38th Conference of Latin American Geography
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 22-26, 2024
We are thrilled to announce the preliminary details about the 38th Conference of Latin American Geography (CLAG), to be held at el Cuartel de Ballajá & el Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico on May 22-24, 2024. Additional field trips are scheduled for May 24 (afternoon), 25, & 26.
Registration is now closed.
Conference Registration
Registration is now closed.
We expect participants to be a member of CLAG (annual membership cost is only $70 and includes our journal JLAG, and is discounted to $20 for students who are then also eligible for grants and awards) but have provided a non-member rate. A discount is offered to those in the 'Global South' who are currently based in institutions or are independent scholars in Latin America or the Caribbean.
In person attendance (includes refreshments, lunches, etc. Conference banquet is additional cost)
Early Registration Deadline: January 19, 2024
CLAG members: $200 ($50 discount for those based in 'Global South')
CLAG member Students: $125 ($50 discount for those based in 'Global South')
Non CLAG members or guests of participants who wish to attend conference: $225
Banquet/Conference dinner: $50
Late Registration Deadline: February 23, 2024 Extended to March 15, 2024!
CLAG members: $250 ($50 discount for those based in 'Global South')
CLAG member students: $150 ($50 discount for those based in 'Global South')
Non CLAG members or guests of participants who wish to attend conference: $250
Banquet/Conference dinner: $50
How to Register
Registration is now closed.
La inscripción ya está cerrada.
As inscrições já estão encerradas.
Submit an Abstract
Abstract submission is now closed.
El envío de resúmenes ya está cerrado.
Submissão de resumos está encerrada.
Organize a Session
If you want to organize a session, please use the CLAG listserve to make calls for papers. Once you have a complete session (five papers total, or four papers and a discussant) please submit your session proposal using this google form. If you are not presenting in the session, please use "session organizer" as a placeholder for the presentation title and presentation abstract. Encourage your session participants to submit their abstracts as instructed here.
CFPs for Organized Sessions
Several calls for papers are already circulating on CLAGnet and through the AAG LASG specialty group. This is a current list of existing CFPs. Please email the organizers for more information about each session.
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Geographies of Amazonia: Dynamism in Landscapes & Livelihoods
Co-organizers: David Seward Salisbury, Christian Abizaid, and Delaney Demaret.
Climate change and deforestation are pushing the Amazon rainforest to a tipping point that could see the world’s largest rainforest transition to a tropical savannah in a matter of decades (Lovejoy & Nobre 2017, Walker 2021) despite this deforestation and forest degradation continue (Lapola et al., 2023). Local peoples, livelihoods, and landscapes are also experiencing accelerating change as economic forces, political regimes, and policy change influence even the most remote areas of the Amazon (Albert et al., 2023). The Geographies of Amazonia session invites empirical and theoretical papers that examine dynamism in Amazonian landscapes and livelihoods from any part of the Amazon. We welcome papers from different theoretical and methodological approaches. -
Mobilities and International Migration in Latin America and the Caribbean
Co-organizers: Brad Jokisch and Lindsey Carte.
We are looking for papers that examine some aspect(s) of the multiple types of international migration and mobilities ongoing in Latin America and the Caribbean. In recent years migration within, to, and from Latin America has diversified to include new migrant-refugees, routes, and countries of destination and transit. The demographic profile of migrant-refugees traveling within and from LAC has expanded to include millions of children, families, and extra-regional migrants. This complex diversification has occurred as a humanitarian and political crisis foments not only on the U.S.-Mexico border, but also at numerous destinations in the U.S. and locations in LAC. Nation-states have vacillated between accommodating and rejecting refugees and migrants in transit, and the Biden Administration has implemented conflicting policies intended to manage the political dimensions of a large number of LAC migrants seeking asylum or to otherwise enter the United States. These migration patterns and the responses by state and non-state actors are creating tremendous social, economic, environmental, and political consequences for LAC and migrant-refugees attempting to navigate this complex landscape. The session hopes to highlight the many ways international migration is affecting LAC, including forms of international migration and mobilities that deserve more attention by geographers and other social scientists. -
Mining and Extractivism in Latin America
Co-organizers: Aaron Malone, Andrea Marston, and Matt Himley
Geographers have been at the forefront of research integrating human and environmental facets of mining and extractivism. A global commodities boom beginning in the early 2000s drew interest as mining frontiers expanded, extraction deepened in long-standing mining regions, and conflicts proliferated, with social movements and diverse forms of resistance emerging across Latin America. The variety of impacts and challenges mirrors the diversity of expanded extraction, with everything from mega-mines to artisanal mining growing rapidly. More recently, the global push to transition to renewable energy systems has brought renewed focus to ‘critical minerals,’ and the realization that many low-carbon technologies are mineral intensive. Latin America plays a central role in the scramble for lithium, copper, nickel, rare earths, etc., with huge implications for the region’s peoples, landscapes, and future. -
Emerging Research into Extractivism(s) in Guatemala
Co-organizers: Catherine Nolin and Vaclav Masek
The concentration of state power in Guatemala achieved through an alliance of corrupt authoritarian figures following extensive anti-corruption protests in 2015 has heightened the crisis of legitimacy within the framework of neoliberal democracy. This situation exacerbates the tension between Indigenous communities and industries involved in resource extraction. The alliance's ability to maintain control in elections, despite its lack of legitimacy and the unpopularity of its agenda, exposes the corruption inherent in the violent and exclusionary aspects of electoral democracy that are prevalent in impoverished and Indigenous areas. Here, the pursuit of extractive development aligns with violence and corruption, worsening the long-lasting consequences of historical colonial dispossession through the privatization and pollution of shared resources, particularly water systems. By dismantling the remaining democratic institutions and expanding extractive activities, the authoritarian consolidation deepens the fundamental contradictions in Guatemalan democracy. Democratic backsliding also conflicts with the growing political and environmental aspirations of Indigenous communities-–Maya, Xinka, and Garífuna peoples—emphasizing the need for coalitions supporting a multi-ethnic state and decolonized development. Rising Indigenous ecopolitics is building alliances across dividing lines of ethnicity, geography, and class. Creating unity among progressive organizations in this critical moment holds the historic potential to overcome legacies of violence and replace competitive authoritarianism democracy with plurinational assembly politics. This session highlights the new empirical and theoretical directions researchers are taking to examine the spatiality of extractivism’s impact across human and physical landscapes. -
Political ecologies of Agriculture in Latin America
Co-organizers: Adrienne Johnson, Zoe Pearson, and Case Watkins
This in-person session will bring together papers that critically reflect on the relationalities, power inequities, biophysical processes, and/or political dynamics of agriculture in Latin America. Specifically, the session seeks to examine the cultural, social, political, environmental, and economic significance of agricultural practices—and the relations that surround such practices. We invite papers that make connections between past historical power structures and new directions in politics, policy-making, and governance. We are also interested in contributions that advance new theoretical understandings of agricultural landscape change in Latin America. We look forward to forging new connections and conversations.
Conference Program
- May 21 Informal Evening get together in Old San Juan
- May 22-24 Conference Sessions CLAG 2024
- May 23 Conference Banquet (evening)
- May 24, 25, & 26 Field Trips CLAG 2024
Preliminary program details are now available in an online and pdf format.
Accommodations (no official conference hotel)
Hotels close to the Conference
- High ($200+)
- Hotel El Convento
100 Calle del Cristo, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17877239020 | Email: info@elconvento.com
https://www.elconvento.com/
Price Range: $300+
Distance from conference: 5 minute walk - Villa Herencia Hotel
23 Caleta de las Monjas, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico
Phone: +18444683577 | Email: reservations@villaherencia.com
https://villaherencia.com/
Price Range: $200+
Distance from conference: 7 minute walk - Decanter Hotel
106 C. San José, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17874639989 | Email: reservations@decanterhotel.com
https://www.decanterhotel.com/
Price Range: $200+
Distance from conference: 7 minute walk - Casa Sol Bed and Breakfast
316 Sol St, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17879809700 | Email: welcome@localhost or eddiemrami@gmail.com
https://casasolbnb.com/
Price Range: $200+
Distance from conference: 10 minute walk - CasaBlanca Hotel
316 C. de la Fortaleza, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico
Phone: +18444683577 | Email: reservations@hotelcasablancapr.com
https://hotelcasablancapr.com/
Price Range: $200+
Distance from conference: 13 minute walk - Sheraton Old San Juan
100 C. Brumbaugh, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17877215100
https://www.marriott.com/
Price Range: $200+
Distance from conference: 17 minute walk
- Hotel El Convento
- Medium ($100+)
- The Gallery Inn
204 Calle Norzagaray, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17877221808 | Email: reservations@thegalleryinn.com
Price Range: $100 - $200
Distance from conference: 5 minute walk - La Capitana 412
412 Calle Norzagaray, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17877222014
https://www.lacapitanapr.com/
Price Range: $100 - $200
Distance from conference: 10 minute walk - Fortaleza Guest House (Hostel)
303 C. de la Fortaleza, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17877217112
https://www.hostelworld.com/
Price Range: $100 - $200
Distance from conference: 12 minute walk - Fortaleza Suites
315 C. de la Fortaleza, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17873073795
https://www.expedia.com/
Price Range: $100 - $200
Distance from conference: 13 minute walk - Fortel Hostel
309 C. de la Fortaleza 2nd floor, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17876752193
https://www.forteloldsanjuan.com/
Price Range: $100 - $200
Distance from conference: 13 minute walk
- The Gallery Inn
- Low Budget Accommodations
- Air B&B or hostal options… but also travel in and out of Old San Juan via Uber is easy
- VRBO is another alternative
- Driving Distance Hotels
- Casa Isabel Bed and Breakfast
65 C. F. Krug, San Juan, 00911, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17876305974
https://www.expedia.com/
Price Range: $200+
Distance from conference: 20 minute drive - Navona Studios Guesthouse
258 C. de San Francisco, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17877217573 | Email: navonastudios@gmail.com
https://navonastudios.com/
Price Range: $100 - $200
Distance from conference: 11 minute drive - Hotel Miramar
606 Ave Juan Ponce de León, San Juan, 00907, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17879771000 | Email: info@miramarhotelpr.com
https://www.expedia.com/
Price Range: $100 - $200
Distance from conference: 10 minute drive - Coral Princess Hotel
1159 Magdalena Ave, San Juan, 00907, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17879777700 | Email: INFO@CORALPR.COM
https://coralpr.com/
Price Range: $100 - $200
Distance from conference: 20 minute drive - Canario Boutique Hotel
1317 Ashford Ave, San Juan, 00907, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17877223861 | Email: reservations@canarioboutiquehotel.com
https://canarioboutiquehotel.com/
Price Range: $100 - $200
Distance from conference: 20 minute drive - Sandy Beach Hotel
4 Condado Ave, San Juan, 00907, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17877228640 | Email: sandy@sandybeachhotelpr.com
https://www.sandybeachhotelpr.com/
Price Range: $100 - $200
Distance from conference: 20 minute drive - Canario Lagoon Hotel
4 Cll Clemenceau, San Juan, 00907, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17877228640 | Email: sandy@sandybeachhotelpr.com
https://canariolagoonhotel.com/
Price Range: $100 - $200
Distance from conference: 20 minute drive - Bposhtels San Juan (Hostel)
1159 Magdalena Ave B, San Juan, 00907, Puerto Rico
Phone: +1 888 276 7485 | Email: SanJuan@Bposhtels.com
https://www.bposhtels.com/sanjuan/
Price Range: $100 - $200
Distance from conference: 20 minute drive - Casa Del Caribe Inn
57 Caribe St, San Juan, 00907, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17877227139 | Email: reservations@casadelcaribeinn.com
http://www.casadelcaribeinn.com/
Price Range: $100 - $200
Distance from conference: 20 minute drive - Mango Mansion (Hostel)
159 Cll Primavera, San Juan, 00907, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17873392113 | Email: FrontDesk@MangoMansion.com
http://www.mangomansion.com/
Price Range: $100 - $200
Distance from conference: 20 minute drive - Stay at Mare
58 C. Taft, San Juan, 00911, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17876748667 | Email: info@stayatmare.com
http://www.stayatmare.com/
Price Range: $100 - $200
Distance from conference: 20 minute drive - La Esmerelda
2070 Cll Buenos Aires, San Juan, 00911, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17876409368 | Email: info@laesmeraldapr.com
http://www.laesmeraldapr.com/
Price Range: $100 - $200
Distance from conference: 20 minute drive
- Casa Isabel Bed and Breakfast
Field Trips
Friday, May 24
Urban Geography of Old San Juan
Friday May 24, 3pm - ~6pm - $20 ($10 for students, Puerto Riqueños, & global south) - register here
3-hour walking tour of Old San Juan that ends with a free drink at a local pub. Dr. Rafael Díaz (UPR Humacao) and Dr. Carlos Guilbe (UPR Rio Piedras) will lead this tour of the urban and historical geography, including gentrification, informal economies, and urban poverty of San Juan. Stops will include a diversity of barrios including La Perla.
Saturday, May 25
Climate Justice & Political Ecology of Puerto Rico’s Southern Coast
Saturday, May 25, 8am - ~6pm - $75 ($25 for students, Puerto Riqueños, & global south) - register here
10-hour day trip with private tour buses and lunch included. This tour led by Dr. Carlos Guilbe (UPR Rio Piedras) will cross the island (Cordillera Central) to the southern coast (Ponce and Guayama) to visit a coal-burning power plant, impacted landscapes, mangrove management areas, and food production sites, while exploring the south’s physical and historical geography through a climate justice & political ecology lens.
Agroecología en Puerto Rico: Finca El Josco Bravo en las Montañas de Toa Alta
Saturday, May 25, 8am - ~2pm - $45 ($15 for students, Puerto Riqueños, & global south) - register here
6 hour day trip led by Suley Cruz (Geographer, who works in El Josco Bravo) and Dr. Katia Aviles that will visit a community agriculture project to discuss issues of food security, agriculture capacity building, and gendered development. A lunch consisting of food from El Josco Bravo will be included.
Trains, Boats, and Buses: Tour of the Transportation Networks of the San Juan Metropolitan Area
Saturday, May 25, 10am - ~2pm - $30 ($15 for students, Puerto Riqueños, & global south) - register here
4-hour vuelta of the local transportation systems in the greater San Juan Metropolitan Area with lunch included. E. Nieves (Lecturer UPR Rio Piedras) will take interested folk on a geographic journey of the complex and dynamic peri-urban public transportation system with a stop for an authentic Puerto Rican lunch.
