The Department of Modern and Classical Literatures and Cultures and The Center for Environmental Studies present “In the Path of Disaster(s): Narratives around Natural Catastrophes in the Americas/Circum-Caribbean” at the Moody for the Arts.

 

Conference co-organizers Jacqueline Couti, Laurence H. Favrot Associate Professor of French and Francophone studies and Luis Duno-Gottberg, Professor of Caribbean and Media studies propose to offer a rigorous and enlightening encounter between scholars, artists, and activists, November 19 – 20.

 

This conference will highlight research, artwork, and activism from around the country, the Circum-Caribbean region, and Europe alongside studies from Rice faculty. Participants will discuss how disasters and natural catastrophes in the Circum-Caribbean region—broadly defined to include the Gulf coast areas of Texas and Louisiana—impact human interactions and shape societies. To explore how human activities and production impact natural disasters, discussions will often have a comparative approach that transcends historical and geographical delineations.  This interdisciplinary symposium will provide a productive framework that draws from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences enabling a fruitful dialogue.