“Day of the ‘Race’?” – Octo­ber 12 and Con­test­ed Mem­o­ry in Latin America

Lec­ture with Dr. Andrea Acle-Kreysing

Day of the Race: This lec­ture explores the his­to­ry of Octo­ber 12 and illus­trates, through exam­ples from var­i­ous Latin Amer­i­can coun­tries, how the mean­ing of this date has shift­ed over time – from a colo­nial-inspired nation­al hol­i­day to a plat­form for decolo­nial cri­tique, indige­nous self-asser­tion, and the recog­ni­tion of cul­tur­al diversity.

The talk also sheds light on Latin America’s com­plex his­to­ry of migra­tion: Who has shaped the region’s social mosa­ic? Which voic­es have been ignored for too long? And how can col­lec­tive mem­o­ry be reimag­ined today in a more inclu­sive and just way?