By: O Istmo EDITORIAL TEAM*
Centroamérica 1989 will bring together brief reflective essays and creative pieces that address the social, political, cultural, and economic factors that impacted Central Americans.
1989 is a key year for the region and for Central Americans: the U.S. invaded Panamá; the U.S.-backed contra war fueled destruction in Nicaragua and would lead to the ending of the Sandinista Revolution the following year; the murder of six Jesuit priests at the Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas (UCA) in El Salvador; the unraveling of the guerrilla wars in El Salvador and Guatemala; and the further deterioration of the Honduran political situation.
1989 closes a decade characterized by horrendous state violence, massive social displacement, and forced migration that has yet to be reckoned with. All of this occurred in a global context that was marked by the dissolution of the USSR, the fall of the Berlin War, and the end of the Cold War.
To commemorate the 30 years that have transpired between 1989 and 2019, we propose a books with 30 short reflections or chronicles of this period to illustrate the some of the ways that our people experienced and remember these times.
Purpose of the Book
The structure of this book allows for creative approaches that give relevance to different events, including daily lived experiences that impacted or were impacted by economic, social, political, or cultural factors.
We are looking for reflections that engage with biographies and specific situations that address, power, domination, rebellion, social movements, and cultural resistance. These creative reflections allow for a challenging of traditional academic conventions and monographic essays, and instead allow for a discussion of the period from creative personal perspectives.
Centroamérica 1989 focuses on Central America in the broadest sense. Reflections do not have to be confined to the physical geography of the isthmus but can also consider anywhere that Central Americans exist. We see Central America as a point of departure for the individual reflections and essays.
This book is envisioned as a collective project that emerges from alliances between universities, research centers, and media outlets with which O Istmo (Articulación Centroamericanista) have professional relations and compas in order to create an plural space of intellectual debate and ideas.
This project have the support of: The Social Science Faculty of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA-Argentina), the CLACSO Working Group on Central America (Grupo de Trabajo del Consejo Latinoamericano de Ciencias Sociales “El istmo centroamericano repensando los centros”), the Postgrad Program on Social Policy and Human Rights of the Catholic University of Pelotas (PPGPSDH/UCPel-Brasil), the Social Researching Institute of University of Costa Rica (IIS-UCR), UCA Editores of the Central American University José Simeón Cañas (UCA, El Salvador) and the Latin American Studies Program of the California State University L.A (Los Ángeles, United States).
Through this project we hope to meet new allies and develop new institutional relationships.
Dates and Specifications for the Essays
- Reflections/essays can be submitted in either English or Spanish.
- They should not exceed 13,000 characters (with spaces).
- They should be written in Tahoma font (12pts), single spaced
- Authors should email their reflection essay and direct questions to info.oistmo@gmail.com.
- The due date is August 31, 2020.
*O Istmo EDITORIAL TEAM on this project is: Aleksander Aguilar Antunes (O Istmo), Carmen Elena Villacorta (O Istmo/UNJU), Esteban De Gori (UBA), Enrique Ochoa (CAL-State L.A), Mercedes Seone (O Istmo/UNC).
O Istmo 