Fall Quarter 2007-08 News
The Life and Times of San Martin de Porres
On September 25, Dr. Celia Cussen spoke about the life of Martin de Porres, one of a group of reputed saints of seventeenth-century Lima. Martin's life is especially important to historians because it is perhaps one of the best documented records of a person of African descent in colonial Peru. Studies of the lives of free and enslaved Afroperuvians from other sources show how Africans and their descendants in Peru suffered the abject conditions of slavery, the difficulty with which they attained their freedom, and the way they lived with the lingering discrimination of slave status. The life of Martin de Porres represents one particularly fortunate scenario for an illegitimate man of African and Spanish ancestry. Martin benefited from an unusually strong relationship with his Spanish father, and the convent where he served as a nurse and a barber gave him access to a network of friends and patrons. In one instance, Martin was able to use his network of resources to secure the marriage of his poor niece to a member of the Spanish elite by providing her with a highly respectable dowry suitable for a Spanish bride of the period. The case of Martin de Porres demonstrates that, to the eyes of the elites in his time, black ancestry was problematic, but also a condition that could be mitigated by personal circumstances as well as by the charitable actions of others.
Latin American Trade Pacts
On October 2, Tom O'Keefe spoke about the history and development of trade pacts within Latin America as well as trade pacts between Latin America and the United States. The talk highlighted Argentina's and Brazil's changing role in Mercosur as generators of more than 80% of economic flow in the region. Additional discussion also centered on the Andean Trade Pact, the Central American Common Market, and other FTAs. While Central America has experienced a certain level of economic integration in the region, the Andean nations have undergone disintegration. As a result, Hugo Chavez's withdrawal from the Andean Trade Pact is understandable given individual negotiations between the United States and Peru and Colombia. Congress is expected to approve the U.S.-Peru Trade Pact.
Faculty & Student Mixer
On October 5, students and faculty congregated in the Bolivar House garden for an evening of tapas, Brazilian bossa nova, and conversation.
Indigenous Politics in Latin America
On October 9, Eliane Karp spoke about the development of Indigenous politics in Ecuador and Peru. Since 1992, Indigenous peoples have represented a strong and national presence in demanding reform in their respective countries. Indigenous communities are particularly concerned about environmental issues, coca growing, sustainable income generation (including ecotourism and handicraft production), education, collective decision-making, and intellectual property. The talk also touched on the recent September 30 election of the Ecuadorian Constitutional Assembly. In order to garner votes, Indigenous parties are often obliged to establish alliances with other parties. Ms. Karp questioned if such compromises were beneficial for Indigenous parties.
Memories of the August 15, 2007 Earthquake in Peru
On October 11, journalist Tyler Bridges recounted his personal experiences of the August 15th earthquake that devastated Pisco, Peru. He shared his reflections as a journalist as well as an individual. He recalled the fear and sorrow that swept over the Pisco population as more and more bodies were uncovered and prepared for burial. Although there were certain gaps in the relief efforts, Mr. Bridges emphasized that President Garcia has repeatedly visited the affected areas. Basic provisions (i.e., water, food, tents, and blankets) have been supplied to the victims, but the long phase of rebuilding now faces the populace. Eager to reconstruct their lives, victims have started to rebuild adobe homes, rather than wait for government assistance. However, it was precisely this material (as opposed to brick or cement) that was the worst affected by the earthquake. Mr. Bridges raised concerns about Peru's national emergency plans as well as rebuilding with weak adobe structures.
Padre Cicero in Brazil
On October 12, Dr. Candace Slater, Professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Berkeley, recounted how popular narratives and miracles regarding Padre Cicero Romão Batista have been captured in narratives.
Career Development Workshop Series
On several Fridays during the Fall Quarter, Sam Rodriguez and Stephanie Eberle of the Career Development Center generously met with students to provide career information on informational interviewing and networking, resumes and cover letters, and interviews. Sam informed students of numerous resources located in the CDC library, such as books on resume and CV formats for different countries, as well as other opportunities.
Other speakers included:
Len Materman is the Coordinator for the nonprofit, Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development.
Jennifer Landesmann spent 14 years in banking at JP Morgan, and later Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch in New York, where she was made Vice-President.
Dr. David Abernethy joined Stanford University's Department of Political Science in 1965 and became Professor Emeritus at the start of 2003.
If you have any career questions, please get in touch with Sam by emailing him at srodriguez@stanford.edu
Latin American Studies also has a jobs listserv that it uses to announce upcoming jobs related to Latin America. If you are interested in signing up to receive these postings, then please email slean@stanford.edu.
Latin American Literary Dialogs Workshop
This working group held several discussion groups throughout the quarter on Cristina Rivera-Garza's book, Nadie Me Vera Llorar. The culmination of these sessions was an interactive presentation by and discussion with the author herself on November 28 in Bolivar House.
The group intends to have similar discussion groups with two additional Latin Amerian authors in the coming two quarters. For more information, please contact Francisca Gonzalez Flores (fgflores@stanford.edu) or Angela Weikel (aweikel@stanford.edu)
Oil Companies in Latin America
On October 16, Dr. Tom Heller introduced Dr. Mark Thurber, the Research Program Manager with Stanford's Program on Energy and Sustainable Development (PESD). Dr. Thurber started his talk by explaining the position of National Oil Companies (NOCs) within the world market. For example, NOCs control 75% of global oil resources. He then specifically compared three NOCs: PEMEX, Petrobras, and PDVSA. Dr. Thurber described the historical trajectory of each company and outlined the role of each NOC within the political and economic context of its particular country. He also highlighted geological, technological, and management differences influencing each company. PEMEX, for instance, directly finances just over one-third of the Mexican government's yearly budget. Venezuela has the largest reserves in Latin America and is a founding member of OPEC; and PDVSA is increasingly financing non-business objectives. Petrobras is currently a renowned expert in deepwater extraction, but was founded relatively late (in 1953) and without significant discoveries or infrastructure at that time.
Microfinance Working Group
During the Fall Quarter, Jessica Richman led students in several discussions on the importance of microfinance in Latin America as a form of sustainable development.
Discussions have focused on:
Product line: microcredit vs microfinance
Organizational structure: private sector vs. public sector
Gender: women vs. "co-ed"
Location: rural vs. urban
Lending model: individual vs. solidarity
For more information on this working group, please contact Jessica Richman (jessica.richman@gmail.com).
Mexican Working Group
On October 23,Dr. Gerardo Jiménez, Director of the Mexican Nacional Institute for Genomic Medicine (INMEGEN), engaged in a discussion with Stanford students on the ethical and scientific issues facing this newly created Mexican organization.
Conservation of Brazilian Resources under Portuguese Rule?
On October 23, Dr. Shawn Miller, Chair of the History Department at Brigham Young University, highlighted Portuguese economic policies that unintentionally created conservation mechanisms to protect Brazilian resources from being completely depleted. For example, until 1859 the Portuguese crown awarded individuals 3-year monopoly contracts for the harvesting and sale of Brazilwood. In order to perpetuate this system and keep prices high, the crown established quotas for the export of this product. Dr. Miller believes that had this monopoly not been in place, Brazilwood would have been completely eliminated early on. He also discussed Portuguese monopolies on whaling and diamond mining in Brazil.
Mexican - Peruvian Collaboration in the 1860's
On October 24, Dr. Rosa Garibaldi, a Peruvian diplomat to the United States, presented her detailed doctorate research on Peru's support of Mexico through the "Corpancho Mission".
American Visa
On October 30, Bolivian author Juan de Recacoechea came to Stanford to describe his recent book and film. American Visa follows a Bolivian father who resorts to criminal activity in order to obtain a US visa and follow his son to America. The author read excerpts from his novel and then played clips from the movie that visually captured the text.
Arpilleras' Reflection of Pinochet's Rule
On November 6, Dr. Jacqueline Adams, a visiting scholar at the Beatrice Bain Research Group on Gender at the University of California at Berkeley, described women's portrayal of events in Chile under Pinochet using visual arts. Arpilleras are rectangular pieces of cloth that illustrate a scene using the placement of different pieces of colored cloth (see below). Although this art form did not exist in Chile prior to Pinochet, it was created through the influece of (religious) foundations as a means to raise international awarness and provide an income for the makers and their families.
Geoarchaeology in Argentina
On November 7, Laura Chiaramonte, Kyle Spikes, and Jeff Shragge (PhD candidates at Stanford) described their research in the Ambato Valley in Catamarca.
Plan Colombia's Impact on Local Citizens
On November 8, Yu’çta Musse, indigenous leader and interlocutor for the Nasa people of Colombia, described the trials and tribulations experienced by his people as a result of aerial fumigation and narcoterror.
Domingo Cavallo Discusses Argentina's Economic Crisis
On November 13, Dr. Domingo Cavallo, Former Economic Minister of Argentina, discussed the events leading up to Argentina's Economic Crisis with Dr. John Taylor and Dr. William Ratliff.
Globalization and Neoliberalization in Soccer
On November 16, Sam Dubal, BA student in Anthropology, discussed his thesis research. He focused on the growing commercialization of soccer and the transformation of soccer clubs from fan-based associations to profit-driven companies. In particular, he looked at Brazil's Corinthians and UK's Manchester United and the development of fan organizations with each.
Challenges for Latin American Agroecology
On November 27, Dr. Rodolfo Dirzo introduced Dr. Clara Nicholls, Lecturer at UC Berkeley. Dr Nicholls highlighed the many dangers to Latin American agriculture and environments. Of great importance is the competition that large international food companies present to small farmers with only a few hectares of land. She clearly demonstrated the benefits of growing several crops simultaneously, as opposed to large tracts of monocrops.
Paella Passion
On November 29, diehard fans of paella from Spain, Colombia, and Argentina gathered to listen, learn, and participate as chef Jose Luis Relinque demonstrated his knowledge of this large and complicated dish. During two hours, guests took copious notes and helped add ingredients. Instruction was also broken up by wonderful performances by Los Salseros de Stanford, Mariachi Cardenal, and Ballet Folklorico. Many thanks to all the performers who came out that night and to Hammarskjold staff!
Highlights of the performances
Alumni Share Advice
On November 30, alumni from Latin American Studies' MA program returned to Bolivar House to share their personal career expierences and offer advice to current students weighing job and graduate school decisions.
Latin American Studies was honored to have present:
Beatriz de la Mora, Research Mobilization Specialist, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Diana Derycz-Kessler, CEO and Owner, Los Angeles Film School and Los Angeles Recording School.
Sebastien Saiegh, Assistant Professor of Political Science, UC San Diego.
For more information on this event or to subscribe to the Center's jobs listserv, please contact Geraldine Slean (slean@stanford.edu).
Spanish Migration Statistics
On December 5, Dr. Reher, Professor in the Department de Sociology II (Human Ecology and Population) at the School of Political Science and Sociology of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, described the comprehensive survey that the National Statistical Institute (INE) has undertaken this last year. This project was conducted in order to evaluate Spain's large immigrant population. The data are currently being analyzed, but future reports will be able to describe different immigrant populations in Spain by provenience, gender, age, educational attainment, family size, decision to emigrate, remittances, and cultural and political involvement with Spanish organizations.
Language Extinction
On December 5, Dr. K. David Harrison, Assistant Professor of Linguistics at Swarthmore College, spoke at Stanford on the changes in languages occuring throughout the world. Dr. Harrison highlighted that languages show extreme diversity (resulting in the creation of numerous distinct dialects) as they approach extinction.
Holiday Fiesta
On December 6, Latin American Studies celebrated the Holidays with a traditional Latin American Holiday dinner. Guests also walked away with interesting gifts after playing white elephant. Felices Fiestas to all!