Memoria Decolonial at the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) Annual Conference
Memoria Decolonial will be at the annual conferences of the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) in San Juan, Puerto Rico from November 13–16. We are proud and honored to be one of the sponsors, and are excited to not only present, but to accompanny attendees on our decolonial walking detours. Book now through this link: https://www.nwsa.org/news-events/upcoming-events?_zs=D7wMo1&_zl=aa4RA. Look for our booth to chat with our team at the Centro de Convenciones, and don’t miss out on our panel presentation on the Black laundresses of San Juan, and our roundtable collab with el Archivo Histórico de Vieques (AHV), where we will discuss our joint participatory action research project.
ROUNDTABLE
When: Saturday, November 15th
Where: 104C - Centro de Convenciones
Roundtable: Trabajadoras (Indómitas) de la Memoria Viequense: Narrative Sovereignty and Participatory Action Research
Presenters: Dra. Marie Cruz Soto, Charissa Crispín Torres, Dr. Rafael V. Capo Garcia, Ilandra Guadalupe, and Alexandra Connelly Reyes.
Abstract: Vieques is an island of the Puerto Rican archipelago with a long colonial history that is usually told by those outside of the community. These narratives dominate public historical discourse, influence collective consciousness and silence Viequense voices. However, Viequenses women insist on narrative sovereignty as an end in itself and as a necessary tool for decolonial futures. They are at the forefront of the latest phase of La lucha viequense: the struggle to survive the colonial regime imposed on the island and flourish Viequense futures in Vieques. This roundtable delves into the memory work being done by Viequense women through a Participatory Action Research project integrating Viequense community voices into public history projects that inscribe the island of Vieques with Viequense presences. The project brings together Memoria (De)Colonial and the Archivo Histórico de Vieques.
The Archivo Histórico de Vieques is a community organization and archive born out of the Viequense struggle against the U.S. Navy occupation of the island (1940s-2003). It aims to empower Viequenses in the narration of their history—and in the imagining of Viequense futures in Vieques. Memoria (De)Colonial fosters critical and reflexive discourse on national narratives, as well as community narratives from a decolonial and antiracist perspective.
PANEL PRESENTATION
When: Sunday, November 16th
Where: 203 - Centro de Convenciones
Panel: Reading the Residue
Paper: Capó García, R. y Martínez Rivera, S. Challenging Empire: Women, labor, and race in the Ballajá community of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Abstract: In this presentation, we share the findings of a participatory research project carried out by members of Memoria Decolonial, a non-profit organization that develops public humanities initiatives that interrupt the coloniality of the city and its narratives. This detour explores the history of the Ballajá community to discuss the ways colonialism and militarization have historically transformed communities, erased histories, and impacted collective memory. Ballajá was a special community where hundreds of Black laundresses, seamstresses, and cooks lived independently on the margins of empire. We share our findings of the community’s different historical periods, using the city, its monuments and structures as focal points to speak about how it emerged, thrived and was eventually displaced by two different empires. This pattern of displacement and militarization resonates with the contemporary experiences of many Puerto Rican communities today, highlighting the need to recognize and remember these stories within the context of the ongoing struggle for justice and decolonization in Puerto Rico.
Hope to see you there.
