The UCI Mexican Studies Conference has built a strong international reputation in the 28 years it has been held at UCI. We have approximately 70 panelists each year, ranging from advanced graduate students to distinguished professors who travel from universities throughout the United States, Mexico and Europe (Germany, Spain, Norway, France). This is an established and recognized forum where we engage with current debates on Mexican literature, culture, politics and the arts. Since its inception, the conference has also featured the work of renowned visual artists, such as painter Irma Palacios and photographer Graciela Iturbide, among others. Today, it is considered one of the conferences, if not the conference that young scholars working on Mexico must attend as part of their professionalization. 

Each year, we invite some of Mexico’s most respected scholars, writers and artists, and these keynote presentations are a highlight of the conference. See a list of past keynote speakers.

The 2025 topic of Imagining Futures, Rethinking the Pasts allows us to reflect on the field of Mexican Studies in the first quarter of the 21st century. How do academics and writers approach the cultural cannon today? How has the notion of cannon, and its functions, changed over the past century? How has the place of literature shifted as the field has broadened to include cultural studies and the digital world? How do we think of Mexico from within and from beyond its borders in a globalized academic world? We invite scholars to reflect on the past and present of humanistic study about Mexico through literature, film, and other cultural productions, and to imagine and envision various possible futures for our profession.

Join us at UCI as we build connections across borders and disciplines to shape more ethical, inclusive communities.