Auburn University faculty present at international social science conference in Puerto Rico
College of Education faculty members Jesús Tirado and Sara Demoiny, joined by Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities Program Manager Maiben Beard, presented their paper, “Integrating Diverse Narratives in a Historic Site in Alabama,” at the 2026 Social Science Education Consortium (SSEC) International Conference in Puerto Rico.
Together with the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, and Memoria (de)Colonial, the SSEC hosted the education conference in June 2026. This conference marks the first time the consortium has hosted its annual conference in Puerto Rico.
Founded in 1963, SSEC is a not-for-profit educational corporation dedicated to strengthening the social science content in history, geography, civic and economic education toward a just global society. To achieve this goal, the consortium collaborates with partners and allied universities and colleges globally dedicated to seeking solutions for local and global social problems through the application of the social sciences, including social science education researchers, pedagogues and practitioners across all grade levels. The annual conference assists in achieving this goal.
This year’s conference theme was “From Isolation to Integration: The Connective Power of Education.” Puerto Rico’s colonial status, rich cultural and linguistic traditions, histories of resistance and expansive diaspora make it a critical site for examining how education operates within and against systems of isolation, marginalization and unequal power.
The social sciences are uniquely positioned to address these ideas and offer tools to help us understand education not as a neutral practice, but as a deeply political and connective endeavor that can either reproduce isolation or cultivate integration, justice and community resilience.
As part of this international conference, Tirado, Demoiny and Beard presented their paper, “Integrating Diverse Narratives in a Historic Site in Alabama.”
Participation in this conference allowed the team to engage in critical dialogue, share innovative scholarship and collectively explore how social science education can move us toward greater integration, justice and solidarity.
Beyond this, the conference built a bridge between Puerto Rico and universities like Auburn University in the United States. Attendees were able to network with university faculty from many leading universities across the globe, leading toward long-lasting partnerships in the fields of education and the social sciences.
Tags: Center for the Arts and Humanities Research Community, Outreach and Engagement
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