A&M International to Host Annual Meeting of Rio Bravo Association

Texas A&M International University will host the 9th Annual Meeting of the Rio Bravo Association on campus from April 2 to April 4.

The meeting is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Thursday with a Brindis de Bienvenida, or welcoming reception, at the Great Room of the Killam Library.

The actual meeting is expected to start at 9 a.m. Friday, April 3 with registration in the Bullock Hallway. A welcome speech will follow at 9:30 a.m. in Bob Bullock Hall 101.

Three sessions will be held on Friday and the fourth will be held Saturday. Participants may choose from a number of topics in each of the sessions. Session I will include "Cultural Practices and Traditional Arts," "Women: North and South of the Rio Bravo," "History and Politics," and "Human Rights Across Borders."

Session II will include the following topics: "Love Magic Along the Border," "Language Issues on the Border," "History and Identity on the Border," "Environment," and "Issues of Daily Life on the Border."

Topics covered in Session III will include "Frontera History and Culture: Views and Perspectives," "A Literary Reading," "Labor Issues," "Music on the Border," "Urbanism and Geography."

Also on Friday, Dr. Armando Alonzo, borderlands scholar in the History Department at Texas A&M University, will present his book, Tejano Legacy: Rancheros and Settlers in South Texas, 1734-1900. The presentation will take place 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at 1912 Matamoros St.

The meeting will resume on Saturday with Session IV, which will include topics such as "Economics and Borderlands Society," "Issues of Immigration and Women," "Women and Borderlands Culture," and "Globalization and Social Politics."

The registration fee is $30 for the general public and $20 for students.

The Rio Bravo Association is a group of scholars both from the United States and Mexico who have an interest in the culture along the Rio Grande. Scholars include those from fields such as history, political science, languages, sociology, architecture and urban design.

The meeting is sponsored by the Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Universidad de Monterrey and Texas A&M International University.

For further information, please call the Office of Public Affairs at 326-2180.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu