Conceived seventeen years ago at The Ohio State University as a gateway through which promote the rich complexity of Latin America, The Ohio Latin Americanist Conference (OLAC), annually brings together a diverse group of specialists on the region.

As envisioned from the onset, the conference is hosted every three years by a different Ohio institution. This assures that all regions of the state have access to the wealth of topics discussed at each meeting. In recent years, Bowling Green, Case Western and Ohio State have kept alive the conference’s mission of gathering varied scholarly work pertinent to that continent.  Dissemination of multiple findings by scholars, educators, and students is at the core of the enterprise.

Last held in OHIO between 2008 and 2010, OLAC is back on campus for the next three years. The February 28-29, 2020 event will feature Dr. Brenda Elsey, Associate Professor of History at Hofstra University, as keynote speaker. The topic of her talk is titled: “Unruly Wives and Disobedient Daughters: Women’s Sport in Latin America.”

Alongside that exposition, approximately eighty other presenters, some coming from as far as Brazil, Massachusetts and Illinois, will give voice and agency to the spirit of this most unique conference.