Dear all
I am forwarding the following message from Jean Stubbs, President of the Caribbean Studies Association. Please note also the additional message for British-based scholars, at the end of the main message.
If you have any queries, please reply to Jean at [log in to unmask], not to me.
Best wishes and happy new year.
Diana Paton
SCS Chair.
CARIBBEAN STUDIES ASSOCIATION
PRESIDENTIAL NEW YEAR MESSAGE
BELIZE SET TO HOST 28TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE, 26-31 MAY 2003
The Greater Caribbean: Roots and Routes
El Gran Caribe: Raíces y Rutas
Le Grand Caraïbe: Racines et Routes
14 JANUARY 2003 DEADLINE FOR PAPER AND PANEL SUBMISSIONS
2003 Conference website http://gseacademic.harvard.edu/~csa/ <http://gseacademic.harvard.edu/~csa/>
First allow me to extend a personal New Year greeting to all, in the fervent desire that peace may prevail in 2003, in turbulent parts of the Greater Caribbean region and the world beyond.
I am pleased to be able to announce that the decision has been taken for Belize to host the 2003 Conference. An explanation of how this decision was reached is summarized below.
As CSA President, I was honored to receive declarations of interest in hosting CSA 2003 from both San Andres Island, Colombia, and Belize. I would have welcomed taking CSA 2003 to each of these Greater Caribbean territories, uncharted by many members and with fascinating multiple histories and identities. However, a tough decision had to be made. In December 2002 I conducted site visits, and each excelled in extending a warm welcome and demonstrating a strength of commitment to hosting CSA 2003.
The Universidad Nacional de Colombia San Andrés campus and its Instituto de Estudios Caribeños demonstrated professionalism, organizational readiness and capacity to guarantee an excellent CSA 2003 Conference. Building on the successful experience of hosting the IX Congreso Latinoamericano sobre Ciencias del Mar (COLACMAR), 16-20 September 2001, which had some 600 participants, a strong bid was submitted, with the support and commitment of the Governor of San Andrés, himself a former CSA member, and others, including representatives of the Raizales, or English Creole speaking community. The main stumbling block is the lack of internationally accessible scheduled flights to San Andrés, except via Bogota. It is possible that internationally accessible scheduled flights via Panama and direct flights from the US will open up in spring 2003. However, the current situation cautions against San Andrés for this coming year while retaining the San Andrés bid for a future date.
Belize is currently building up its conventions capacity and was the site for the November 2002 8th Ministerial Meeting of the Association of Caribbean States, of which CSA aspires to become a social partner. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spearheaded a strong bid, with commitment from the University of Belize to head the Local Committee, involving other tertiary level institutions and NGOs, and with the logistical support of the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Tourism. There is also a relative ease of flights into Belize from the US, including daily flights from Miami, and from Montego Bay, Jamaica. It is particularly fitting that CSA 2003 should be hosted by Belize, given that both the current Prime Minister and Foreign Minister are former CSA members and this year’s CSA Gordon K. Lewis Award went to O. Nigel Bolland, who, for his work on Belize, is considered an honorary Belizean.
Long wrested from the Spanish as a British colony and an independent nation state since 1981, Belize has a history of Anglophone and Hispanic migratory movements, combined with an indigenous Amerindian presence. English Creole-speaking people have witnessed the mass influx of refugees from the late 20th century’s Central American conflicts. Belize was once home to one million Mayan peoples, as well as to Black Carib Garifuna peoples of Vincentian descent. Belize is also relatively protected in its natural habitat, with its marine and forest reserves, featuring the longest stretch of offshore barrier reef in the region and home to the jaguar, among other endangered species of fauna and flora.
CSA Executive Council member Irma McClaurin, who is known for her work on Belize, traveled to Belize with me and has agreed to act as CSA 2003 Belize Liaison Officer. The Belize Local Committee is in the process of formation, and accommodation and flight details will shortly be made available. CSA Council, Program Committee, and Local Committee will be working in close coordination, and we shall keep you posted as to new developments via email, the website, and the Newsletter. The deadline for submission of paper titles and abstracts and panels remains Monday January 14th. As of early January, the Program Committee Chair had received some 250 paper submissions in total, which augurs well for a good conference in 2003. Over half of the submissions came in already conceived panel form, which will facilitate the work of the Committee when it meets January 17-18. If you haven’t already submitted a paper or panel and intend to do so, please ensure it reaches the Program Committee in good time. There will also be a meeting of Executive Council on January 19. Please take time to check the website after then for updates.
You should all by now have received your Fall Newsletter. If not, please consult the Newsletter on the website and contact the Newsletter team. Anyone wishing to place information in the Newsletter should contact the Editors to determine if space is available. The deadline for copy is mid-February. The Newsletter will be ready for distribution, both electronically and hard copy, in March.
And so, preparations are gearing up for CSA 2003. Please work with us and be ready in due course to pre-register and make your travel arrangements.
I am confident that CSA 2003 will be an exciting conference and look forward to seeing you there.
Jean Stubbs, President 2002/3
Caribbean Studies Association link information
CSA website www.caribscholars.org
2003 Conference website http://gseacademic.harvard.edu/~csa/ <http://gseacademic.harvard.edu/~csa/>
Also contact:
Jean Stubbs, President [log in to unmask]
Pedro Noguera, Chair, Programme Committee [log in to unmask]
Valerie Smith, Secretary-Treasurer [log in to unmask]
Holger Henke/George Priestley, Newsletter Editors [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> , [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
To all British scholars of the Caribbean
I would like to encourage British scholars of the Caribbean to submit a
paper/panel proposal for the 28th Annual Conference of the Caribbean Studies
Association, to be held in Belize, 26-31 May 2003. Please note the extended
deadline for paper/panel submissions is Jan 14, though we can allow some
leeway, especially if notified of intent. Proposals should be submitted to
the CSA 2003 Program Chair Pedro Noguera. There is funding available to
cover travel costs, which will be allocated on a competitive basis. Requests
for British Scholar travel funding should be submitted to me.
Professor Jean Stubbs
President, Caribbean Studies Association
|
