SLACA Call for Sessions, Papers and Posters,
AAA 2009

DEADLINE: 1 APRIL 2009

The Society for Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology (SLACA) invites proposals for sessions, papers and posters to be presented as part of the American Anthropological Association's Annual Meetings to be held in Philadelphia, PA, December 2-6, 2009. The deadline for submission is 5 p.m. EST April 1, 2009; submission forms will be available online at the AAA Meetings home page. We particularly encourage SLACA members who are organizing or participating in sessions that fit well with the themes of the 2009 Meetings to submit their sessions for consideration for Invited Session status. For full consideration, proposals for Invited Sessions should be submitted by March 16, 2009. The remainder of this CFP contains information about the theme of the 2009 Meetings, and procedures for organizing and submitting session, paper and poster proposals.

THEMES
The theme of the 2009 Meetings is "The End/s of Anthropology." The full text of the theme statement is available here. The theme challenges participants to examine the shifting relevance of anthropology in today's world, to assess the contributions of anthropology at a time when the once distinctive methods and concepts of our disciplines are taken up in a range of other fields, and to reflect upon both the limits/ends of some of our scholarly endeavors as well as the emerging or renewed purposes/ends of a reinvented anthropology for the new millennium. The SLACA Program Committee invites proposals for presentations that take up these challenges in the light of scholarship anchored in the regions of Latin America and the Caribbean. What, for instance, are the ends of regionally focused scholarship today? How do the legacies of Latin American and Caribbean anthropology and the emerging directions in our fields contribute to the broader disciplinary conversation encouraged by the conference organizers?

SUBMITTING PROPOSALS
Full instructions for submitting sessions, papers and posters can be found at the Meetings home page. In brief: AAA rules limit each member's participation to one paper presentation and one other role (discussant, chair, organizers); sessions should be submitted as a single session (1.75 hours) or as a double session (3.75 hours), composed of 15 minute slots for paper and discussant presentations and general discussion; poster sessions are similarly 1.75 hours with 7 posters scheduled per session.

For full consideration, proposals for INVITED SESSIONS should be sent directly to Andrew Orta, SLACA Program Committee Chair by Monday, March 16, 2009. Like other sections, SLACA is allotted a limited number of invited sessions. The earlier submission deadline will allow the the Program Committee to make the best use of these programming slots; this includes stretching our allotted time by identifying sessions that might be co-sponsored with other AAA sections. If you are submitting your proposed session for review by another AAA section, please indicate this when you send it to SLACA. Single, rather than double session, will allow for a more diverse set of panels, so please consider a shorter format when preparing your proposals. Proposals received after the March 16 deadline may also be considered for Invited status, depending upon the availability of our allotted programming slots. Proposals for invited sessions should be complete, including an abstract of the panel, and paper abstracts and institutional affiliation for each participant. Please note that you will also have to submit your materials online through the AAA meetings home page by the April 1 deadline.

We look forward to a wide variety of session, paper and poster proposals and especially encourage student members of SLACA to participate in the meetings. Posters offer an effective way to present and receive feedback on your work outside of the constraints of the 15 minute paper format. A useful guide to preparing and presenting posters is available here. The 2009 Theme casts a broad net and presents opportunities for SLACA members to contribute to a range of important conversations in our discipline. As the anthropology of Latin American and the Caribbean involves communities that extend beyond the geographical boundaries of nation or region, we encourage session organizers to explore points of collaboration between SLACA and other AAA sections and to identify new SLACA members along the way.