The annual Borderlands Symposium of Latin American and Border Studies (LABS) was held during the week of March 30 to April 3, with the theme “The Movements that Connect Us.” During this cultural celebration, the Department of Latin American and Border Studies and Latinos Unidos took the opportunity to promote not only the courses that will be offered next year, but also to enhance the rich Latin American culture that exists in the United States and, especially, on the campus. Especially timely, the symposium’s focus on the theme of the search for identity is significant in a nation that chooses to divide them. 

But before we delve into the details of this week’s events, we must first understand what the Department of Latin American and Border Studies is and why it is dedicated to raising awareness about issues related to the Latine community. 

LABS is interdisciplinary and includes faculty from a wide variety of academic departments, including Anthropology, Art History, History, Philosophy, Political Science, and Sociology. Some familiar faces from the program were key organizers of this educational festival, such as Dr. Jethro Hernández Berrones, Associate Professor of History and Department Chair, who coordinated the main panel of the symposium “I Move, Therefore I Am.” 

The primary goal of this program is to gain a comprehensive and interconnected understanding of the societies, cultures, history, and political and economic systems of Latin America, with a special emphasis on the connections between Latin America and the United States, paying particular attention to the U.S.-Mexico border. In addition, the program includes a brief section dedicated to the study of Native Americans. However, unlike other programs that treat these regions separately or limit the focus to only the courses offered, LABS on Southwestern University’s campus views the border not merely as a physical wall, but as a “contact zone”: a complex space where nations, economies, and identities intermingle and collide. For this reason, by launching the for the first time the Borderlands Symposium in 2023, LABS actively fosters this very contact and uses it as an interactive and public forum for the rest of the student body at Southwestern University.

LABS in a Nutshell: Meet and Greet

The introduction and initial overview of this symposium took place on Monday, March 30, with a presentation by faculty members affiliated with the Department of Latin American and Border Studies and an overview of their courses. Among the courses offered for the upcoming semester are those in Fine Arts, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Spanish Proficiency, covering topics such as Race and Ethnicity Studies, Feminist Studies, International Studies, LABS, Social Justice, Power and Justice, and Environmental Studies.

Throughout an hour and a half, students were free to mingle with familiar faces from the program and meet new members to gain a better understanding of the program’s importance and its plans.