IIC, ICCR hosts unique a cross-cultural dialogue between LAC and India

The International Research Division, India International Centre, New Delhi, in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, has organised a unique cross-cultural dialogue from February 20 to 22, 2023. The three-day event focuses on historical and contemporary connections with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and India.

Latin America and the Caribbean and India have a long history of cross-cultural connection and human interaction. Recent years have seen a visibly increased engagement between LAC and India at the political level and in trade and commerce. What has also attracted many Indians is the contemporary culture of the region, marked by vibrant social movements, the assertion of indigenous and gender identities and hybrid urban spaces oscillating between utopia and dystopia, all of which find expression in rich and diverse literary, intellectual and cultural landscapes.

The conference has brought together 20 speakers from LAC and 17 from India, including archaeologists, heritage specialists, historians, litterateurs, performance artists, journalists and representatives from civil society and government. N N Vohra, a life trustee of the IIC, will inaugurate the accompanying exhibition, ‘Connected Histories, Shared Present’. Ambassador Shyam Saran, President of IIC, chaired the inaugural keynote address by Dr Jorge Volpi, Mexican novelist and essayist and Director of Centre for Mexican Studies, UNAM-Spain on ‘Latin America: A Resurgence’.

The conference is being convened by Dr Sonya Surabhi Gupta, Professor of Latin American Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia. Papers will be presented on a variety of topics, including the cultures of the Indian diaspora in LAC, the ‘Bhagwad Gita’ and the Mexican Revolution, a comparison of the ideas of Mexican novelist Rulfo and Gandhi, non-alignment and LAC politics and others, in sessions titled ‘The Civilisational Landscape’, ‘Probing Contacts between India and the Caribbean’, ‘Oceanic Conversations between LAC and India on Language and Literature’ and others.

Each day of the conference will be capped by brilliant performances.