The year 2010 marks the centennial of the beginning of the Mexican Revolution and the bicentennial of upheavals and Independence movements in several of Spain's American colonies. With this conference, we hope to highlight the connections between violence as massive historical rupture -revolutions, wars, riots, rebellions- and violence as historical continuity- the experience of unremarked violence in everyday life: What are the ideologies behind violence and how are they put to work?  How does violence become justified, rationalized, or respected?  When does the state seek a "monopoly of violence" and when does it marginalize, coopt and redirect already-existing violence? Rather than focus exclusively on instances of mass upheaval represented by revolutions and wars of independence, we invite participants to re-think violence historically in terms of:

-Institutional torture
-Banditry and crime
-Public display of violence, torture and execution
-Disciplinary violence
-Racialized violence
-Violence based on gender
-Exclusionary violence
-Border, frontier and transnational violence
-Civil War
-Military and institutional violence
-Guerrilla warfare
-Environmental conflicts: land displacement and conflict over natural
resources.

This graduate student conference will take place March 5 and 6, 2010. Prospective participants should send an abstract of no more than 300 words to violenceconference@gmail.com no later than October 15, 2009. Accepted participants will be notified by November 1, 2009, and are required to send a full version of their papers no later than January 15, 2010. Each participant will have 20 minutes to present. All inquiries should be directed to the above e-mail address, to Julia del Palacio at ajd2128@columbia.edu, or Ariel Lambe at aml2160@columbia.edu

"Overt and Discreet Violence: Ruptures and Continuities in Latin America and the Caribbean" is sponsored by the Department of History at Columbia University, the Institute for Latin American Studies (ILAS) and the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race (CSER).

On June 28th, the duly elected President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya Rosales, was ousted in a coup denounced around the world. The new regime has not been recognized by virtually any country in the international community. New ministers have been imposed, and virtually all high-level government officials have been removed, including Minister of Culture, Dr. Rodolfo Pastor Fasquelle. A little known story in the midst of the broader political crisis concerns the illegal ouster of  Honduras´s Director of its Institute of Anthropology and History, the state agency charged with protecting, restoring, researching and promoting the country´s cultural heritage, including its ancient archaeological past. This aspect of Honduras´s national identity is often associated with the tourism drawn to the country´s world famous ancient Mayan city in Copan, near the Honduras-Guatemala border.  This talk addresses the eerie question: what role did the Ancient Maya play in the aftermath of the coup in Honduras?

in Coordination with New York University and Yale University

Are Pleased To Announce A New Course For the Fall 2009:

INTRODUCTION TO MODERN NAHUATL

Spanish W4050 section 001 - Call Number, 87598

Instructors:

John Sullivan, Ph.D.

and Native Speakers of the ZACATECAS INSTITUTE OF ETHNOLOGY - MEXICO

This introductory course in Classical and Modern Nahuatl will be taught live using distance technology. The learning objectives include: a) developing students' oral comprehension, speaking, reading, writing, and knowledge of language structure, as well as cultural wisdom and sensibility in order to facilitate their ability to communicate effectively, correctly and creatively in everyday situations; b) providing students with instruments and experiences which demonstrate the continuity between past and present Nahuatl culture through the study of Colonial and Modern texts and conversation with native speakers; c) penetrating the historical, economic, political, social and cultural aspects of Nahuatl civilization; d) preparing students to eventually take university level humanities courses taught in Nahuatl alongside native speakers.

For more information, contact Maritza Colón of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese: mc3138@columbia.edu

Joyce Chang
Managing Director and Global Head of Emerging Markets and Credit Research
J.P. Morgan Chase
 
The seminar will be followed by a cocktail reception.
 
Monday, April 20, 2009
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Columbia University
Philosophy Hall, Room 301

To register, please click here: SFC Website

Columbia University professors moderating the seminar:
 
Thomas J. Trebat
Executive Director of the Institute of Latin American Studies
&
Peter N. Marber (SIPA ’87)
Global Head of GEM Fixed Income and Currencies at HSBC's Halbis Capital Management and Adjunct Professor of Finance
 
Agenda:
6:00 pm:  Opening Remarks by Professor Trebat and Professor Marber
6:15 pm:  Presentation by Joyce Chang followed by Q&A
7:15 pm:  Cocktail reception

JOYCE CHANG is an alumnas of Columbia University and is Managing Director and Global Head of Emerging Markets and Credit Research at JPMorgan. Altogether, she manages a team of approximately 150 professionals across research in 13 developed and emerging markets countries covering macroeconomic, FX and rates and company forecasts. Prior to joining JPMorgan, Joyce was a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch and Salomon Brothers. Ms. Chang has also worked for the United States Agency for International Development in the Philippines, Jordan and India.  She has been the #1 ranked emerging markets strategist by Institutional Investor for eleven consecutive years.

Ms. Chang is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Inter-American Dialogue and serves on the Board of Directors of Trickle Up, EMPower and the New York Theater Ballet. She has been featured in various publications, including Newsweek (“20 Most Influential Women”), Wall Street Journal (“Top 50 Women to Watch”), Crain’s New York Business (“New York Rising Stars – 40 Under 40”) and Goldsea (Top Ten Asian American executives under 45). She received her BA from Columbia and MPA from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.

Abstract: Research on Brazilian youth has shown that socioeconomic status (SES) and family conflict are associated with adolescent psychopathology, particularly affective and conduct disorders.  School type has also been shown to predict mental illness, with public school attendance being considered a risk factor.  However, it is unclear how SES and school type have been defined, often being used interchangeably.  In addition, the majority of mental health research has been conducted near Sao Paulo, in the southeast region of the country, while research in other regions has been minimal and findings equivocal.  The current study set out to address both issues by comparing adolescents from two diverse communities in the northeastern state of Bahia: those from a low-income community attending public school, with their counterparts from an upper-middle class community attending private school.

Bio: Brian Sherman is a 2nd-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at Teachers College. He received his BA in Psychology and Anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis in 2003, and went on to complete his master?s degree in Clinical Psychology at Teachers College in 2006. His research interests include developmental psychopathology, family systems, and cross-cultural psychology. Brian has worked with a variety of clinical populations across treatment settings, including children with autism, adults with severe and persistent mental illness, and survivors of torture at the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture. Currently, he conducts weekly psychotherapy with 4 adult patients suffering from affective and personality disorders at the Center for Educational and Psychological Services at Teachers College.

Bio:  José Antonio Sánchez-Román is an Assistant Professor at the Complutense University of Madrid. His first book, La Dulce Crisis: Estado, empresarios e industria azucarera en Tucumán, Argentina (1853-1914) published in 2005 was awarded the Nuestra América Prize 2004. He has published in Revista de Historia Económica, Desarrollo Económico, Journal of Latin American Studies and an article in Hispanic American Historical Review (forthcoming May 2009).

Description:  Join Jose Antonio Sanchez-Roman for a discussion. Businessmen, military, politicians, intellectuals and other members of Brazilian elites have perceived the Amazon region not only as a possible source of natural resources but also as a threat to the building of the state and the territorial existence of the nation. This perception originated in the mid-nineteenth century and still survives today, even beyond elite’s circles. This papers deals with the reasons for this anxiety about the Amazon and the different forms that these fears adopted.

DEADLINE:  MARCH 1st, 2009

The Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS) is pleased to announce its 2009-2010 competition for faculty grants, funded jointly by ILAS and the U.S. Department of Education (Title VI-NRC).

Full time faculty members may apply for the following types of grants:

(1) Individual research/travel

(2) Faculty working groups

(3) Conference/Event

ELIGIBILITY/RESTRICTIONS

1. Competition open to all full-time faculty at Columbia affiliated with ILAS.

2. Individual faculty research travel (1) may take place anytime between July 1st, 2009 and June 1, 2010.  Original receipts for all covered expenses are required upon return. Upon request, ILAS will provide the grantee with a travel advance to the extent permitted by University regulations, with any remainder to be issued as a reimbursement check after your travel is completed and all receipts are provided.

3. Faculty working group activities (2) must be conducted during the academic year beginning September 1, 2009 and must be completed by the last day of classes in spring semester, by May 3rd, 2010. Working group activities must include one or more public events (mini-conference, public lecture by visiting scholar, round table discussion) scheduled and promoted (with ILAS help) well in advance.

4. Conference/Event activities (3) must be conducted during the academic year beginning September 1, 2009 and must be completed by the last day of classes in spring semester, by May 3rd, 2010.

5. Equipment purchases are not allowable expenses under this grant program.

6. Alcohol expenses are not allowed.

7. All international travel must follow Title VI guidelines as described below. ILAS can aid in purchasing air tickets directly.

8. Currently-funded Working Groups are eligible to reapply for funds, though funding priority goes to new applicants, all other things being equal.

9. Faculty may apply for more than 1 type of grant.

FUNDING RESTRICTIONS:

The vast majority of ILAS funding comes from its status as a Title VI National Resource Center, as designated by the U.S. Department of Education. Therefore, restrictions on use of those funding and federal reporting requirements apply to funds for all of the above activities. Approvable expenses are of four types:  (a) Transportation, (b) Lodging, (c) Honoraria, (d) Research Assistance made on a case-by-case basis (wages paid to students for “occasional work,” please contact ILAS for additional information).  Meals, food and drink for receptions, etc, may be paid for with Title VI funds ONLY if the event takes place on campus.

a. Transportation: International air travel must be via US carriers.  Both international and domestic air travel must be approved at least 30 days in advance (by submission of a priced itinerary). Receipts are required for all transportation reimbursements. 

b. Lodging for individual faculty research grantees is also reimbursed against receipts.  Lodging for visitors to NYC can be reimbursed, or, if arranged by ILAS in participating hotels, charged directly to ILAS.

c. Faculty may propose to use grant funds to pay for a research assistant (RA). Approval will be made on a case-by-case basis and the requirements of this disbursement of funds must be discussed prior to proposal submission with ILAS Director and Executive Director. If approved, these funds must include appropriate fringe rates in the budget. The fringe rate for RA’s during the 2009-2010 academic year will be 28%.

A special committee of the ILAS faculty will convene to decide award and amounts awarded.  Awards will be announced by March 16, 2009.

DOWLOAD GRANT ANNOUNCEMENT, APPLICATION GUIDELINES AND FORM.

The following is a selection of books for review related to the theme; these represent an interdisciplinary cross-section of texts from performance, theatre, history, anthropology, literature, and more. 

http://www.hemisphericinstitute.org/eng/publications/emisferica/5.2/participate_review.html

We welcome additional suggestions, as well as proposals for reviews of films and performances dealing with related themes. Books and reviews can be in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. Contact hemi.ejournal@nyu.edu by February 15, 2009 to propose a review. Reviews will be due March 20, 2009.  Please consult www.emisferica.org for review guidelines, and to see the most recent issue of the journal: http://www.hemisphericinstitute.org/eng/publications/emisferica/5.2/index.html

The Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics is a collaborative, multilingual, and interdisciplinary consortium of institutions, artists, scholars, and activists throughout the Americas. Working at the intersection of scholarship, artistic expression, and politics, the organization explores embodied practice—performance—as a vehicle for the creation of new meaning and the transmission of cultural values, memory, and identity. Anchored in its geographical focus on the Americas (thus “hemispheric”) and in its three working languages (English, Spanish and Portuguese), the Institute seeks to create spaces and opportunities for cross-cultural collaboration and interdisciplinary innovation among researchers and practitioners interested in the relationship between performance, politics and social life in the hemisphere. While its administration is housed at New York University, the Hemispheric Institute is comprised by over twenty-five member universities and cultural institutions throughout the Americas. Institute initiatives include courses, work groups, conference-festivals (Encuentros), a Digital Video Library (HIDVL), archives, an online scholarly journal (e-misférica), a trilingual website, an emerging performers program in New York City (EMERGENYC), and public online forums. In 2008, the Institute inaugurated the Centro Hemisférico, a collaborative research center and performance space in Chiapas, Mexico, in partnership with FOMMA (a Mayan women's theatre collective) as well as its Hemispheric New York center, which organizes public events that feature artistic and scholarly work produced in New York City.  For more information, please visit the HEMI website at http://www.hemisphericinstitute.org/eng/index.html