborative conference. The exhibit, “From China to Latin America,” is on display now through the end of March.
Librarians Cecilia Zhang and Milton Machuca-Gálvez curated items for the exhibit, including books that present the historical connection between Latin America and China and offer a glimpse of their cross-cultural influence. The exhibit is presented in partnership with the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS), the Center for Global and International Studies, and the Center of East Asian Studies (CEAS). All three centers are co-hosts of a hybrid conference, titled “When Global East Meets Global South: East Asia and Latin America” set for March 29 with open registration.
“While this conference is taking place, these books will be on display to speak to specific cases,” said Machuca-Gálvez, librarian for Spanish, Portuguese, Latin America, & Caribbean Studies. “There are books on China-El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, a large quantity of books from Panama, and large volumes from Cuba.”
In all, Machuca-Gálvez estimates 50 books in KU Libraries’ collections about the topic from different eras of history, dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries during the era of the Spanish Empire. In addition to a sampling of books, the exhibit features informational posters that represent cultural impact on the cities of Havana, Cuba, and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“Chinese migration dates back to when what we know as Latin America currently was part of the Spanish Empire, and it’s the first real globalization that we have, a transatlantic exchange,” Machuca-Gálvez said.
The exhibit offers resources that provide additional context for the interdisciplinary conference, which aims to “bring together scholars from a variety of fields, including politics, history, economics, religion, anthropology, business, literature and the arts, to explore the historical and contemporary links between East Asia and Latin America and to rethink dominant narratives and knowledge production by the West and Global North.” In addition to guest speakers, a showcase of papers and panel discussions will take place during the conference.
“This is a cutting-edge topic in so many disciplines, which makes it perfect for the interdisciplinary area study centers that we have,” said Melissa Birch, Executive Director of the Institute of International and Global Engagement. “This is why it’s an academic conference, and this is why it belongs here.”
The large-scale Chinese presence in Latin America has implications on business, technology, environment, engineering, and a wide array of disciplines beyond foreign policy, creating opportunities for interdisciplinary research and making the topic of national interest, Birch said. Two guests — R. Evan Ellis (United States Army War College) and Junyoung Verónica Kim (University of Pittsburgh) — will address these topics during the conference. Both have authored books exploring historical relations between China and Latin America and the cultural and political implications.
KU has four centers that are funded by the Department of Education’s National Resource Centers (NRC) Title VI grants – Center for Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies, the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, the Center for East Asian Studies, and the Kansas African Studies Center. NRCs at KU aim to prepare students academically and in their future careers and contribute to a welcoming and diverse environment on campus.
As exemplified through the exhibit debut, KU Libraries International Collections and regional librarians work with departments and area studies programs to assemble diverse and unique materials from all over the world in support of research and learning at KU.
“We wouldn’t be able to do those things without great library resources and great librarians who help us use them,” Birch said. “Where would be without a library? You can’t do scholarship without a library. It’s so intrinsic to what we do that we don’t even think to talk about it. Increasingly, I think we have to remind people that’s where we get all of our inspiration.”