Modern Latin America 2020 – Page 8

Research Ideas: Alarming numbers of homocides in Mexico

My research project will focus on homicides in Mexico. I will research the homicide rate in Mexico, along with the causes. The heavy increase in the number of homicides in Mexico has not gone unnoticed. It has become common to see news headlines reporting violence in Mexico followed by the number of those killed. I am interested in discovering what the reason is behind such large rate of homicides. How are the people affected by said homicides? Who else is affected by this? What can be said about the safety in Mexico as a result?

The overall questions I want to address are, How does the homicide rate affect the country and others? What is the reason the homicide rate in Mexico has increased dramatically?

Student Research: Women in Revolutions

I would like to investigate women in Latin American Revolutions, in Chile and Cuba (perhaps a third could be added or just do these two comparatively). I find it interesting that the Cuban Revolution falls on the “left” side of the political spectrum, while the Chilean Revolution falls on the “right” side of the political spectrum. While differing ideologically, did the women participating in these two revolutions use similar strategies to meet their goals? What were their appeals? Were they different or similar? This topic is important in understanding women’s history in Latin America, political mobilization, women’s political history, etc.

Since I have some background knowledge on the topic, I noticed that many of the women who participated in both revolutions were white, upper-class, and educated. I was wondering if there was any history to diversify it or add a different perspective, such as women’s indigenous history? I am also interested in indigenous women’s history but was unsure of what primary sources are available and I’m not completely tied to the above idea (I only know of Rigoberta Menchú).

Photos courtesy of Democratic Socialists of America website and Workers World website

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.

Latin America in the News (February 5, 2020)

Over the past few days, 47 people have died, 4 are missing and 18,000 people have been forced to flee from their homes because of severe weather. In the state of Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil, landslides and floods have caused environmental and humanitarian damages. The power of the water in some areas has been so damaging that it caused pavement to explode, creating geysers.

These rains have been damaging particularly to the mining industry as it has caused flooding and threatened collapses. It has also been especially damaging to those living in poverty. There has been a housing deficit in the area which cause many to build homes on dangerous slopes which were wiped out by landslides. The Governor of Minas Gerais states that in the future they hope to prevent this from happening by enacting housing policy that will build homes in safe neighborhoods.

The deaths from the rain, floods and landslides is tragic and the reasoning for them is scary. José Carlos Carvalho, a former environment minister said that these severe rains are a clear sign of climate change stating “The first signs of climate change are extreme events,” he said. “There is a transformation of our climate pattern.” This is some of the first evidence of a change in climate patterns which means that these rains and their effects such as flooding and landslides could get worse over time putting more people and places in danger.

I was not aware of the powerful storms and their effects until I started doing research for this project and I think that is very telling of the media attention that this issue and many other issues in Latin America. A former environmental minister said that these rains and the deaths that have occurred because of them are direct consequences of climate change. The fact that this story has been under reported is scary for those reasons. People should be aware of the changes in weather due to climate change and the disasters it can cause.

At first, I wasn’t quite sure how to connect this event to class but the article stated that mines and miners are especially at risk because the landslides could collapse the mines putting people’s lives and livelihoods in danger. Mining began in Brazil in the colonial era, in fact the state Minas Gerais where this tragedy is happening literally means “General mines”. The Portuguese began mining in Brazil in the 1700s, collecting almost 180 tons of gold during that century alone. There are still a lot of mines in the region which shows a colonial legacy through industry.

The introduction of mining by the Portuguese did not just create an economic legacy in Brazil but also an environmental impact. Mines create many environmental issues but the ones that relate to this issue are landscape degradation and erosion. These make the landscape less secure which makes landslides and flooding even more severe because the land is not as stable as it should be.

Bibliography:

Andereoni, Manuela and Letíca Casado. “Powerful Storm Kills 47 in Brazil.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 Jan. 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/27/world/americas/brazil-flood.html.