Student Research

Student Research: Gender and Argentina’s Dirty War

I would like to research the role that gender played in the Argentine Dirty War, both in terms of gender-based violence but also in terms of the peace movements led by women. When taking Peace Studies last year, I learned briefly about the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, and I would like to research this movement further. I think it would be interesting to research how the government and wider society has viewed this movement over time and what role gender played in these perceptions. I would also like to frame this within the larger context of how the role of gender in the Dirty War has been viewed over time. I think that this is both a very interesting and important question that is very relevant to understanding Latin America, especially because the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo are still actively protesting today.

Student research: Jamaican Classifications of People

I’d like to look at the different classifications of people in Jamaica during the 19th century. As a colony of the British Empire, there were three main classifications of people: British, slaves, and maroons.

For my research I’d like to focus on slaves and maroons and how they interacted in Jamaica with the presence of the British. While the Maroons were up in the hills, the slaves knew of them and many hoped to one day join the Maroon communities.

While I don’t have a specific question yet, I’d like to look at race and class relations within Jamaica.

Student Research: Cuban, US, and Russian Relations in the Cold War

As a GIS major with a focus in political science, international relations fascinates me. The Cold War has always been a period of history that interests me and I want to learn more about it from the Cuban perspective. I don’t have a particular research question yet, but I’d like to look at how Cuba, the US, and Russia all interacted with one another during the Cold War. Potentially I could research Cuba’s foreign policy during the Cold War or after it ended. Another topic that interests me is nationalism and national identity, so I’m interested to see how/if events like the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis and US foreign policy played a role in shaping Cuban identity.

Student Research: Chilean Radical Feminism

 

I would love to spend the semester looking into how feminism in Chile became so radical and powerful. I am interested in this, because of a viral video  I saw a few months ago of a group of women, blind folded, singing and dancing to a song that was about being raped. It was incredibly moving, and seemed to have struck people across the world. I want to know how they got to that point. I think it is extremely valuable to know this information in order to better understand Latin America as a whole. This dance and movement spread all across South America, so clearly this is being felt by so many more than just Chile. Understanding a country in a specific time is not solely looking at the politics or economics, but looking at how people feel they are being treated. I definitely want to narrow my question down, but that will come with time.

Works Cited:

Esteban Felix, Associated Press. Accessed February 4, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/opinion/latin-america-feminism.html

VICE News. “This Chilean Anti-Rape Song Is Now A Viral Feminist Anthem”. YouTube video, Posted [December 12, 2019]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgmq3BpKNvc

Research Ideas: Hierarchies in Central America

For my research , I am interested in looking at the “caste system” and how that has impacted the political structures throughout history, even reaching into recent times. This system was originally put in place by the Spanish and was very complex with many categories. I thought it was interesting to see how little social structures changed after independence and it seems like that has had long lasting impacts on the region. The political structures in Latin America have not always been stable and it seems that class structures may have played a role in this. I am also a political science major so looking at the changes in government throughout history is particularly interesting to me. I think this issue is complex and worth looking into more.

Research Project rough idea, Argentine feminism at the end of 19th century

Argentina has been one of the most progressive feminist countries in recent years, as demonstrated by the rapid change of social norms. There have been social movements such as #AbortoLegal and #NiUnaMenos that women raised their voice to fight against patriarchy and the traditional gender roles while fighting for many rights. Women in Argentine history has a history of oppression, resistance and activism. We can trace these activisms since the second half of last 19th century when a group of anarchist-communist women started their magazine called “La Voz de La Mujer” in 1896, Buenos Aires, Argentina to fight against church oppression, children and women’s rights and labor oppression. In their very first publication, they said “we have decided to raise our voice and demand our part of pleasures in ‘the life concert.'” Their bravery started to challenge all the traditional roles that women were considered as incapable of being independent, and their destiny is to be domestic and caring. They could not inherit any properties, represent themselves legally or initiate divorce. However, with a series of feminist literature and education implementation, women started to fight against inequality.

For this research project, I would like to analyze how impactful at the end of 19th century to the start of 20th century in feminist social movement as a result of education and literature. I would like to argue that education and literature at the end of 19th century and start of 20th century set a foundation for Argentine women in fighting for their rights. First, it is important to analyze the role of education as an antecedent of the movement. In the 1870s, President Sarmiento made education at a national level and set up institutions to formalize. As well as making Spanish the official education language. Then, I will investigate how much accessibility women had gained from Sarmiento’s policy and how education changed them in careers and different fields. At the same time, I will compare the opportunities of men and women back in the second half of 19th century. Lastly, I would like to analyze important feminist literature such as “La Voz de La Mujer” and its influence in the development of feminism.

The primary sources could be original and official documents from the end of 19th century and start of 20th century. A possible resource could be the digital archives of “La Voz de La Mujer” from América Lee. http://americalee.cedinci.org/portfolio-items/la-voz-de-la-mujer/ The secondary sources would be gender studies presentations, scholarly articles and news paper articles.

 

 

Reference

Wu, Tongtong. “La percepción e interpretación del femicidio en Buenos Aires: Por qué la gente juzga diferente?” IFSA Global Flagship-Buenos Aires, published Dec 2 2018.

Sanchéz, Ana. “La primera edición de la voz de la mujer.” La izquierda diario, published Jan 9 2018, accessed Feb 4 2019. http://www.laizquierdadiario.com/La-primera-edicion-de-La-voz-de-la-mujer

 

 

 

Student Research: LGBTQ+ Rights in Cuba

For my research project, I would like to explore: How did deep prejudice toward homosexuals in Cuba during the Revolution motivate the development of Cuban LGBTQ+ rights to the present? I am interested in researching this development because I would like to observe how much progress or lack of progress has been made toward establishing more rights for the LGBTQ+ community in Cuba since the initiation and discontinuation of placing homosexuals in labor camps during the Cuban Revolution. This research can be beneficial toward understanding modern Latin America because it will provide greater insight toward the development of the LGBTQ+ movement in Cuba, which may then be compared to LGBTQ+ movements in other Latin American countries to assess the development of these movements as well.