Dr. Ruben Yepes Muñoz's new book release 

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Ruben Yepes Muñoz on his recent book release Affecting the Conflict: Mediations of the Colombian War in Contemporary Art and Film (Vernon Press, 2025). Dr. Yepes Muñoz will present his current research this Fall on Sept. 4, 2025, in the Pat Peterson Museum Education Room 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.

This event is co-supported by the Department of Art & World Languages & Cultures. 

Affecting the Conflict: Mediations of the Colombian War in Contemporary Art and Film (Vernon Press, 2025).

This book offers a detailed exploration of how contemporary Colombian artists and filmmakers have engaged with the nation's prolonged armed conflict. Focusing on works produced between 2002 and 2017, the book argues that these cultural artifacts do not merely represent the conflict but actively mediate it, fostering affective connections that bridge the divide between urban audiences and the predominantly rural conflict. Paying heed to the “affective turn” of the humanities and social sciences, the book emphasizes the role of affect in these mediations, highlighting how art and film can counteract societal apathy and contribute to processes of remembrance and healing. 

Ruben also published Estudios visuales desde América Latina in 2024. 

Estudios visuales desde América Latina: Un aporte a la consolidación del campo (Latin American Visual Studies: A Contribution to the Consolidation of the Field) (Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, 2024).

This book seeks to advance the consolidation of the emerging field of Latin American Visual Studies. The book critically examines dominant narratives surrounding the global emergence of visual studies and interrogates foundational concepts — such as visual culture, visuality and image — from a Latin American perspective that foregrounds the interplay between visuality and power. It also traces the development and discourse of visual studies in Latin America, emphasizing its specificity and divergence from Anglo-American traditions. This work functions both as a critical reflection and a call to action, aiming to establish visual studies as a robust academic discipline capable of addressing the complexities of visual culture in the region.