Until recently, work on the Caribbean has centered on the islands and has often been segmented into English-, French-, and Spanish-speaking enclaves. Seeking to locate bridges, connections, and conversations rather than boundaries, differences, and "turf" wars, this conference will explore the concept of a wider Caribbean that places the islands in a sea-region bounded by the coastal states of the American South, Mexico, Central and South America. Applying interdisciplinary, multicultural approaches to region, the conference will question old hierarchies, utopias, and practical protocols, examining and foregrounding the role the Caribbean plays in the imagining of transnationalism. We welcome papers on literature, history, the arts (especially painting, sculpture, and vernacular architecture), foodways and popular culture. Some suggested topics: The Caribbean and the American South; Ethnic Traditions of the Caribbean; Vernacular Architecture of the Caribbean Basin; Caribbean, Southern, and South American Folklore in Perspective; The Cultural Legacy of Caribbean Mexico; Tourism as Link Between the Islands and the Caribbean Rim; After Magical Realism: New International Styles; Contrasting Female Identities of the Caribbean; Carnival Cultures; Modes of Caribbean Catholicism; Afro-Caribbean Religions and Cults; The South Asian Diaspora in the Caribbean; Is the Black Atlantic also the Black Caribbean?

This international conference is the inaugural event of the Program in Louisiana and Caribbean Studies at Louisiana State University , Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to be held April 21-24, 2004. Invited keynote speakers include: Madison Smartt Bell, Goucher College; Antonio Benítez-Rojo, Amherst College; Hedi Bouraoui, York University, Canada; Jean-Georges Chali , Université des Antilles, Martinique; Michael Dash, New York University; and Sandra Pouchet Paquet, University of Miami. Please send one page abstracts or completed papers to the contact below via either mail or email. Proposals must be received by February 6th, 2004.