A number of Latin American countries already are celebrating, or soon will celebrate, the achievement of 200 years of national independence. The bicentennial commemorations represent not only an opportunity to convey and promote a sense of national unity based on collective accomplishments, but also an occasion for political, intellectual, and cultural reassessments of the past and present. In general, they are characterized by more complex views of the meaning of the revolutionary wars and of the scale of the social, economic, and human costs of nationbuilding and modernization, especially in relation to indigenous and other subaltern populations. The bicentennials offer an excellent opportunity for a multidisciplinary discussion about the multiple ways of constructing the past and forecasting the future.

A group of New England institutions working collaboratively will host the fourth annual meeting of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA). NAISA is a professional organization dedicated to supporting scholars and others who work in the academic field of Native American and Indigenous studies. Founded in 2008, NAISA hosts the premier scholarly meeting in Native studies. The association has more than 900 members from more than a dozen countries and scores of Indigenous nations and peoples. Organizers welcome anyone working in the field to join them in building the future of Native and Indigenous studies. The conference will be held at Mohegan Sun Resort on the Mohegan Tribe's Connecticut reservation.