Institutional Presentation

The International Society for Luso-Hispanic Humor Studies

Since its foundation in 1996 by scholars Paul Seaver and Alita Kelly, who served as the organization’s first president and treasurer, the International Society for Luso-Hispanic Humor Studies (ISLHS) has established itself as a privileged space for academic exchange, interdisciplinary research, and critical reflection on humor in its multiple forms and sociocultural contexts. The inaugural conference was held in Philadelphia, United States, marking the beginning of a trajectory that would soon expand across countries in the Americas and Europe.

From the outset, the Society adopted three official languages: English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Its meetings, initially held annually and biennially after the pandemic, have taken place at prestigious academic institutions in cities such as Montréal and Sudbury (Canada), Chicago, Kansas City, Minneapolis, and Honolulu (USA), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, and La Paz (Mexico), Santiago (Chile, twice), Jacó (Costa Rica), Lisbon (Portugal), Paris and Lille (France), and in Brazil, in the cities of Cuiabá and Araraquara.

ISLHS conferences bring together researchers from a wide range of disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences, including Literature, Linguistics, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, History, Communication, Law, Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology, Anthropology, Education, and Health. These scholars share a common interest in understanding humor as a complex phenomenon shaped by cultural, social, and political tensions.

With a broad, contemporary, and critical approach, the Society fosters debates on humor as expressed through various media and platforms, such as literature, theater, cinema, music, caricature, comic books, graphic humor, performance, television, digital platforms, and the press. These discussions engage with themes such as identity, gender, power, resistance, aesthetics, and language.

In response to the pandemic, the Society adopted a hybrid format for its conferences, enhancing the participation of scholars from different regions and making the events more inclusive and cost-effective. Membership is valid for the calendar year, from January 1 to December 31. Only active members with current dues may submit proposals for the biennial conference. Institutions may also join under the institutional membership category.

One of the Society’s most important initiatives is its international conference, which brings together, over the course of three days, specialists from around the world to share research, participate in thematic panels, and engage in open discussions. Presentations reflect a wide range of perspectives and topics, including literature, linguistics, theater, cinema, visual arts, politics, folklore, caricature, graphic humor, music, and social phenomena, and must be written in language accessible to a general academic audience.

The formal sessions are enriched by an opening keynote delivered by a prominent figure in the world of humor, whether an academic or a professional comedian, in addition to book exhibitions and other materials dedicated to the study of humor.