Latin American Studies Commons^™

Claiming The Remains Of The Past: The Return Of Cultural Heritage Objects To Colombia, Mexico, And Peru, Pierre Losson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

My research explores the reasons why three Latin American states (Colombia, Mexico, and Peru) claim the return of cultural heritage objects from holding institutions in the Western World, such as museums and universities. The literature on returns and restitutions, which focuses on questions of ownership and possession of objects, opposes two conceptions of cultural heritage: on the one hand, the internationalists argue that the location of a cultural object must be decided according to the interests of science and education, for the benefit and in the name of humankind; on the other hand, the nationalists consider that cultural heritage is …

The Evolution Of Mara Salvatrucha 13 And Barrio 18: Violence, Extortion, And Drug Trafficking In The Northern Triangle Of Central America, Pamela Ruiz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Mara Salvatrucha 13 (mara) and Barrio 18 (pandilla) gangs have become a major concern for the governments of the Northern Triangle of Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras) and the United States. In recent years, government officials have attributed violence and the exodus of Central Americans to the developing capacities of gangs. The Mara Salvatrucha 13(MS-13) and Barrio 18 have been identified to strategically implement violence and extortion rackets which have led to transformations in their organizational structures and increased participation in drug trafficking. Furthermore, officials insinuate that gangs have developed capacities to confront security forces that enter …

Computed Tomography Shows High Fracture Prevalence Among Physically Active Forager-Horticulturalists With High Fertility, Jonathan Stieglitz, Benjamin C. Trumble, Horus Study Team, Caleb E. Finch, Dong Li, Matthew J. Budoff, Hillard Kaplan, Michael D. Gurven

ESI Publications

Modern humans have more fragile skeletons than other hominins, which may result from physical inactivity. Here, we test whether reproductive effort also compromises bone strength, by measuring using computed tomography thoracic vertebral bone mineral density (BMD) and fracture prevalence among physically active Tsimane forager-horticulturalists. Earlier onset of reproduction and shorter interbirth intervals are associated with reduced BMD for women. Tsimane BMD is lower versus Americans, but only for women, contrary to simple predictions relying on inactivity to explain skeletal fragility. Minimal BMD differences exist between Tsimane and American men, suggesting that systemic factors other than fertility (e.g. diet) do not …

Reproduciendo Otros Mundos: Indigenous Women's Struggles Against Neo-Extractivism And The Bolivian State, Gisela Victoria Rodriguez Fernandez

Dissertations and Theses

Latin America is in a political crisis, yet Bolivia is still widely recognized as a beacon of hope for progressive change. The radical movements at the beginning of the 21st century against neoliberalism that paved the road for the election of Bolivia's first indigenous president, Evo Morales, beckoned a change from colonial rule towards a more just society. Paradoxically, in pursuing progress through economic growth, the Bolivian state led by President Morales has replicated the colonial division of labor through a development model known as neo-extractivism. Deeply rooted tensions have also emerged between indigenous communities and the Bolivian state due …

The Dynamics Of Men's Cooperation And Social Status In A Small-Scale Society, Christopher Von Rueden, Daniel Redhead, Rick O'Gorman, Hillard Kaplan, Michael Gurven

ESI Publications

We propose that networks of cooperation and allocation of social status co-emerge in human groups. We substantiate this hypothesis with one of the first longitudinal studies of cooperation in a preindustrial society, spanning 8 years. Using longitudinal social network analysis of cooperation among men, we find large effects of kinship, reciprocity and transitivity in the nomination of cooperation partners over time. Independent of these effects, we show that (i) higher-status individuals gain more cooperation partners, and (ii) individuals gain status by cooperating with individuals of higher status than themselves. We posit that human hierarchies are more egalitarian relative to other …

Actores De La Política De Calidad En La Educación Superior Costarricense, Eugenia Gallardo-Allen

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

En el presente artículo se analiza, desde la corriente neoinstitucionalista, el proceso de formulación y adopción de la acreditación de carreras, como un componente de la política de calidad en educación superior costarricense. Para ello, se utilizan los elementos planteados por el modelo de Scharpf (1997). También, se identifican las universidades estatales como actores, promotores y directivos; las universidades privadas, como actores aliados; y algunos organismos internacionales y el gobierno, como actores claves en el proceso de formulación y adopción del Sistema Nacional de Acreditación de la Educación Superior (Sinaes), en Costa Rica. Se evidencia la creencia y la percepción …

Guanajuato: Retos En Materia De Seguridad Pública, Estela García Patlán

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

La seguridad pública ha tomado relevancia en el marco de políticas públicas que buscan trastocar la causalidad de un fenómeno, por ejemplo, las orientadas a prevenir conductas delictivas. Estudiar las causas de un fenómeno, observarlo en una dimensión amplia y analizar lo cualitativo de lo cuantitativo puede contribuir a elaborar políticas públicas que trabajen desde la raíz del problema y no desde lo reactivo. Con esta base, el principal objetivo de esta investigación, la cual se encuentra en primera etapa, es analizar las causas estructurales que podrían estar relacionadas con el alza de las tasas delictivas en el Estado mexicano …

Gobernanza De Recursos Privados Para Destinación Pública, Diana Fernández, Adolfo Eslava, Camilo Arango

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

Este artículo estudia el papel de las organizaciones privadas en la gobernanza, con el fin de avanzar en la comprensión de los procesos de toma de decisiones respecto a la asignación de recursos privados en asuntos públicos. En particular, desde una mirada institucionalista y de la mano de la categoría analítica gobernanza policéntrica, aquí se aborda la decisión de algunas organizaciones privadas de asignar recursos a la educación pública en el departamento de Antioquia. El análisis cualitativo permite afirmar que, en efecto, existen múltiples centros de toma de decisiones que adolecen de falta de articulación pero que, al mismo …

Capacidades Institucionales Para La Implementación Local Del Acuerdo De Paz Con Las Farc: El Punto Sobre Participación Política En El Municipio De Ituango, Colombia, Xamara Mesa Betancur

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

El propósito de este trabajo es analizar la implementación local del Acuerdo de Paz con las FARC-EP, concretamente, a partir de la dimensión institucional del Concejo Municipal de Ituango, Antioquia (capacidades institucionales), así como la dimensión actitudinal (percepciones, posiciones) de sus concejales. Lo anterior resulta significativo, toda vez que el punto a analizar es el referido a la participación política y la apertura democrática, lo cual posibilita ahondar en dos elementos neurálgicos en el funcionamiento de este cuerpo colegiado, a saber, el relacionamiento entre la institucionalidad y la sociedad civil para la tramitación de problemas públicos y el fortalecimiento de …

Formación Universitaria En Administración Pública Y Capacidades Burocráticas En Argentina (1990-2017), Sergio Agoff, Gabriela Mansilla

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

Este trabajo tiene como objetivo reflexionar acerca del vínculo entre las capacidades burocráticas probablemente involucradas en la gestión de Estados que se reconocen en dos corrientes: neoliberal y neodesarrollista y el desarrollo de la oferta de formación en Administración y Gestión Pública en Argentina durante los últimos veintisiete años, a partir de interrogarnos: ¿cuáles serían esas capacidades en cada caso? y ¿qué ofertas formativas alimentarían esas capacidades? El trabajo postula que este campo de formación se define por las promesas en torno a sus perfiles de egreso y los alcances para ellos diseñados, al mismo tiempo que se constituye como …

La Formación Y Capacitación De Cuadros Políticos Para La Gestión Del Estado En Argentina, Melina Guardamagna

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

El problema de la formación y capacitación de cuadros políticos para la gestión del Estado constituye una preocupación que atraviesa tanto la teoría como la práctica política, y es necesario abordarla desde ambas ópticas, por las complejidades y desafíos que surgen a la hora de pensar los programas académicos: ¿qué competencias requieren los cuadros políticos para la gestión del Estado? ¿Dónde se tienen que desarrollar estas instancias de formación y capacitación? ¿Cómo lograr su concreción e institucionalización? Considerando tales cuestionamientos, este trabajo pretende realizar un aporte al análisis de las políticas estatales orientadas a la formación y capacitación de cuadros …

Editorial, Nadia Rubaii, Santiago Leyva

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

No abstract provided.

Table Of Content, . .

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

No abstract provided.

Technology, Resources, Institutional Filters And State Capacity: Variations In Latin America, Ted D. Ellis

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the effects of information and communication technology (ICT), education, and political institutionalization on fiscal state capacity in countries classified by the World Bank as upper middle, middle and low income. It presents a metric to explore how changes in information distributions through ICT, education, and political institutionalization mechanisms influence fiscal state capacity. To explore interrelated aspects of distinct information distribution conduits, the dissertation constructs a metric to analyze the effects of information distributions through ICT, educational participation and political institutionalization on fiscal state capacity, the dependent variable. It also explores joint and parallel effects of primary commodities …

Female Experience Of Trauma And Mourning In Two Postconflict Novels Of El Salvador And Peru: Roza, Tumba, Quema By Claudia Hernández, And La Sangre De La Aurora By Claudia Salazar, Raquel Castro Salas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on how literature approaches the Salvadoran and Peruvian armed conflicts and contributes with perspectives of the female experience while offering illustrations of mourning processes. It is based on a close analysis of two postconflict novels that emerged after the publication of the corresponding truth commissions final reports. These novels are Roza, tumba, quema (2017) by Claudia Hernández from El Salvador, and La sangre de la aurora (2013) by Claudia Salazar from Peru. The contributions studied in this analysis focus on two areas: (1) a problematization of the female experience of the armed conflicts, and (2) a focus …

The Oppressive Pressures Of Globalization And Neoliberalism On Mexican Maquiladora Garment Workers, Jenna Demeter

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

The international economic trends of globalization and neoliberalism have exposed and enabled the exploitation of Mexican workers, especially women in the maquiladora garment industry. During the 1950s, globalization gave rise to the new international division of labor and transnational corporations (TNCs) that have offshored labor-intensive phases of production to developing countries, many of which have pursued export-led industrialization. Export processing in Mexico was encouraged in the 1960s by Item 807 of the U.S. Tariff Code and Mexico’s Border Industrialization Program. Especially following the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s, advanced capitalist countries and International Financial Institutions foisted neoliberal structural …

Becoming A Superpower: China’S Rise And The Belt And Road Initiative In Latin America, Garrett Bullock

History Summer Fellows

Is China a Superpower? Will it become one? After half a century of establishing a strong international military presence, thriving economic growth, domestic/international political authority, and considerable cultural “soft power”, the PRC has emerged as a hegemon capable of competing in international geopolitics. Nevertheless, these questions remain unanswered. For this reason, this research explores what it means to be a superpower, whether China is or will be a superpower, and, importantly, what impact China’s rise has on the world. To do this, this research explores existing debates surrounding China’s current global status, the historical emergence of the PRC as a …

Mi Semestre Con La Experiencia Inmigrante: Todos Podríamos Aprender Un Poco, Rachel C. Ziemba

VA Engage Journal

Mucho del conocimiento común sobre la inmigración en los Estados Unidos se basa en los estereotipos de las comunidades inmigrantes. La falta de entendimiento obstaculiza las vidas de los inmigrantes. Por lo tanto, la educación del público es la única manera de mejorar esta situación y cambiar la actitud social con respeto a los inmigrantes hispanos y latinx. El aprendizaje y uso generalizado del español también ayudará a traer consigo una sociedad norteamericana más receptiva de los inmigrantes. El bilingüismo inglés español es una solución útil y fácil para aumentar la inclusión de los inmigrantes de origen hispano en los …

“Medical Tourism Will…Obligate Physicians To Elevate Their Level So That They Can Compete”: A Qualitative Exploration Of The Anticipated Impacts Of Inbound Medical Tourism On Health Human Resources In Guatemala, Valorie A. Crooks, Ronald Labonté, Alejandro Cerón, Rory Johnston, Jeremy Snyder, Marcie Snyder

Anthropology: Faculty Scholarship

Background: Medical tourism, which involves cross-border travel to access private, non-emergency medical interventions, is growing in many Latin American Caribbean countries. The commodification and export of private health services is often promoted due to perceived economic benefits. Research indicates growing concern for health inequities caused by medical tourism, which includes its impact on health human resources, yet little research addresses the impacts of medical tourism on health human resources in destination countries and the subsequent impacts for health equity. To address this gap, we use a case study approach to identify anticipated impacts of medical tourism sector development on health …

Media Discourses That Normalize Colonial Relations: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of (Im)Migrants And Refugees, Meng Zhao, Jorge Rodriguez, Lilia D. Monzó

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The im(migration) and refugee crisis that are being exacerbated under the Trump administration, is a manifestation of empire-building and the long history of colonization of the Global South. A Marxist-humanist perspective recognizes these as consistent aspects of a clearly racist global capitalism that functions in the interest of multibillion dollar U.S.–based corporations and increasingly transnational corporations. Trade agreements, international economic policy, political intervention, invasion or the threat of these, often secure corporate interests in specific countries and regions. The authors use critical discourse analysis to examine the discourses around Mexican, Central American, and Syrian im(migrants) and refugees as examples of …

Prevalence And Correlates Of Diagnosed And Undiagnosed Hypertension In The Indigenous Kuna Population Of Panamá, Daniel R. Hanna, Rebekah J. Walker, Brittany L. Smalls, Jennifer A. Campbell, Aprill Z. Dawson, Leonard E. Egede

Center for Health Services Research Faculty Publications

Background: To determine the prevalence of hypertension and investigate sociodemographic correlates in an indigenous Kuna community living on the San Blas islands of Panama.

Methods: Data was collected from adults using a paper-based survey using a cross sectional study design. Blood pressure was measured, and hypertension defined at two cut-points: 130/80 mmHg and 140/90 mmHg. Individuals with undiagnosed hypertension had a blood pressure measurement that indicated hypertension, however, the individual had not been told by a doctor they had hypertension. Whereas individuals with diagnosed hypertension had been told by a healthcare provider that they had hypertension. Univariate tests compared diagnosed …

The Paradoxical Implications Of Deported American Students, Edmund T. Hamann, Jessica Mitchell-Mccollough

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This book chapter (which has no formal abstract) uses the case of two children who had to leave the United States because their father was deported to raise questions about how US schooling does or does not anticipate and support students who will need to negotiate schooling in two countries.

Principals and teachers throughout the United States (and world) have students with transnational ties. Sometimes students were born in another country. More commonly, one or both parents were. Sometimes that means students and/or parents lack documentation, which creates anxiety and ambiguity in students’ lives that schools need to negotiate. Suro …

A New Long Island: Demographic, Economic, And Social Transformations In New York City's Historic Suburbs, 1990 - 2016 (Revised), Lawrence Cappello

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction: This report examines key socioeconomic and demographic trends in New York City and Long Island from 1990 to 2016.

Methods: The findings reported here are based on data collected by the Census Bureau IPUMS (Integrated Public Use Microdata Series), available at http://www.usa.ipums.org for the corresponding years and the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

Results: The Long Island suburbs have grown significantly more diverse in the early twenty-first century. The total number of non-Hispanic Whites in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties is in steady decline, as is their share of Long Island’s total population. Latinos and Asians, on the …

Gentrification In Upper Manhattan? Demographic And Socioeconomic Transformations In Washington Heights/Inwood, 1990-2015, Lawrence Cappello

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction: This report examines the impact and extent of gentrification in the Washington Heights/Inwood area – traditionally one of Manhattan’s most quintessential Latino neighborhoods.

Methods: This report uses the American Community Survey PUMS (Public Use Microdata Series) data for all years released by the Census Bureau and reorganized for public use by the Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, IPUMSusa, (https://usa.ipums.org/usa/index.shtml).

Results: The Latino community of Washington Heights/Inwood is not being displaced in any meaningful way. While there has certainly been an increase in the number of wealthy non-Hispanic Whites over the last decade, as of 2015 Latinos maintained the …

Us And The Cold War In Latin America, Thomas Field

Publications

The Cold War in Latin America had marked consequences for the region’s political and economic evolution. From the origins of US fears of Latin American Communism in the early 20th century to the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, regional actors played central roles in the drama. Seeking to maximize economic benefit while maintaining independence with regard to foreign policy, Latin Americans employed an eclectic combination of liberal and anti-imperialist discourses, balancing frequent calls for anti-Communist hemispheric unity with periodic diplomatic entreaties to the Soviet bloc and the nonaligned Third World. Meanwhile, US Cold War policies toward …

Murder And Machismo: Behind The Motivations Of Salvadoran Women Asylum Seekers, Victoria Colbert

Master's Theses

This thesis aims to draw connections between a culture of machismo, an ideological gender belief distinct to Latin America with heavy traces of patriarchy and misogyny, and the motivations of Salvadoran women seeking asylum in the United States. I develop these connections by first reviewing the literature on structural violence, the form of violence wherein the structure or social institution prevents certain demographics of people from meeting their basic needs and living their optimal lives (Galtung, 1969). I repeatedly use structural violence and its functions to parallel the operations of patriarchy and machismo to suggest that violence against women (VAW) …

Dynamic Duos: Interrogating Latin American Curricula Through Faculty-Librarian Partnerships, Jesús Alonso-Regalado, Daniel Arbino, Pamela Espinosa De Los Monteros, Marisol Ramos, Christine Vassallo-Oby, Charles Venator-Santiago, Lisa Voigt

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

The ever-changing education and information landscape has brought with it an increased focus on teaching pedagogy and curriculum design. In response, Latin American Studies faculty are pursuing creative pedagogical directions and approaches in areas such as digital scholarship and information literacy in partnership with librarians and archivists. This roundtable will explore faculty-librarians practice-based initiatives focusing on issues related to the Global North and South. The uniqueness of this roundtable is that both the teaching faculty and the librarian representing each academic institution will be present. The University at Albany will discuss the redesign of a Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. …

Empowering Female Entrepreneurs Through Mentorship In Medellin, Colombia: Results From The Field, Theresa Solenski

Master's Theses

Utilizing the power of local knowledge and peer networking, this study attempts to quantify the impacts of mentorship among female micro-entrepreneurs in Medellin, Colombia on empowerment. Developing countries such as Colombia have disproportionately high rates of unprofitable micro-businesses, many of which are managed by women. Internal constraints, such as disempowerment, play a central role in perpetuating poverty. We implement a 6-month mentoring intervention by pairing 18 successful entrepreneurs with 52 disadvantaged female, micro-entrepreneurs in Medellin, Colombia to measure the additional benefit of localized knowledge to micro-borrowers. Using a process of random assignment, I measure the change in female empowerment, measured …

Unintended Consequences: U.S. Interference In El Salvador, The Salvadoran Diaspora, And The Role Of Activist Community Organizations In Establishing A Salvadoran-American Community In Los Angeles, Blake Bergstrom

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The U.S. intervention in El Salvador had a number of unintended consequences, some negative and some positive, that still have a great impact on the U.S., El Salvador, and the international community as a whole today. Although the focus of the mass media is on the negative unintended consequences, the positive really outweigh the negative. These so-called unintended consequences began with a massive increase in immigration to escape the violent human rights violations and political persecutions of El Salvador’s Civil War. This migration to the U.S. in the 1980s is referred to as the Salvadoran Diaspora, which led to an …

Seduction, Promises And Disneyfication Of Barbuda Post Irma, Sophia Perdikaris, Rebecca Boger, Emira Ibrahimpašić

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

Under the guise of post-hurricane development, the national government of Antigua and Barbuda exploited the disasterscape of post Hurricane Irma Barbuda to usher in a new wave of economic development that has left Barbudans separated from their unique culture and identity. In this article we explore what are inhabited vs. uninhabited spaces, the effects of Colonial Christian ideas on cultivated vs. uncultivated lands and the effects of capitalist seduction to traditional landscapes and seascapes. We argue that this neocolonial approach to traditional lifeways increases vulnerability of both people and environment. By wiping out diversity and culture in order to replace …