Critical Mystery Studies: An Interdisciplinary Symposium at UNM

The Critical Mystery Studies symposium will be held Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 18-19 at the Bobo Room in Hodgin Hall on The University of New Mexico's campus.

Matthew David Goodwin of the Department of Chicana/o Studies, Nahir Otaño-Gracia of the Department of English, and Sarah Hernandez of the Institute for American Indian Research are coordinating the event. The symposium is organized by a group of seven graduate students from the Chicana/o Studies Department: Dante Olivas, Travis Torres Thompson, Ashley Martinez, Rebecca Martinez-Baca, Colton Campbell, Christy Frederick, and Ruben Loza.

The Critical Mystery Studies symposium is focused on developing awareness of the cultural importance of monsters, ghosts, aliens, and conspiracy theories to a variety of communities as well as how mysteries such as Roswell are entangled with race and ethnicity. Nine scholars and artists will give presentations at the conference, this will be the first time them will convene.

The symposium is free and open to the public, both virtual and in person. The opening ceremony starts on Monday, Nov. 19, at 8:30 a.m. in the Bobo Room.

Along with the symposium, there are two events at the Chicana/o Studies Casita (1829 Sigma Chi Rd NE): Ayden Castellanos: "The Ghoul's Guide to Podcasting" and Gabino Noriega: "An Evening of Spooky Tales."

Invited Speakers
Bernadette Marie Calafell
Professor of Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies
The University of Oregon

Cathryn Merla-Watson
Associate Professor in the Gender and Women's Studies Program
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Kara McCormack
Assistant Professor in American Culture and Literature
Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey

Paul Edward Montgomery Ramírez
Faculty in Anthropology
Cleveland State University

James Padilioni Jr.
Visiting Assistant Professor in Religion and Environmental Studies
Swarthmore College

Jenny Rice
Associate Professor of Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Media (WRD)
The University of Kentucky

Dale DeForest
Digital illustrator and storyteller from the Navajo Nation, born in Arizona and raised in New Mexico
https://www.daledeforest.com/

Ramona Emerson
Diné writer and filmmaker originally from Tohatchi, New Mexico, and author of the novels Shutter and Exposure
https://film.unm.edu/profiles/ramona-emerson/

Ayden Castellanos
Creator of the podcast "Susto"
https://www.sustopodcast.com/

For details on the symposium or to register, head to the symposium website.