CRITICAL ISSUES

Democracy, Governance, and Violence

The last few years have witnessed considerable shifts of political power in Latin America. From Brazil to Bolivia, Venezuela to Ecuador, political regimes have signaled the emergence of new social and political movements and the development of a political discourse which rhetorically challenges the old political order. In addition, sometimes inside and at other times outside these regimes, indigenous political and social movements have appeared which have called into question the epistemic basis of political modernity. If in Latin America and the Caribbean overall, new social and political forms are brewing and experimenting with power, in many parts of the region violence nonetheless remains a central feature of everyday life, as forms of political legitimacy are eroded, nationalist political projects totter or collapse, and social life continues to unfold only by navigating spaces of violence in all its forms.

This initiative, led by Anthony Bogues and Matthew Gutmann, seeks to develop an intellectual cluster to examine the meanings of the new Latin American and Caribbean political moment for democracy. It will also think about the ways in which violence challenges conventional notions of power in post colonial states. Finally, we will examine how both the democratic project and violence in post-colonial Latin America and the Caribbean shape discourses and practices of governance.

In fall 2009, as part of launching the initiative, the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Brown hosted an international conference on “Violence in Mexico: Beyond Sensationalism”.

For more information on the Democracy, Governance, and Violence in the Americas initiative, please contact either Anthony_Bogues@brown.edu or Matthew_Gutmann@brown.edu.

Health in the Americas

(Text coming soon!)

Indigenous Peoples and Knowledges

Indigenous identity and knowledge, particularly as they relate to politics and culture in the Americas, are key areas of interest for CLACS faculty and students.  In addition, this is one of the central foci through which CLACS continues to build bridges with other centers and departments at Brown that emphasize Native North America, including the Department of Anthropology, the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America, and the Third World Center. 

In 2009-2010, CLACS affiliates Paja Faudree and Jessaca Leinaweaver coordinated a lecture series focusing on the relationship of indigenous ethnic identity to current realities in North and South America. Four distinguished scholars who work on indigenous issues from across the hemisphere gave public lectures that considered, from a variety of angles, the potential for a political and cultural relationship between indigenous peoples in Latin America and those in North America.