INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICANISTS CELEBRATED 150 YEARS IN NOVI SAD, SERBIA

 

From 30 June to 4 July 2025, the 58th International Congress of Americanists was held in Novi Sad, marking the 150th anniversary of the Congress in Serbia. This first Balkan edition of the congress took place under the auspices of the University of Novi Sad, co-organised by the Faculty of Philosophy and its Ibero-American Centre (CIBAM), alongside the Faculty of Technical Sciences, the Faculty of Sciences, the Faculty of Technology, and the Society of Hispanists.

Held under the slogan “New Challenges, New Spaces,” the congress featured 159 symposia and 23 round tables across 29 thematic areas. A total of 3,122 participants from 69 countries were registered, with 2,780 individual papers and 122 contributions by 150 undergraduate and master’s students as part of the ICA Junior programme. The largest delegations came from Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Serbia, Colombia, Chile, and the United States - approximately 1,700 participants attended in person and 1,400 online.

The five-day scholarly gathering took place in venues throughout the city, including Matica Srpska, the Science and Technology Park, classrooms of “Isidora Sekulić” Grammar School, Smart Grammar School and “Dr Lazar Vrkatić” Faculty, the Digital Youth Centre, the Matica Srpska Gallery, the Rajko Mamuzić Gift Collection Gallery, OPENS, the American Corner, the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad, the Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection, and Bulevar Books bookshop.

The opening ceremony was held at the Serbian National Theatre, with welcome speeches from Professor Walter Raudales (El Salvador), Chair of the Permanent Committee; Professor Dejan Mihailović (Mexico), Secretary General of the Organising Committee; and Professor Bojana Kovačević Petrović of the University of Novi Sad, Chair of the Organising Committee. The keynote address was delivered by Chilean scholar of Yugoslav origin Professor Milka Castro Lucić. The musical programme featured performances by Irina Dečermić with Nemanja Kanački, the Tangoguango Quintet, the all-female tamburitza orchestra La Banda, and the cultural-artistic ensemble “Sonja Marinković.” Later in the evening, attendees enjoyed a flamenco performance by renowned Andalusian musician Diego Valdivia and his troupe, courtesy of the Embassy of Spain in Belgrade. In honour of the 150th anniversary, 12 medals and 9 certificates of appreciation were awarded for outstanding contributions to Americanist studies.

Five keynote lectures were held at the congress: in addition to Professor Castro Lucić, guest speakers included Alberto Díaz-Cayeros (Stanford University), Eduardo Devés-Valle (University of Santiago de Chile), Manuel Alcántara Sáez (University of Salamanca), Jon Subinas (International Centre for Political and Social Studies, Panama), and Michelle Raheja (University of California Centre for Indigenous Peoples).

Two special events were also organised: a tribute to Mario Vargas Llosa by the Instituto Cervantes in Belgrade and the Chair that bears his name, featuring writers Raúl Tola, Santiago Roncagliolo, and Karina Sainz Borgo; and the round table “Serbia in the World, the World in Serbia,” with the

participation of Serbian ambassadors to Latin America Dušan Vasić, Goran Mešić, and Tatjana Conić, as well as H.E. Carlos Félix Corona, Ambassador of Mexico to Serbia, and Ricardo Villola, Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of Argentina in Serbia.

Each day of the congress featured a rich accompanying programme: dozens of academic publications were presented, several documentaries were screened, workshops were held, international organisation meetings took place, and various Americanist centres were introduced. Three thematic exhibitions were also organised: 150 Years of the International Congress of Americanists at the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad; Yugoslav Art in São Paulo at the Rajko Mamuzić Gallery; and Spain and Hispanic America in Serbian Historical Press of the 19th and 20th Centuries at the Archives of Vojvodina. A reception for all participants, sponsored by the Vojvodina Tourism Organisation, and the ICA2025 General Assembly were held at the Matica Srpska Gallery, which just days earlier opened the outdoor exhibition The Prado in the Open Air, showcasing 30 reproductions of masterpieces from Spain’s famed museum.

At the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad, the project INTERFERENCES by Maja-Marja Janković was presented, along with a lecture on Indigenous languages and cultures of Latin America by Ana Kondić. Meanwhile, the Bulevar Books bookshop hosted a poetry evening featuring congress participants.

The ICA2025 Congress also included two major humanitarian actions: a large donation drive for the Children’s Village in Sremska Kamenica and foster children, and a Solidarity Bazaar that raised nearly 200,000 dinars for the My World Association for Children with Autism, thanks to handmade items brought by participants from around the globe. Hundreds of academic and professional publications were donated to the Ibero-American Centre of the UNS Faculty of Philosophy.

Many sponsors recognised the importance of this academic gathering, donating bottled water, sweet and savoury snacks for coffee breaks, meals for student participants, and hygiene supplies for all venues.

During the congress week, a meeting of the Permanent, Scientific, and Organising Committees was held, where it was decided to nominate the International Congress of Americanists for inclusion in UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage.

The ICA2025 Organising Committee expresses its sincere gratitude to all institutions, embassies, organisations, and individuals who contributed to the successful realisation of the 58th International Congress of Americanists, making Novi Sad, Vojvodina, and Serbia a reference point for academic, cultural, and tourism exchange among its participants.

The next, 59th International Congress of Americanists will be held in Medellín, Colombia, in July 2027.

Novi Sad, 7 July 2025.