Bay Area Latin America Forum
The Bay Area Latin America Forum is a series that brings together Latin Americanist scholars and observers from throughout the Bay Area to present their research and prompt discussions. Additionally, this series fosters the creation of a local community of Latin Americanists.
Point Reyes Lighthouse at sunset.
(photo by Luke Woods)
 


Spring 2007

Charles Briggs and Clara Mantini-Briggs
“Social Movements, Cuban Doctors and New Definitions of ‘the Political’ in Venezuela”


In 2003, Venezuelan barrio residents turned spare rooms into clinics for Cuban doctors, thereby inaugurating both an innovative social movement and one of the most innovative and successful experiments in confronting health disparities. This lecture examines how Latin American radical health scholars, revolutionary politics and a president-cum-health educator — Hugo Chávez — transformed health into a key political arena.

Charles L. Briggs, Professor of Anthropology at UC Berkeley, is writing a book on urban violence in Venezuela and conducting research on news media in Cuba , Mexico , the United States and Venezuela . Clara Mantini-Briggs, a Venezuelan public health physician and Associate Researcher in the Department of Demography at UC Berkeley, is researching health and empowerment in Misión Barrio Adentro. Their joint publication, Stories in the Time of Cholera: Racial Profiling during a Medical Nightmare, won the 2004 Bryce Wood Book Award from the Latin American Studies Association.

Monday, February 5, 12:00 – 1:15 pm
CLAS Conference Room, 2334 Bowditch Street

Article about and photos of the event


Myrna Santiago
“The Ecology of Oil: Labor, Environment and the Mexican Revolution, 1900-1938”

Veracruz, Mexico’s first oil-producing state, set the pattern for oil exploitation in the rest of the country. Professor Santiago will discuss the social and environmental effects of oil production in northern Veracruz during the early 20th century when the industry was owned by American and European companies.

Myrna Santiago earned her Ph.D. in History at UC Berkeley in 1997. She has lectured at UC Berkeley and at Mills College and is now Associate Professor of History at St. Mary’s College and Director of the Women’s Studies Program.

Monday, March 5, 12:00 – 1:15 pm
CLAS Conference Room, 2334 Bowditch Street

Article about and photos of the event


Maria Echaveste
“Hispanics, Immigration and Politics”

Nationwide, 69 percent of Hispanics supported Democratic candidates in the 2006 election, an increase of more than 10 percent from 2004. Did the Republican strategy of focusing on illegal immigration result in a loss of Hispanic support? Or were there other reasons that explain the gains made by Democrats among Hispanics? Can Democrats count on the Hispanic vote in the upcoming elections?

Maria Echaveste is Lecturer in Residence at Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law and the cofounder of the Nueva Vista Group, a consulting firm. She served as Deputy Chief of Staff in the Clinton White House from 1998–2001.

Monday, March 12, 12:00 – 1:15 pm
Lounge, Women's Faculty Club

Photos of the event


Irene Bloemraad
“Learning the Political Ropes: Civic and Political Learning in Mixed Status Mexican Origin Families”


Professor Bloemraad will discuss preliminary findings from the ongoing Mexican American Political Socialization Project which asks U.S.-born adolescents and their Mexican-origin parents about civic and political engagement. Key questions include the degree to which children help their parents become involved and informed about American political and civic life and whether children’s own activities differ based on their parents’ legal status.

Irene Bloemraad is Assistant Professor of Sociology at UC Berkeley. She is the author of Becoming a Citizen: Incorporating Immigrants and Refugees in the United States and Canada and specializes in comparative immigration and citizenship.

Monday, March 19, 12:00 – 1:15 pm
CLAS Conference Room, 2334 Bowditch Street

Article about and photos of the event


Daniel Alarcón
“Lost City Radio”

Set in a nameless, timeless South American country slowly emerging from a long civil war, Daniel Alarcón’s first novel, Lost City Radio probes the deepest questions of war: from its devastating impact on society to the emotional scarring each participant, observer and survivor carries with them for years. Mr. Alarcón will give a short reading from his novel and talk about the genesis of the project.

Daniel Alarcón’s story collection War by Candlelight was a finalist for the 2006 PEN/Hemingway Award. He is Associate Editor of Etiqueta Negra, an award-winning arts and culture magazine published in his native Lima, Peru. His first novel, Lost City Radio, will be published by HarperCollins in February 2007.

Monday April 16, 12:00 – 1:15 pm
Lounge, Women's Faculty Club

Article about and photos of this event


 

Bay Area Latin America Forum by semester

 
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