Ailasa

AILASA is delighted to support the launch of Precarious Secrets: A History of the Latin American Political Thriller by Argentine-Brazilian author and AILASA President Fabricio Tocco.

This special event brings together scholars, readers, and members of the wider Canberra community to celebrate a significant contribution to Latin American literary and cultural studies. The book offers a compelling exploration of the political thriller tradition in Latin America and its intersections with history, memory, and representation.

We are especially pleased to welcome Dr Monique Rooney (ANU), who will join the conversation for the launch.

📅 Thursday 30 April 2026
🕔 5:00 PM
📍 Paperchain Bookstore, Manuka, ACT

Guests will also enjoy wine and light refreshments inspired by the region.

AILASA warmly invites colleagues, students, and all those interested in Iberian and Latin American studies to join us for what promises to be an engaging and celebratory evening.

Horizontes 2026: AILASA Mentoring Program

Are you an HDR student, Early Career Researcher, casual lecturer, or scholar navigating the academic job market in Iberian or Latin American Studies?

Horizontes is AILASA’s mentoring initiative designed to connect emerging scholars with experienced members of our community. Through a series of informal conversations across the academic year, mentors can offer guidance on things like academic careers, publishing, grant applications, and navigating the profession.

We are also warmly inviting mid-career and senior scholars to volunteer as mentors and help support the next generation of researchers in our field.

Mentor–mentee pairs will usually meet 2–4 times during the year, online or in person where possible.

📅 Expressions of interest close 31 March 2026

If you would like to participate as a mentor or mentee, please get in touch with us.

Join us for our event tonight ‘In Conversation with Mariana Enriquez’, featuring a discussion between International Booker Prize shortlisted author Mariana Enriquez and AILASA President Dr. Fabricio Tocco on her latest collection of short stories ‘A Sunny Place for Shady People’! See you soon ✨

📍 Harry Hartog Bookseller ANU
📆 6 PM 6/08
🎫 TIX: https://events.humanitix.com/in-conversation-with-mariana-enriquez

Join us for our upcoming event tomorrow In Conversation with Mariana Enriquez, featuring a discussion between International Booker Prize shortlisted author Mariana Enriquez and AILASA President Dr. Fabricio Tocco on her latest collection of short stories A Sunny Place for Shady People! See you soon ✨

📍 Harry Hartog Bookseller ANU
📆 6 PM 6/08
🎫 TIX: https://events.humanitix.com/in-conversation-with-mariana-enriquez

Hi everyone! Join us for our Research Bites with Spanish Researchers in Australia-Pacific Inc. at ANU this Friday (16/05) 🎉

If you can't make it in person, send us an email ([email protected]) and we'll provide you with the zoom link - see you soon!

Hi everyone! We are proud to announce that we are launching our brand new Instagram account today ☀

If you are on Instagram or X (Twitter), make sure to give our accounts a follow 😉

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/_ailasa/

X (Twitter): _AILASA_

https://x.com/_AILASA_

¡Y, por supuesto, celebramos! (And, of course, we celebrated!) Con Alejandro Florez, Capital Samba, y La Cocina Pura. Special thanks to Clandestino Canberra and Instituto Cervantes Sídney

Last week, Prof. Mariano Siskind from Harvard University gave a concluding keynote at AILASA2024 calling for a carving out a space for despair about the state of the world and against voluntarism.

"The Right to Despair: Voluntaristic Art, Melancholic Stances and the End of the World"

At the AILASA Conference last week, Dr. Fernanda Peñaloza from The University of Sydney gave a stirring keynote lecture on epistemology and praxis in academia titled:

"From América Latina (texto) to Abya Yála (tejido): Weaving Feminist Epistemologies and Pedagogies in Academia"

We had some fantastic presentations and panel discussions at AILASA 2024 last week!

Here are some photos of the:
- 'Trans-Indigenous Languages and Politics' Panel
- 'Trans-Indigenous Crime Fiction' Panel
- 'Transnational Literature and Translation' Panel

And that's a wrap!

From 29-31 May we held AILASA's 2024 Biennial Conference "Transnational Textures" co-organised by Thomas Nulley-Valdes & Fabricio Tocco from the School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics at the ANU.

Special thanks to co-sponsors and supporters the Research School of Humanities and the Arts at the ANU, Instituto Cervantes Sídney, Clandestino Canberra, ANU Latin American Students' Association (LASA)