Submission Deadline Extended: Tuesday, September 20, 2022, 11:59pm ET
La Lucha Sigue: Refusal, Resistance, and Praxis at Critical Junctures The Fight Continues: Refusal, Resistance, and Praxis at Critical Junctures La Lucha Sigue: Rechazo, Resistencia y Práctica en Momentos Críticos
Thank you for your interest in submitting a conference proposal for the 2023 AAHHE National Conference to be held on March 1-3, 2023 and hosted by College of Southern Nevada (Las Vegas, NV).
After a successful in-person conference in 2022, AAHHE is continuing an in-person convening; conference sessions will also be live-streamed. Anyone submitting a conference proposal will be asked to commit to attending the conference in-person should their proposal be accepted. The deadline for submission of conference proposals is Tuesday, September 20, 2022, 11:59 p.m. ET.
Conference Theme
The 2023 AAHHE National Conference La Lucha Sigue: Refusal, Resistance and Praxis at Critical Junctures aims to showcase the transformative action taking place within our respective communities. We acknowledge that intentional individual and communal actions of refusal and resistance are needed to actively contribute to the liberation in totality for Latinx/a/o/e students, staff, faculty and communities. The 2023 conference is a particularly important event, because AAHHE and the Latinx/a/o/e community are at critical junctures due to intersectional injustices, political oppression, and the ongoing pandemic that continues to impact our realities. The fight against the status quo continues. In this call for proposals, you will find information on the conference strands, submission types and the submission process. AAHHE continues to evolve in the midst of the ongoing pandemic and intersectional injustices that the Latinx/a/o/e community continuously navigates. AAHHE invites proposals that:
- Transform the landscape of higher education and demonstrate institutional efforts for the empowerment of Latinx/a/o/e communities.
- Exhibit asset-based perspectives.
- Showcase various approaches to justice-oriented work in higher education.
- Define the way in which refusal and resistance is utilized to promote justice oriented praxis.
- Exemplify action-oriented policies and practices in higher education that prioritize the progress of Latinx/a/o/e students, staff and faculty.
Conference proposals can be submitted across five conference strands anchored on the 2023 conference theme La Lucha Sigue: Refusal, Resistance and Praxis at Critical Junctures and one of four concurrent session types (i.e., roundtables, research papers, interactive symposia and poster sessions) described below.
Conference Strands
The 2023 AAHHE National Conference is showcasing the following five conference strands:
- Refusing a Singular Lucha: Radicalization of Healing, Connecting, and Coalescing Through Critical Praxis
- Transformative Policy and Practices at Critical Junctures
- Resisting Traditional Ideas and Advancing New Approaches in Education Research
- Praxis: Igniting Action for the Progress of Latinx/a/o/e Communities
- Creating Coalitions in Solidarity to Address Inequities
Strand 1 Refusing a Singular Lucha: Radicalization of Healing, Connecting, and Coalescing Through Critical Praxis
To heal, we must first understand the harms that exist and have yet to be addressed. We recognize that there exists multiple luchas (fights) for the Latinx/a/o/e community. These struggles have both unique and interconnected parts and offer opportunities for coalition building, coalitional praxis and coalitional reflection. This strand asks the AAHHE community to identify the struggles often marginalized and reduced by singular narratives and share successes and failures in addressing these issues. This strand seeks to inform and broaden our approaches to addressing our multiple luchas (fights) within research, practice and collaborations. We invite proposals that embrace forms of addressing these multiple struggles in the following areas (including work in progress):
- Understanding the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on the Latinx/o/a/e community and in higher education.
- Recognizing and acknowledging various ways of healing and the radical act of action.
- Addressing the challenges and highlighting successes of accessing mental and physical care and health information in Latinx/a/o/e communities, both inside and outside of educational environments.
- Engaging in holistic healing practices and spaces that foster growth and emotional wellness.
- Coalitional healing, self-reflection and/or healing as a community act.
- Centering the healing and wellness of Afro-Latinx/a/o/e, Central Americans, Caribbean Latinx/a/o/e and the greater Latinx/a/o/e diaspora.
- Practicing radical hope in various ways and forms.
- Exploring sex and/or gender identity based healing practices within oppressive systems.
- Decoupling mental health and social stigma associated with coping and healing.
Strand 2 Transformative Policy and Practices at Critical Junctures
We acknowledge that we are at a place, both as a community and a nation, where we are witnessing historical injustices, political oppression and a lack of compassion in our collective experiences. We are at critical junctures and cannot and should not keep doing the same things if we are to strive and thrive. This strand draws on Grande’s (2018) words: “one of the most radical refusals we can authorize is to work together as one ... where the work of the collectivity is intentionally structured to obscure and transcend the single voice, body, and life.” (p. 62). This means examining policy-making and practice from a critical lens, including process, actors and politics that reproduce and/or dismantle inequities for our communities and higher education. We encourage proposals that (1) emphasize the interdependence and interconnectedness of policy to Latinx/a/o/e education and experiences; (2) expose inconsistencies between policy intent and implementation; (3) propose emerging critical policy frameworks that move to a nuanced understanding of policy and practice at critical junctures. Proposals that center on the following topics are welcomed:
- Examining practices of refusal and resistance that promotes Latinx/a/o/e progress in the educational pathway.
- Interrogating the impacts of neoliberal policies and practices on Latinx/a/o/e communities in education.
- Engaging in co-conspirative action of interconnectedness and interdependence.
- Creating transformative pathways to executive leadership within higher education.
- Utilizing macro and micro level policy and practices that humanize those within higher education institutions.
- Examining ways in which sex and/or gender are used as vehicles of empowerment and demand for change.
- Coalition building to challenge xenophobic, anti-immigration rhetoric and legislation and nationalistic policies.
Strand 3 Resisting Traditional Ideas and Advancing New Approaches in Education Research
Theories that inform our lenses and research have been historically Eurocentric, often framing our communities in deficit ways. Part of refusal, resistance and praxis at critical junctures requires that we explore and embrace ideas and approaches in education that are interdisciplinary, anti-colonial and challenge anti-Blackness, anti-Indigeneity, transphobia and other systems of oppression. This strand seeks proposals that (1) take interdisciplinary approaches to explore new or existing concepts/ideas relating to Latinx/a/o/e liberation; (2) introduce frameworks that address praxis and frameworks centering marginalized populations, communities and emerging issues; (3) explore new questions and/or underexplored questions that challenge ‘paradigmatic’ ideas and concepts in Latinx/a/o/e education research; (4) share experiential knowledge of those engaged in praxis to advance new approaches, drawing from practice, community and research; and (5) articulate ideas, research and practices with clarity that acknowledge the audience of community members, practitioners, students and emerging and seasoned scholars. Proposals that center on the following topics are welcome:
- Focusing on Indigenous communities in higher education.
- Highlighting student success through utilizing new approaches, radical acts and research.
- Recognizing the intersectional narrative within the Latinx/a/o/e community.
- Challenging notions of Latinidad and mestizaje.
- Acknowledging a transnational narrative within Latinx/a/o/e communities.
- Addressing anti-Blackness, racism and colorism within Latinx/a/o/e communities and in higher education.
- Examining, nuancing and building Latinx/a/o/e research narratives, definitions, and ways of knowing in higher education.
- Furthering ideas, theories and understandings of Latinx/a/o/e centric research.
Strand 4 Praxis: Igniting action for the progress of Latinx/a/o/e communities
More than just thought, praxis is when theory is enacted, embodied and realized within practice. This strand seeks proposals for practices that are responsive to the needs of Latinx/a/o/e communities of higher education. This strand seeks proposals that (1) utilizes critical perspectives and practices for the advancement of all those within the Latinx/a/o/e community; (2) addresses long-standing educational inequities to forge a more inclusive and just path forward; and (3) disrupts oppressive systems through the use of praxis such as activism, grassroots organizing and other forms of action-oriented processes. Proposals that center on the following topics are welcome:
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Centering Afro-Latinx/a/o/e identity and the greater Latinx/a/o/e diaspora with praxis in postsecondary settings.
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Supporting student, staff and faculty success through direct action and theory to practice efforts.
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Interrogating the ways in which institutions of higher education continue to be violent environments for LGBTQ+ Latinx/a/o/e students, faculty and staff.
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Examining the generational differences between student activists and established college faculty and leaders.
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Engaging in action that centers decolonial practices as a means of creating a paradigm shift.
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Leveraging the intersections of social identities (race, gender, etc.) to actively resist systems of oppression.
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Research Practice Partnerships (RPP).
Strand 5 Creating Coalitions in Solidarity to Address Inequities
In solidarity, there is a need to address the systemic inequities that have disadvantaged and marginalized Latinx/a/o/e youth, learners and their families throughout the educational pathway and beyond. This strand seeks proposals that (1) explore the community ties and/or partnerships; (2) explore asset-based solutions to ensure the long-term sustainability of community partnerships and their role in advancing the educational interests of Latinx/a/o/e communities; and (3) are intentional student-focused and co-curated approaches that center access, equity and inclusion in educational settings. Proposals that center the following topics are welcome:
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Advancing community-based mentorship, community empowerment, civic engagement, non-profit or foundation work.
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Creating leadership, mentoring, and career opportunities for Latinx/a/o/e populations.
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Beyond traditional measures of educational attainment, approaches to increasing social mobility, inter-generational wealth, professional success and social upliftment.
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Utilizing national partnerships for the educational progress of Latinx/a/o/e youth.
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Building small and large scale coalitions with departments, across campus, system-wide, and/or external stakeholders.
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Hiring, inclusion, and retention practices for Afro-Latinx/a/o/e, Asian-Latinx/a/o/e, Indigenous Latinx/a/o/e, Trans*, Gender Non-Conforming and other Latinx/a/o/e diaspora communities.
Concurrent Session Types
The 2023 AAHHE National Conference is showcasing four concurrent session types: roundtables, research papers, interactive symposia and poster sessions.
Roundtables showcase informal discussions and exchange of ideas between participants and up to three presenters on current issues, practices and/or research in higher education. Presenters are encouraged to present the topic and/or study and open up the floor for conversation. No more than 10 minutes should be allocated to presentation time in order to leave time for conversation. The roundtable participants may ask questions and discuss relevant issues in more detail than is typical in other types of sessions. Roundtable proposals should describe as many of the following as are applicable in 750-1,000 words, preferably in this order:
- Objectives or purposes of the paper/discussion and their alignment with Refusal, Resistance and Praxis at Critical Junctures for Latinx/a/o/e communities in higher education.
- Significance of the roundtable.
- Perspectives or theoretical/conceptual frameworks that will guide the discussion.
- Proposed research plan, study methods or modes of inquiry; if applicable.
- Data sources or evidence, if applicable.
- Analytical plan/approach, if applicable.
- Practice and/or research implications.
Research Papers present findings that address current issues in the area of Latinx/a/o/e communities in higher education. Theory-based and data-driven, research paper sessions offer implications of research and findings to increase participants’ understanding of best practices for Latinx/a/o/e communities in higher education. Only one research paper will be highlighted per session. Research paper authors will not be expected to submit or provide a completed conference paper to participants, but authors should plan to present their research findings in some way (Handout, PowerPoint presentation, etc.). Papers may be unpublished works; published works are also welcomed. In 750 - 1,000 words, research paper proposals should describe as many of the following as are applicable, preferably in this order:
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Study significance and objectives and their alignment with Refusal, Resistance and Praxis at Critical Junctures for Latinx/a/o/e communities in higher education.
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Research questions addressed.
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Theoretical or conceptual framework.
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Connection to literature.
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Anticipated or preliminary findings.
Interactive Symposia are focused sessions in which multiple authors/presenters share their perspectives about a common theme, issue or question. The format of an interactive symposium session usually consists of an introduction to the topic by the chairperson to provide the audience with a background for the ensuing discussion. Authors/presenters then share their viewpoints, followed by discussion with the broader audience. Often, the symposium will end with an overview of the proceedings by the chairperson or a discussant. The chair or discussant should not give a separate presentation. Their role is to integrate, interpret, and highlight the essential issues raised by authors/presenters. For space considerations, please limit presenters to no more than five total. In 750 - 1,000 words, proposals for interactive symposia should describe as many of the following as are applicable, preferably in this order:
- Objective(s) and purpose of the session and their alignment with Refusal, Resistance and Praxis at Critical Junctures for Latinx/a/o/e communities in higher education.
- Theoretical or conceptual frameworks, if applicable.
- Backgrounds of the presenters as related to the session’s topic.
- Expertise or perspectives that each presenter/facilitator will contribute.
- Structure and format of the session, including the designation of a moderator and strategies to facilitate audience discussion and learning.
Poster Sessions highlight new research ideas, innovations and advances for the Latina/o/x/e community in higher education. Presenter(s) allow the audience and attendees to engage in extended and meaningful discussion regarding the author’s presentation that is in illustrated format on a poster board. Posters should be 3’ x 4’ (36” x 48”) and will be placed on a board in a large hall. Presenter(s) are expected to be at their assigned presentation during the entire duration of the poster session. In 750 – 1,000 words, poster session proposal should describe as many of the following as are applicable, preferably in this order:
- Study significance and objectives and their alignment with Refusal, Resistance and Praxis at Critical Junctures for Latinx/a/o/e communities in higher education.
- Research questions addressed.
- Theoretical or conceptual framework.
- Connection to literature.
- Anticipated or preliminary findings.
How to Submit a Conference Proposal
A submission form must be completed via the AAHHE submissions portal no later than Tuesday, September 20, 2022, by 11:59 pm EST. The submission portal will prompt you to log-in. If you are an active AAHHE member and you have logged in the past six months, you will be able to login as a returning user; you will be able to reset your password if needed. If you are an AAHHE member and have not renewed your membership, please note that you will need an active membership in order to log-in. If you are not a member of AAHHE, you can login by creating a new account.
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The submission form will prompt for the proposal description to be uploaded as a MS Word (.doc or .docx) or Portable Document File (.pdf). Additional supporting documents such as a list of references and additional attachment to include tables, figures, images and/or appendices should be included at the end of the proposal description.
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All presenters' information needs to be accurately submitted for full consideration.
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Please note that if/when your proposal is accepted, each presenter will be asked to commit to attending the conference and presenting in person. Conference sessions will be live-streamed for maximum audience engagement.
The conference proposal shall consist of:
- Selection of a conference strand
- Selection of a submission type
- The following information to be submitted directly via the online submission form:
- Presentation Title (15-word maximum)
- Abstract (75-word maximum)
- Three to five (3-5) learning objectives (or intended outcomes) for conference participants.
- A proposal description (750 words-1,000) to be uploaded, as an MS Word (.doc or .docx) or Portable Document File (.pdf), and to include the following information.
- Purpose of presentation. Be sure to draw connections to the conference theme and/or strand.
- Philosophical, theoretical, conceptual or practical arguments related to the stated purpose of presentation.
- Review of literature relevant to the topic, issue or problem within the field of higher education. References should be listed separately.
- If appropriate, methodological underpinnings and findings (i.e., preliminary, partial, or full). Note: Tables, figures, images, and/or appendices can be included as a separate attachment.
- Method(s) for engaging attendees (e.g., polling, small-group discussion, case study analysis, written reflection, etc.).
- Outline of how time will be allocated to various activities (e.g., Introduction = 5 min.; Literature Review = 10 min.; Findings = 20 min.; Discussion = 20 min.).
- At the end of the document, include a list of references cited in the proposal description relevant to the topic, issue or problem within the field of higher education. The references should follow APA Style.
- After the references are listed, you can add additional information to include tables, figures, images and/or appendices.
Do not include the list of references in the word count of the proposal description. Please include the last name of the primary contact and abbreviated title in "file name" (e.g. Baca--AfroLatinxStudents) of the proposal description.
Proposal Review Process
All proposals will be evaluated through a peer-review process led by the AAHHE Conference Planning Committee. Any inquiries or questions related to your proposal should be directed to the 2023 AAHHE Conference Chair Dr. Hermen Díaz III (SUNY-Buffalo State College) and Co-chair Dr. Audrey Baca Lopez (Mt. San Jacinto College) at [email protected].
All proposals will be assessed based on the following general guidelines:
- Ability to align with the conference theme and/or the selected strand
- Importance of the study, topic, issue or problem to the field of higher education (contributions to new knowledge, theory and/or practice)
- Overall quality of the proposal (e.g., quality of writing, organization of ideas, clarity of assumptions, logic of arguments, etc.).
- Clarity of focus or findings, whether partially or fully reported.
- Addresses or shows sensitivity towards issues within the Latinx/a/o/e community related to refusal, resistance and praxis.
In addition, the following specific guidelines for each concurrent session type will be evaluated as follows:
Roundtable Proposals: perspectives or theoretical/conceptual frameworks align with the conference theme and proposals that demonstrate potential for scholarly discussion with implications for policy, practice and/or research.
Interactive Symposium Proposals: integration and coherence of panelists’ perspectives as a group of experts, range of knowledge and/or points of view represented by panelists and strategies for involving the audience in the discussion and promoting interactive learning.
Research Paper Proposals: clear theoretical or conceptual frameworks, connection to relevant literature, and soundness of the research approach (e.g., methodology), method(s) and analysis.
Poster Session Proposals: clear theoretical or conceptual frameworks, connection to relevant literature, and soundness of the research approach (e.g., methodology), method(s), and analysis.
The following criteria will be used to evaluate proposals:
- Exceeds Expectations: Information is very clear and readily comprehensible to three or more audiences (e.g., students, faculty, administrators, community members, etc.). Content advances new understandings and/or innovation in higher education. Attendees will achieve all stated learning outcomes/objectives.
- Meets Expectations: Information is clear and comprehensible to at least two audiences (e.g., students, faculty, etc.). Content aligns with current understandings and practices in higher education. Attendees will achieve most stated learning outcomes/objectives.
- Needs Improvement: Information needs to be clarified and is only comprehensible for one audience. Content needs to be explained in greater detail in order to understand the connection to higher education. Attendees will achieve half of the stated learning outcomes/objectives.
- Does Not Meet Expectations: Information is unclear and incomprehensible. Content does not align with higher education. Attendees will not achieve stated learning outcomes/objectives.
Additional Information
- Conference participants will be able to register to attend the conference in-person or virtually as all conference concurrent sessions will be livestreamed.
- All program presenters will be required to register for the conference and pay the in-person conference registration fee.
- AAHHE and College of Southern Nevada will provide a screen and LCD projector.
- Conference presenters will be required to bring their laptops for their presentations.
- Neither honoraria nor expenses, including registration fees, will be paid by AAHHE to program presenters.
- Every effort is made to offer a quality program for conference participants. Once accepted, presenters will be asked to sign, and honor, a commitment to present.
- AAHHE reserves the right to recommend changes in a proposal, and to encourage joint presentations if multiple proposals are submitted on similar topics.
- Information printed in the conference program is based on the proposal application. Please ensure the information submitted is accurate since that is how it will appear in the program.
Revised October 25, 2022
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