The seminar, Walls: Borders, Civil Rights and Transcultural Values, will examine and analyze conditions and expressions relative to physical and mental walls.

The First International Conference for Dialogue with the Hispanic Cultures of North America (HCNA 2019), under the heading of Walls: Borders, Civil Rights and Transcultural Values, is to be held May 29, 30, and 31. This meeting has been organized by the Vice Rectorate for International Relations and the Area of US Hispanic Studies of the Miguel Hernández Chair at the UMH in conjunction with the Spanish Association for Dialogue with the Hispanic Cultures of North America. This interdisciplinary seminar is attracting a large number of experts who examine and analyze conditions and expressions relative to physical and mental barriers through their voices, literature, visual arts, and the media, as well as human & social sciences, and education, too.

Over three days, the Ciutat d’Elx Congress Centre will welcome international specialists in the fight for human rights in the United States, including Chicano leader, José Ángel Gutiérrez. Also attending are writers, such as Norma Cantú and Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs; publishers, including Nicolás Kanellos; academics from Spanish, French, and German universities, in addition to others from more than 20 universities in North America. All of these are leading conferences, presenting, and participating in round tables to speak and debate on the evolution of borders, the risks of limiting and crossing them, the paradoxes of political discourse, artistic creativity, as well as the impact on the identity and transcultural experience of migrants, refugees, and exiles.

In short, the objective is to create a forum between the conference participants and the social, cultural, and intellectual fabric of the city of Elche.

Besides the conferences, presentations, round tables, and debates, this meeting also offers a significant number of social activities. One worthy of mention is the Global UMH: Breaking Down Walls Award, to be announced in the city of Santa Pola following a guided visit of that locale and during the gala dinner. Participants may also tour the nearby cities of Elche and Alicante, in addition to the facilities at the Miguel Hernández University. Furthermore, those attending may also partake in a dramatic reading and a poetry recital.

Registration for the 2019 HCNA Congress is through the hcna.es website. The registration period is open until May 24, with special rates for students and retirees, while entry is free for UMH community members.