Faculty Voices

Américo Mendoza–Mori, an interdisciplinary scholar trained in literary, linguistic and cultural studies who teaches in Harvard’s Committee on Ethnicity, Migration and Rights, discusses his plans to promote Quechua, as well as Latinx studies at Harvard. He talks about two of his popular courses “Indigeneity and Latinidad” and a course that looks at Latinx representation in the media and arts. That’s something very familiar to him, he observes, since he was a cultural consultant on Dora and the Lost City of Gold.

Kathryn Sikkink, the Ryan Family Professor of Human Rights Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, discusses how Latin America has been a protagonist in the development of human rights law, not just a victim of global politics. And as war wages in the Ukraine, she gives us her thoughts on how international law has virtually put an end to what she calls “aggressive interstate wars” in Latin America.

Abortion is no longer a crime in Colombia. Alicia Yamin, who heads up Harvard’s Global Health and Rights Project, discusses the hemispheric impact of the recent Colombian Constitutional Court decision to decriminalize abortion in that country.

Michael Starnbach, a professor of microbiology at Harvard Medical School and member of the DRCLAS Executive Committee, works on the very timely subject of infectious diseases. He has fostered medical collaborations with Latin America and the Caribbean, particularly with Cuba and Argentina.

Laura Alfaro, the Warren Alpert Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, served as Minister of National Planning and Economic Policy in Costa Rica from 2010-2012. She reflects on the upcoming elections on February 6, with an unprecedented 25 candidates.

Steven Levitsky, director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies and the co-author of How Democracies Die, discusses what the election of leftist Gabriel Boric means for Chile and democracy.

This Faculty Voices includes topics such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and identity-based discrimination and harassment. Some of this content may be difficult for some listeners.

Sabi Ardalan, director of the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program, discusses the critical situation of asylum seekers at the southern border between the United States and Mexico. This is the first of a two-part series on immigration and asylum with Harvard faculty.

María Luisa Parra, Senior Preceptor in Spanish in Harvard’s Romance Languages and Literatures Department, tells us why Hispanic Heritage Month is important. She also discusses teaching Spanish to Latinx students and the other courses she has developed to promote Latino culture. And what terms does she prefer—Hispanic, Latino/a, Latinx or Latine? Listen to find out!

Resources:

https://sintesis.com.mx/hidalgo/2019/03/03/agua-apan-grupo-modelo/

https://agua.org.mx/academicos-dicen-la-planta-modelo-en-hidalgo-tanto-halagan-dejara-pueblos-sin-agua-sinembargo/

https://hidalgo.quadratin.com.mx/principal/desatienden-orden-federal-de-suspender-obras-del-grupo-modelo/