SALSA Conferences are among the world’s foremost venues for presenting original research on Lowland South America

The conferences of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America (SALSA) strive to provide an environment conducive to extensive discussion and exchange of ideas and information among scholars specializing in all fields of lowland South American anthropology and related disciplines.

SALSA hold twelve sesquiannual (every one and a half years) conferences since the Society was organized in 2001 until 2017. Since the XII conference in Vienna in 2019, SALSA conferences have continued to be organized biennially. Ideally (contingent on local host sponsorship), the site of our conference rotates among Europe, South America, and North America. To date, SALSA conferences have included thematic panels and workshops, as well as research posters, film screenings, discussion forums, publication exchanges, museum receptions, and other events.

Fifteenth Biennial Conference: Helsinki (Finland), August 4-6, 2025

The XV SALSA Biennial Conference 2025 will take place at the University of Helsinki, on August 4-6, 2025, with an optional pre-conference Welcome on August 3.

The Chair of the Organizing Committee is Dr. Pirjo Kristiina Virtanen, with the assistance of Francisco Apurinã and PhD researchers. Academic Program Chairs are Minna Opas, and Luiz Costa.

PREVIOUS CONFERENCES

Fourteenth Biennial Conference: Amazon Triple Frontier (Leticia), July 26-30, 2023

Keynote Speakers: João Paulo Lima Barreto (Yepamahsã, NEAI/UFAM, Brazil) and Tania Stolze Lima (Universidade Federal Fluminense). Conference Organizers: Juan Alvaro Echeverri (UNAL), Roxani Rivas (UNAP) and Carlos Machado Dias Jr. (UFAM). Academic Program Chair: Natalia Buitron (University of Cambridge).

Thirteenth Biennial Conference: Charottesville (virtual), June 21-July 2, 2021

Keynote Speaker: Janet Chernela (University of Maryland). Opening Lecture: Dan Rosengren (University of Gothenburg). Conference organizer: George Mentore (University of Virginia); Academic Program Chair: Laura Mentore (University of Mary Washington).

Twelfth Sesquiannual Conference: Vienna, Austria, June 27-30, 2019

Keynote speaker: Anne-Christine Taylor (CNRS, France). Conference Organizer: Claudia Augustat (Weltmuseum Wien); Academic Program Chair: Juan Alvaro Echeverri (Universidad Nacional de Colombia, sede Amazonia).

Eleventh Sesquiannual Conference: Lima, Peru, July 20-23, 2017

Keynote speaker: Richard Chase Smith  (Instituto del Bien Común, Perú). Opening Lecture: Jean-Pierre Chaumeil (CNRS, France). Conference Organizer: Oscar Espinosa (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú); Academic Program Chairs: Harry Walker (London School of Economics) and Laura Zanotti (Purdue University)

Tenth Sesquiannual Conference: Tulane, USA, 8-10 January 2016

Keynote speaker: William Balée (Tulane University). Conference organizers: William Balée (Tulane University), Jeffrey Ehrenreich (University of New Orleans), and Lauren Dodaro (Tulane University). Academic program chair: Laura Zanotti (Purdue University)

Ninth Sesquiannual Conference: Gothenburg, Sweden,  26-29 June 2014

Keynote speaker:  Alf Hornborg (Lund University). Conference organizers: Dan Rosengren (University of Gothenburg) and Carlos D. Londoño Sulkin (University of Regina), with assistance from Beth A. Conklin (Vanderbilt University) and Jeremy Campbell (Roger Williams University).

Eighth Sesquiannual Conference: Nashville, TN, USA, 7-10 March 2013

Keynote speaker: Anthony Seeger (Department of Ethnomusicology, UCLA). Conference organizers: Beth A. Conklin (Vanderbilt University), Carlos Londoño Sulkin (University of Regina), and Jeremy Campbell (Roger Williams University).

Seventh Sesquiannual Conference: Belém, Pará, Brasil, 22-26 June 2011

Keynote speaker: Davi Kopenawa Yanomami (President, Hutukara). Conference organizers: Glenn Shepard (Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi), Marcela Coelho da Souza (Universidade de Brasília), and Claudia Leonor Lopes Garces (Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi).

Sixth Sesquiannual Conference of SALSA: San Antonio TX, USA, 14-17 January 2010

Keynote speaker: Clark Erickson  (University of Pennsylvania). Conference organizers: Steven Rubenstein (University of Liverpool), Richard Reed (Trinity University), Michael Cepek (University of Texas, San Antonio), and Javier Ruedas (University of New Orleans).

Fifth Sesquiannual Conference: Oxford, UK & Paris, France, 17-21 June 2008

Keynote speaker in Oxford: Joanna Overing  (University of St. Andrews); in Paris, Claude Lévi-Strauss (Collège de France) addressed the conference by video. Conference organizers: Laura Rival (Oxford University) and Philippe Erikson (Université de Paris–X).

Fourth Sesquiannual Conference: Santa Fe NM, USA, 12-14 January 2007

Keynote speaker: Steven Hugh-Jones  (King’s College, Cambridge University). Conference organizer: Janet Chernela (University of Maryland) and Alf Hornborg (Lund University).

Third Sesquiannual Conference: Estes Park CO, USA, 10-12 June 2005

Keynote speaker: Ellen Basso (University of Arizona). Conference organizers: Warren Hern (University of Colorado at Boulder) and William Fisher (College of William and Mary).

Second Sesquiannual Conference: Miami FL, USA, 16-18 January 2004

Keynote speaker: Eduardo Viveiros de Castro  (Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro). Conference organizer: Janet Chernela (Florida International University).

First Sesquiannual Conference: Annapolis MD, USA, 7-8 June 2002

Keynote speaker: John Hemming  (Chairman, Amazon Charitable Trust, former Director, Royal Geographic Society). Conference organizer: Donald Pollock (State University of New York at Buffalo).

Organizing meeting: Indigenous Amazonia at the Millennium: Politics and Religion: New Orleans, LA, USA, 11-14 January 2001

Conference organizers: William Balée (Professor, Department of Anthropology, Tulane University) and Jeffrey Ehrenreich (Professor, Department of Anthroplogy, University of New Orleans).

The prehistory: The Bennington Meetings, 1970s-1996

The Bennington Meetings were annual weekend gatherings hosted by Kenneth Kensinger, a legendarily generous and insightful colleague. Each summer, Ken welcomed graduate students and eminent scholars alike, to gather in his home in rural Vermont. SALSA’s collegial and inclusive ethos draws its inspiration from these meetings.