53rd IALHI conference took place from September 5 to 9, 2023, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, hosted by CEHTI . Every few years, IALHI attempts to hold a conference outside Europe, with the express aim of strengthening its contacts with labor history institutions outside Europe, as the vast majority of IALHI members are still based in Europe. Previous conferences have been held in South Africa (2008) and the USA (2014). This time, the focus was on predominantly Spanish-speaking institutions in Latin America.
In terms of networking, the Buenos Aires conference was undoubtedly a success. More than thirty Latin American institutions participated, half of whom were from the host country Argentina, but also from Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Uruguay. Notably, they all chose to speak in Spanish, with the sole exception of Brazil's Mundos do Trabalho .
This immediately explains why it's so difficult to establish international contact with the Spanish-speaking world. Simultaneous translation into English was provided, but that has its limitations. Three days of enduring the efforts of a desperate interpreter through a headset trying to follow a rambling Spanish speaker is an experience we wouldn't recommend to anyone.
Furthermore, good contacts were made with colleagues from Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, and Chile, which we will undoubtedly continue to work with in the future. Conversely, Amsab-ISG had a strong presence at the conference. Participants were introduced to the digital resources Amsab-ISG offers, with particular attention paid to Camille Huysmans' digitized archive, which includes many documents from Latin America. Amsab staff member Donald Weber also gave a workshop on the use of digital platforms and techniques, such as IIIF.
The confrontation with the turbulent political history of Latin America and its effects on the operation of local Labor History institutions was sobering. For example, no democrat in Argentina would vote for the Socialist Party again after it sided with the military junta in an attempt to get rid of Perón, and the largest labor union in that country is more likely to be considered politically right-wing. The collections also rarely go back more than a few decades, as political persecution forced everything left-wing underground, which does not promote sustainable archival formation. One exception is the left-wing newspaper La Vanguardia , which was recently digitized by CEHTI and made available online.
