Friends House, 60 Lowther Avenue | April 21, 2023
One-Day Conference: Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador – Memory, Justice, and Education. Co-organized by the Salvadoran Canadian Association and Western University
As we emerged from the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, ASALCA, with both technical and financial support from Western University, began planning in late 2022 for a landmark gathering between academia and approximately 60 local community leaders. The goal of this meeting was to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and strengthen collaboration between scholars and the Salvadoran-Canadian community.
The event featured a distinguished lineup of speakers, including a keynote guest from New York, as well as professors and PhD students of Salvadoran descent representing Toronto Metropolitan University, the University of Toronto, McMaster University, Mount Allison University, and Western University, alongside notable voices from the Salvadoran diaspora.
Participants engaged in real-time discussions and presentations on a wide range of topics, such as:
- Salvadoran youth and war memory
- Transnational intimacies of postwar El Salvador
- The Sumpul River Massacre Memorial Park
- Environmental reparation and justice
- Perspectives from 1.5 and second-generation Salvadoran Canadians
- Memories of the Salvadoran diaspora in Toronto
- International research collaborations
- The role of music during the Salvadoran Civil War
- Issues of gangs, disappearances, and the current “state of exception” in El Salvador
- A special film screening on the Chalatenango massacres
The atmosphere throughout the day was filled with enthusiasm, reflection, and a shared commitment to understanding and preserving Salvadoran collective memory.
In the afternoon, participants joined workshops of their choice and later shared their reflections during a closing panel discussion. Two key outcomes emerged from these exchanges:
- A collective interest in creating a book about the Salvadoran-Canadian diaspora, highlighting migration experiences and community achievements.
- A renewed effort to update ASALCA’s community document, originally developed during a conversatorio at Friends House, reassessing its relevance to today’s social and cultural realities.
