Symposia, Festivals, and Speakers

Every year, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at UC Irvine hosts the Juan Bruce-Novoa Conference on Mexican Studies. Over the course of more than twenty-nine editions, the conference has established itself as a key gathering for scholars and graduate students dedicated to the study of Mexican culture. The event features a distinguished lineup of keynote speakers, which in recent years has included  Maite Zubiaurre, Myriam Moscona, Magali Lara, Mariana Mora, Sara Poot-Herrera, Ignacio Sánchez Prado, Rosa Beltrán and David Toscana.

For over 17 years, faculty and students have organized a Latin American Film Festival featuring recent films that have not been commercially released in the United States. Each screening is introduced by a presenter who facilitates a discussion that follows each screening.

Curated by Jacobo Sefamí, Viviane Mahieux, Fernanda Hernández, and Raúl Romo, the 2025 UCI Latin American Film Festival offers an immersive exploration of Latin American cinema. Join us for screenings on March 4, April 3, 10, and 17.  Co-sponsored by the Department of Film and Media Studies and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

Join the Department of Spanish and Portuguese for the 2025 Hispanic Heritage Festival. Curated by faculty and graduate students, this vibrant celebration brings together lectures, film screenings, live music, poetry, hands-on workshops, and the student-led Día de los Muertos altar. The festival highlights the richness of Latinx cultures and traditions, welcoming both the local and Anteater community to take part in this dynamic event.

Our Distinguished Speaker Series showcases the most prominent figures in Spanish, Latin American, and Caribbean scholarship and cultural life. Previous speakers have included renowned scholars such as Rafael Rojas (CIDE, Mexico), Juan Ramón Resina (Iberian and Latin American Cultures, Stanford), Michael Gerli (Spanish, University of Virginia), and Germán Labrador Méndez (Spanish, Princeton). This Fall 2024, we hosted Professor Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes from the University of Michigan who gave a talk on Ana Macho and Tropical Decolonial Drag.  For details, please contact Jacobo Sefamí.

Every quarter the department invites two scholars to share their research with faculty and graduate students. Recent visitors include Bruno Bosteels (Cornell University), Carlos Pabón (Universidad de Puerto Rico, Río Piedras), Juan F. Egea (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Santiago Fernández Mosquera (Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain), Luis Martín-Cabrera (UC-San Diego), Enrique García Santo-Tomás (University of Michigan), Agnes Lugo-Ortiz (University of Chicago), Gloria Gervitz (Mexico), Arnaldo Cruz-Malavé (Fordham University), Steve Hutchinson (University of Madison-Wisconsin), Elizabeth B. Davis (Ohio State University), Maru Pabón (Yale University) and Pierre Folliet (Yale University). Visits are announced via email and social media.

 A number of international scholars stay at UC Irvine sponsored by our department. While a stay in Southern California facilitates their research, their presence at UCI is an important enrichment of our cultural life. Recent visitors include Lorena Amaro (Universidad Católica, Chile), Claudio Guerrero Valenzuela (Universidad Católica Valparaiso, Chile), Denise Leon (Conicet Argentina), Brigitte Adriaensen (Radboud University, Netherlands), and Miguel Gutiérrez Mate (Universidad Complutense, Madrid).

The Graduate Student Colloquium provides a dynamic platform for our graduate students to present their research and work in progress. This annual event fosters intellectual exchange, offering students the opportunity to share their ideas, receive constructive feedback, and engage with peers and faculty members in a collaborative academic environment. The colloquium highlights the diverse research interests within our department and showcases the innovative work being undertaken by our emerging scholars. It serves as a crucial step in the professional development of our graduate students, preparing them for future academic and professional endeavors.