Call for Participants: Indigenous Mobilities, Tourism, and Racial Capitalism

Call for Participants: Global Humanities Institute 2026

Indigenous Mobilities, Tourism, and Racial Capitalism

Application Deadline: May 1, 2025, by 11:59 pm Central Daylight Time (GMT -5)

Institute / Diplomado Dates: January 5-16, 2026

Convocatoria para Participantes (Español)

We invite community practitioners, early career scholars, and advanced graduate students who engage broadly with the humanities to apply to participate in a Global Humanities Institute supported by the CHCI in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. In keeping with academic tradition in Latin America, this institute will be organized as a diplomado and thus will provide participants with a certificate of professional development.

This institute addresses the urgent challenges faced by Indigenous communities in the wake of mega-development projects and mass tourism, which often lead to the neglect of local needs, land dispossession, displacement, and the destruction of ecosystems. These large-scale interventions frequently prioritize economic gains over cultural and environmental sustainability, leaving Indigenous groups to navigate the cascading social, economic, and ecological consequences. Through a global lens, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how Indigenous communities creatively respond to these pressures, asserting their rights, protecting their cultural heritage, and developing innovative strategies for resilience.

Sessions will take place in Mérida and surrounding locations, and include workshops, decolonial tours, and site visits to community-based tourism projects organized by nearby Maya communities.

The institute will be conducted in English and Spanish, with translations in Yucatecan Maya when needed.

Eligibility

We are seeking global perspectives from academic scholars and community practitioners. We will accept applications in English or Spanish. Please apply if you meet the following criteria:

Academic applicants

• Advanced graduate students (in or near candidacy) who demonstrate interest or experience with heritage tourism or working with Indigenous communities from the humanities broadly defined.
• Early-career scholars (tenure-track or up to 5 years from terminal degree) who demonstrate interest or experience with heritage tourism or working with Indigenous communities from the humanities broadly defined.
• The competition is open to anyone from anywhere in the world whose institutions are members of CHCI. Direct affiliation with a Center is not necessary, only affiliation with the home institution housing a Center is required. Interested scholars from universities not currently affiliated with CHCI are encouraged to inquire into possibilities of institutional affiliation.

Community practitioners

• Community practitioners who demonstrate engagement with or experience in heritage tourism or working with Indigenous communities.

Funding & Travel Requirements

• Successful applicants will have their travel, accommodation, and food at the Institute fully funded.
• Applicants must commit to fully participate in the Institute. This will include site visits to and optional stays in rural communities.
• Applicants must have insurance that covers any medical expenses while in Mexico, either through purchased travel insurance or coverage provided by their institution.
• Applicants will be responsible for procuring visas to visit Mexico. The cost of the visa is the applicant’s responsibility. Please review travel requirements via the National Institute of Migration, and the websites of the relevant Mexican diplomatic representation abroad or, in the United States, that correspond to your location.

Application Requirements

All completed applications will be reviewed. A complete application will include the following:

1. Statement of no more than 1,000 words that demonstrates a sustained interest in themes of the institute and describes ways the participant may contribute.
2. CV (no more than 3 pages)
3. A brief travel budget from your home airport to Cancun, Mexico (CUN) so we can estimate aggregate costs. We are committed to creating learning environments that are inclusive and accessible to all participants. If you anticipate any barriers related to the design of the Institute (such as the format, materials, or structure), we invite you to share those here so we can explore potential options and budget accordingly. If you have a disability and want to explore formal accommodations and/or further resources, please contact indimob@umn.edu.
4. For community practitioners, you have the option of including a link to a website of the work you are doing with your community that speaks to the themes of the institute. Alternatively, you can include a link to a personal video (no longer than 3 minutes) addressing the work you have done in your community that speaks to the themes of the institute.
5. Graduate students should provide a letter of recommendation from their advisor that explains how the student will benefit from the institute. The student is responsible for ensuring the letter is received by the deadline.

For full application and to apply, visit here.