Wood, a professor in the  and co-designer of the , was recently named the 2025 Baptista Prize winner for the essay, Tidal Relations: Pelagic Theories of the Black Atlantic. 

The essay outlines ocean-based (pelagic) theories that demonstrate how Black scholars and artists analyze and respond to anti-Black racism, oppression, environmental harm, and Eurocentric power systems by thinking through the significance of the Atlantic Ocean and sites of the Middle Passage. 

"This paper is guided by the question, what pelagic theories can be applied to explain, comprehend, and inspire Black contemporary life and struggle in the aftermath of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery?" Wood states in the essay's abstract. 

This prestigious annual prize honours an outstanding scholarly essay from a humanities, social science, business or legal perspective that relates to the Latin American or Caribbean studies. Wood is currently pursuing doctoral studies at York University. 

"As a first-generation immigrant settler, Canadian artist from the Caribbean, I create artwork inspired by the diasporic wonder and trauma of the sea," Wood states in the essay. "I see deep connections between my struggles now and the trauma of the Middle Passage, slavery, and racial capitalism." 

Read Natalie Wood's award-winning essay 

Congratulations, Professor Natalie Wood, on this achievement and your ongoing contributions! 

Photo: Professor Natalie Wood, centre, with colleagues and guests at William Peyton Hubbard Atrium naming event, February 5, 2026. 

To read the story at the George Brown website, click .

In Plantation Knowledge: Agricultural Colonization, Exploitation, and Exchange Since 1500, edited by Nicholas B. Miller and Ulrike Lindner. 

Here is a description of the book, and the link:

The first book to examine plantations in their global variations through the history of knowledge.

Few institutions feature as prominently in contemporary notions of colonialism, racism, and environmental degradation as the modern plantation. The racialized plantations of the Atlantic World loom large in the public imagination, namely those of the British Caribbean and the US South. Yet, the plantation has proliferated into the Information Age and has continued to expand across the tropical zone of our planet, surviving the abolition of slavery, the collapse of European empires, and the challenge of generations of anti-colonial thinkers. To grasp how the plantation has spread and evolved in our modern world, this volume studies what it terms plantation knowledge, or the types of expertise, experience, and information processing that have made and continue to make plantations possible. Drawing on case studies including Ireland, Mexico, Mississippi, Hawai驶i, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Cuba, Brazil, and Central Africa, it examines the global spread of the plantation; the diverse people, beings, and forms of knowledge intertwined with this process; and the elasticity and durability of the plantation as a mode of commercial agriculture.

To find out more about the book click here:

This article examines the adverse impact of the La Ni帽a phenomenon in Argentina from 1988 to 1989 on the country鈥檚 economy, which led to a profound crisis. The severe drought significantly affected agricultural exports, exacerbating poverty and inflation. The resulting economic downturn was triggered in part by the drought and precipitated a political crisis, ultimately resulting in the resignation of President Alfons铆n and paving the way for the election of Carlos Menem as Argentina鈥檚 president. This study sheds light on the intricate interplay between climatic events, economic performance, and political dynamics, highlighting the vulnerability of countries heavily reliant on agriculture and emphasizing the need for comprehensive strategies to mitigate the socioeconomic consequences of natural disasters.

Este trabajo examina el impacto adverso del fen贸meno de La Ni帽a en Argentina entre 1988 y 1989 sobre la econom铆a del pa铆s, que condujo a una profunda crisis. La severa sequ铆a afect贸 significativamente las exportaciones agr铆colas, exacerbando la pobreza y la inflaci贸n. La recesi贸n econ贸mica resultante, provocada en parte por la sequ铆a, precipit贸 una crisis pol铆tica que finalmente result贸 en la renuncia del presidente Alfons铆n y allan贸 el camino para la elecci贸n de Carlos Menem como nuevo presidente de Argentina. Este estudio arroja luz sobre la intrincada interacci贸n entre los eventos clim谩ticos, el desempe帽o econ贸mico y la din谩mica pol铆tica, destacando la vulnerabilidad de los pa铆ses que dependen en gran medida de la agricultura y enfatizando la necesidad de estrategias integrales para mitigar las consecuencias socioecon贸micas de los desastres naturales.

To read the full article click

We hope this message finds you well.

We are pleased to share several exciting updates with you:

New Leadership

• Dr. Kristin Ciupa (University of Regina) has assumed the role of CALACS President
• The new Executive Committee includes Vice Presidents Tameka Samuels-Jones (快播视频) and Marie-Jos茅e Massicotte (University of Ottawa), Treasurer Jorge Daniel V谩squez (University of Regina), and Secretary Patricia Harms (Brandon University)

2026 CALACS Congress

• The University of Calgary will host our Congress from May 6-9, 2026
• Theme: Latin American and Caribbean Cities and Societies
• Call for Papers coming soon via our listserv and website

To read the full CALACS announcement click here.

Le recteur de l鈥橴niversit茅 d鈥櫭塼at d鈥橦a茂ti (), Dr Dieuseul Pr茅d茅lus, a r茅cemment effectu茅 une s茅rie de rencontres au Coll猫ge Glendon聽de l鈥橴niversit茅 York, ainsi qu鈥櫭� l鈥�, en vue d鈥檃cc茅l茅rer la mise en 艙uvre de partenariats universitaires concrets.

芦Pour conclure une convention de collaboration ouvrant des passerelles de mobilit茅 茅tudiante et professorale, et faire progresser des chantiers prioritaires en transformation num茅rique, litt茅ratie en intelligence artificielle (IA) et diplomatie du savoir禄, a pr茅cis茅 Dr Pr茅d茅lus 脿 l-express.ca.

To read the full story, click .

In the early 1990s, 鈥渜ueer anthropology鈥� represented a new and radically different approach to anthropological research on sexuality and gender, but it is now an established subfield of sociocultural anthropology. Queer Anthropology provides a concise, accessible overview of queer anthropology's academic and activist origins, its key theoretical and methodological principles, its strengths and weaknesses, and how it has changed since its first appearance over thirty years ago.

To read the full story click .

A research initiative led by 快播视频 is building lasting partnerships and resources to support community-driven autonomy strategies across Central America and the Caribbean.

In 2024, Prilly Bicknell-Hersco sat on the shaded porch of a house on Colombia鈥檚 San Andr茅s Archipelago, surrounded by seven Raizal women, an Afro-Caribbean ethnic group native to the region.

A PhD student in the Faculty of Education, Bicknell-Hersco was there as the senior research assistant for a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)-funded project led by Miguel Gonz谩lez, professor in 快播视频鈥檚 Department of Social Science, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies.

The project 鈥� titled 鈥淓mancipatory Horizons for Self-Determination of Indigenous and Afro-Descendant Peoples in Central America鈥� 鈥� is focused on exploring the different forms of autonomous self-governance systems developed by these communities to assert their rights, while strengthening their autonomy strategies and legal capacities throughout the region.

While Bicknell-Hersco was on that porch in her capacity as a researcher, there were no surveys or structured interviews. Just a circle of women 鈥� all mothers 鈥� talking about their hopes for their children, including maintaining their cultural identity and self-determination.

For her, it was a powerful reminder of how the project differs from conventional research 鈥� both in intention, method and planned outcome. 鈥淭hat was very memorable for me: to not just read about a community or assume what I think of a community, but to sit down on their porch and talk,鈥� she says.

To read the full story click here.

In the early 1990s, 鈥渜ueer anthropology鈥� represented a new and radically different approach to anthropological research on sexuality and gender, but it is now an established subfield of sociocultural anthropology. Queer Anthropology provides a concise, accessible overview of queer anthropology's academic and activist origins, its key theoretical and methodological principles, its strengths and weaknesses, and how it has changed since its first appearance over thirty years ago.

To read the full story click .

Story focus: Tameka Samuels-Jones is empowering emerging scholars from Latin America and the Caribbean to succeed in Canada.

For aspiring researchers looking to advance their academic careers abroad, Canada holds a lot of appeal. It鈥檚 recognized for its social stability and multicultural ideals, and as a place where researchers have the freedom to study what interests them. Yet Black, Indigenous and Latinx peoples from Latin America and the Caribbean face significant barriers to contributing scholarly work. Those barriers leave their voices underrepresented in the literature鈥攁nd deprive Canada of their valuable perspectives.

Breaking down those barriers is a focus for Tameka Samuels-Jones, an assistant professor at 快播视频 and co-director of the institution鈥檚 Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLAC). Supported by a grant Samuels-Jones earned in receiving the 2023 , new work by CERLAC鈥檚 Black, Indigenous and Latinx Research Laboratory (BILX-Lab) will empower emerging researchers to make important contributions to Canada鈥檚 scholarly knowledge.

鈥淭hese promising researchers need to understand that the problem isn鈥檛 the value of their work, but the unique professional and academic challenges they face,鈥� Samuels-Jones says.

To read the full story click .