Glocal Conference on Quechua Languages and Cultures
February 27-28, 2026 Virtual Event via Zoom
The Penn Language Center and the Quechua Language and Culture Program at the University of Pennsylvania and the Global Indigenous Studies Network within the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University Bloomington, founded the Glocal Conference on Quechua Languages and Cultures (GCQLC) together in 2025.
The Glocal Conference on Quechua Languages and Cultures brings together Quechua Indigenous leaders, instructors, scholars, practitioners, policy makers, and community activists from around the world. This local and global conference enables professionals in education, history, language policy, linguistics, literature, cultural studies, anthropology, and other disciplines to exchange ideas, experiences and research on methodological, theoretical, pedagogical, and practical considerations from multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. Most importantly, this conference contributes to the research, teaching, learning, dissemination, maintenance, revitalization, and advancement of the Quechua languages and cultures worldwide.
The 2026 Glocal Conference on Quechua Languages and Cultures Program can be viewed here: 2026 GCQLC Program
2026 Keynote Speakers
Armando Muyolema President of the Intercultural University of Indigenous Nationalities and Peoples Amawtay Wasi
Nancy H. Hornberger Professor Emerita of Education, University of Pennsylvania
Conference Themes
Click on the themes below to explore presentation topics:
Assessment and evaluation of Quechua language learning
Best practices, methodologies, and strategies in Quechua language pedagogy
Curriculum design for Quechua as a second/foreign/new language and as a Less Commonly Taught Language (LCTL)
Gender and Quechua language use and representation
Issues of bi-literacy, bilingual education, and notions of interculturality
Quechua and disability studies: inclusion, accessibility, and rights-based approaches
The interplay of research, theory, and practice in teaching and learning Quechua languages and cultures
Translanguaging in Quechua, Spanish, and English
Decolonial, digital, and media literacies in Quechua languages and cultures
Film, documentaries, and music/musicology in research, teaching, and learning
Innovative and AI-driven technologies for language documentation, revitalization, and instruction
Local, global, translingual, transcultural, and transnational literacies
Quechua in the digital humanities and community archiving
Quechua in visual and performing arts (e.g., theater, dance, textile arts)
Quechua literature, testimonies, and narratives
Effects of language policy and planning on Quechua language education
Intersections of Quechua languages with Afro-Andean, Amazonian, and other Indigenous identities
Language attitudes, ideologies, regimes, and the politics of Quechua language maintenance
Legal pluralism, justice, and the political economy of Quechua languages and cultures
Linguistic discrimination, cultural erasure, and human rights
Urbanization, modernization, and their effects on Quechua language and culture
Andean medicine and Indigenous knowledge systems
Environmental knowledge, sustainability, and Quechua cosmologies
Foodways, agriculture, and language use in Andean lifeways
Linguistic anthropology and the semiotics of Quechua languages
Quechua and Aymara prolonged contact
Quechua and Spanish contact
Quechua language and philosophy
Quechua languages and ecological epistemologies
Quechua paleography, archaeology, and history
Religious syncretism, spirituality, and Quechua cosmologies
Sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, and pragmatics of Quechua
Variation, standardization, and Quechua linguistics
Connecting, celebrating, and maintaining traditions through research and teaching
Global studies perspectives on Quechua language education
Languages as vehicles to cultures and lived experience
Migration and mobility in relation to Quechua language and culture
Oral tradition, memory, and intergenerational knowledge transmission
Quechua languages, cultures, and identities at local and global levels
Presentation Types
Presentations may be made in several formats, as listed below. You must indicate the proposed format in your submission. However, the Conference Committee reserves the right to negotiate the proposed delivery format with the speaker.
Individual paper proposals provide an opportunity to present original contributions to the research, theory, and practice of Quechua languages and cultures from multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. Submissions should demonstrate an awareness of relevant literature and clearly indicate the importance of the proposed topic to conference themes.
Upon acceptance, individual papers will be organized into panels of three or four by subject. Individual presenters will have 20 minutes to deliver the content of their individual papers, allowing 10 minutes at the end of all the presentations for questions and answers. Please submit an abstract of no more than 300 words.
● Name and title of the presenter, institutional affiliation, and contact information. ● Title of the proposed presentation ● Abstract (300 words)
Individuals or institutional sponsors may propose organizing a panel of presentations on a related subject, with each presenter offering a perspective on the topic. Panels may include a chair/moderator, three or four presenters, and a discussant. Each presenter will be allotted 20 minutes to deliver his/her paper, allowing 20 minutes at the end of the panel for commentary by a discussant, and 10 minutes for questions and answers. The recommended practice for online conferences is to divide the ‘panels’ up and offer separate 30-minute sessions. Panels will be included in the program as a unit, but each person will have their own block of 30 minutes, and attendees will be able to shift between sessions every 30 minutes.
For panel presentations, submit an abstract of no more than 1,000 words that includes the required information listed below. Panel proposals must include information on all proposed participants and must indicate that they have been contacted and agree to participate. Proposals for panels must include: ● Name, title, and institutional affiliation for each additional participant. ● Role or proposed topic to be covered by each additional participant (150 words) ● Indication that all participants have been contacted and have agreed to participate.
Individuals or institutional sponsors may propose organizing a roundtable discussion on a topic related to conference themes. Like panels, the discussions in roundtable discussions are coordinated by an organizer/moderator and offer different perspectives on the proposed topic. However, rather than focusing on the presentation of individual papers, presentation time for each discussion is limited to 5-7 minutes. Most of the session is devoted to dialogue between the discussants and the audience.
In the best roundtables, the speakers are aware of each other’s work and views, and they refute or support those views in their own talks. There is substantive exchange, as well as the chance to go in-depth very quickly. They are time-efficient and encourage audience participation in the discussion.
For roundtable discussions, submit an abstract of no more than 1,000 words that includes the required information listed below. The individual submitting the proposal will be the sole contact person regarding the roundtable discussion. Proposals for roundtable discussions must also include:
● Name, title, and institutional affiliation for each additional participant. ● Role or proposed topic to be covered by each additional participant (150 words) ● Indication that all proposed participants have been contacted and have agreed to participate.
Presenters spend a short amount of time (no more than 10 minutes) on the delivery of the pedagogical concept, theory, or model, and most of the session is devoted to direct, hands-on participation by the attendees. Workshops are organized to address a theme, discussion is informal and interactive, and papers are not presented. All materials needed for the successful completion of the workshop must be provided by the presenter. Submit an abstract of 300 words describing topic, expected audience, outline, participant activities, and expected outcomes.
Presenters will be allocated a time slot during the conference to share and discuss their poster in a live Zoom session. Each presenter will screen-share their poster and provide a brief overview, followed by a Q&A with participants. To allow for asynchronous viewing, posters must be designed to be self-explanatory and submitted in advance as a PDF. The poster should clearly represent the research proposed and must include the authors’ names, institutional affiliations, and contact information. Presenters are encouraged to use clear visuals and concise text to communicate their findings effectively in a virtual format.
A 300-word abstract must be submitted along with the poster. The abstract should briefly describe the overall concept and outline how the visual and verbal narratives will unfold during the online session.
Organizing Committee
Jesús Rivera Guzmán (Chair), University of Pennsylvania
Serafín M. Coronel-Molina (Chair), Indiana University Bloomington
Sonia Manriquez, Indiana University Bloomington
Emma Bonham, Indiana University Bloomington
Quechua at Penn Board 2025-2026
The 2025–2026 Quechua at Penn Board is a passionate group of undergraduates dedicated to celebrating and promoting Quechua language and culture at Penn.
Melanie Contreras, University of Pennsylvania
Jasmine Guaillasaca Quizhpi, University of Pennsylvania
Ariana Borda, University of Pennsylvania
Leyla Sanchez Sen, Exchange Student
Wellington Machaquiza, Temple University
Krystinna Arevalo, University of Pennsylvania
Kimy Bermeo-Quizhpi, University of Pennsylvania
Lizbeth Villalta-Gavilanes, University of Pennsylvania
Contact the Organizing Committee at upenn.quechua@gmail.com for questions about abstract submissions, presentations, conference agenda, conference registration and payments.
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