2020-2021 Academic Year and Summer 2021 Event Links - International Studies - College of Humanities

Red Ants with Pergentino José

In September, Pergentino José gave a reading followed by a Q&A. A literary triumph by a member of the Mexico20 (the list that boasts Valeria Luiselli and Carlos Velasquez, among others), Red Ants is the first-ever literary translation from the Sierra Zapotec. This vibrant collection of short stories by one of Mexico’s most promising young authors updates magical realism for the 21st century. Red Ants paints a candid picture of indigenous Mexican life—an essential counterpoint to cultural products of the colonial gaze. José’s fantastical stories tackle themes of family, love, and independence in his signature style: unapologetically personal, coolly emotional, and always surprising.

Social Justice for Latinx Americans and Communities

In this panel discussion, presenters will address different ways that social justice is sought for Latinx and Hispanic Americans. Panelists consider questions such as: What achievements have been made in the last 70 years for Latinx and Hispanics in America? What types of racism and prejudice do Latinx and Hispanic Americans face today? How do we, in our own communities, encounter and address racism and strive for social justice?

Panelists:

Kristina Baines PhD, Guttman Community College, CUNY
Mayra Cedano, Executive Director, Comunidades Unidas
Ruth Gomberg-Muñoz PhD, Loyola University Chicago
Ed Muñoz PhD, University of Utah
Enrique Ochoa PhD, California State University, Los Angeles

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First-Hand Experience Fighting COVID-19 in Wuhan

Dr. Zhao, as a chief physician working on the frontline throughout the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, will share his insights on China's response mechanism, treatment and prevention on COVID-19 pandemic. The talk will be followed by a Q&A session.

WATCH HERE

Our Time Machine

Shaken by the news of his father’s dementia, artist Maleonn, one of China’s most influential conceptual artists, creates “Papa’s Time Machine,” a wondrous time-travel adventure performed on stage with life-size mechanical puppets. Through the play’s production, he confronts his own mortality. Maleonn finds grace and unexpected joy in this moving meditation on art, the agonies of love and loss, and the circle of life.

Awards:
Best Cinematography in a Documentary Film–2019 Tribeca Film Festival

Official Selection:
2019 Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival
2019 Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival

In partnership with the Asia Center, Confucius Institute, Tanner Humanities, Tanner Center for Human Rights, and Utah Film Center.

Mangling the Covid-19 Pandemic in India

Join distinguished academic and writer Šumit Ganguly as he addresses India’s policy response to COVID-19. Ganguly argues India’s response to the COVID-19 crisis has been mostly shambolic. The government resorted to a nationwide crackdown without any preparation, neglected to provide sufficient aid to alleviate the human effects of the pandemic, and, until recently, failed to boost testing. As a consequence, the pandemic has assumed massive proportions, overwhelmed significant parts of India’s anemic health care system, and threatens to undermine much of the economic gains that the country had made over the past decade.

Šumit Ganguly is a distinguished professor of political science and Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations at Indiana University, Bloomington. He is also a columnist at ForeignPolicy.com and the founding editor at Indian Politics and Policy.

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The Politics of Covid in Latin America

Latin American countries have been among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the impacts exacerbated by weak social protection, decaying health-care systems, and profound socioeconomic inequalities. The economic consequences are also dire, with the region facing its worst recession in a century, pushing the number of people living in poverty up by 45 million. This panel will examine government responses to the pandemic in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela, and explore the long-term political implications for the region.

Claudio Holzner, Director, Center for Latin American Studies and Associate Professor of Political Science at University of Utah
David De Micheli, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Political Science and Division of Ethnic Studies at University of Utah
Laura Gamboa, Assistant Professor of Political Science at University of Utah
Caitlin Andrews-Lee, Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Ryerson University

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Filméxico Screening: Identifying Features (Sin Señales Particulares)

Filméxico, Salt Lake Film Society's annual celebration of contemporary Mexican cinema, took place virtually this year, November 13 through 19! Three feature films and a short program were available to view from home. On opening night, Identifying Features, a Sundance 2020 film was shown. Guests were also given access to a pre-recorded discussion with the filmmakers moderated by CLAS director, Claudio Holzner.

Film Synopsis: Middle-aged Magdalena has lost contact with her son after he took off with a friend from their town of Guanajuato to cross the border into the US, hopeful to find work. Desperate to find out what happened to him, she embarks on an increasingly dangerous journey to discover the truth.

Coming Soon

Inventing Tomorrow

Meet passionate teenage innovators from around the globe who are creating cutting-edge scientific solutions to confront the world’s environmental threats – found right in their own backyards – while navigating the doubts and insecurities that mark adolescence. Take a journey with these inspiring teens as they prepare their projects for the largest convening of high school scientists in the world, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

This is in partnership with The Asia Center, Confucius Institute, Utah Film Center, Tanner Humanities, and Tanner Center for Human Rights.

Impacts of Covid on Indigenous Communities in Latin America

The Coronavirus pandemic has disproportionally impacted a large number of Indigenous groups in Latin America, resulting in widespread death, and uncovering long-standing structural threats to Indigenous peoples’ physical and cultural existence. This is not only tragic because of the loss of these precious lives, but also disrupts intergenerational transfer of cultural knowledge within these ethnic groups. Join Blanca Yagüe as she moderates a discussion with Ángela López Urrego and Jozilea Kangang, who will detail this crisis in some of the areas that are most affected by the pandemic in Colombia and Brazil. This event will consist of a 20-minute discussion with each speaker followed by a Q&A.

Panelists:

Ángela López Urrego

Candidata a Doctora en Estudios Amazónicos | Universidad Nacional de Colombia sede Amazonia | Grupo de Estudios Transfronterizos GET | Leticia, Colombia Estudiante invitada del Centro de Urbanización, Cultura y Sociedad | Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique INRS | Montreal, Canadá

Joziléia Kaingang
Indígena Kaingang, liderança Indígena, professora, ativista ambiental, antropóloga, Doutoranda Ppgas/Ufsc | Pesquisadora do Instituto Brasil Plural – Ibp | Consultora da ONU Mulheres | Parte da Frente Indígena e Indigenista de Combate e Controle a Covid19 Na Região Sul | Participa da Rede Global de Mulheres Indígenas Trabalhando pela Cura da Terra | Engajada no movimento de mudança, pela sociedade justa e inclusiva na constante construção de uma sociedade do Bem Viver

Moderator:

Blanca Yagüe
Phd Student In Antropology - University Of Utah | Master in Amazonian Studies - Universidad Nacional De Colombia Sede Amazonia

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Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum Info Sessions

Join us for an info session to learn more about what CLAC is, how to find and register using CLAC attribute, what classes are being offered in the Spring, and what the student experience and advantages are in taking a CLAC section. Our CLAC coordinator will be able to answer any questions you may have.

CLAC allows you to pair your courses with 1-credit discussions in a variety of world languages. Study Political Science, History, Music, Environmental Sciences, Anthropology, and much more in a world of languages.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CLAC AND COURSES OFFERED

Virtual Going Global Career Panel

This year Going Global has gone virtual! We have a great group of panelists and networkers that have exerience in many different fields Health, Government, Tourism, Law, and Business.

MEET OUR PANELISTS AND NETWORKERS

Asian Studies MA Program Virtual Information Session

Come learn more about the interdisciplinary Asian Studies MA at the University of Utah, which emphasizes advanced language study and breadth of area studies. Information will include admissions and program requirements as well as funding.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR MA PROGRAM

Latin American Studies MA Program Virtual Information Session

Come learn more about the interdisciplinary Latin American Studies MA at the University of Utah, which emphasizes advanced language study and breadth of area studies. Information will include admissions and program requirements as well as funding.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR MA PROGRAM

2020 Graduate Field Research Presentations: Come celebrate the exciting work students are conducting across Latin America!

The Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) would like to invite you to virtually attend and celebrate the exciting research experiences that U graduate students are conducting across Latin America! On November 20^th from 2-4 PM students will share their experiences living and conducting research in Latin America, their research plans and findings, and career plans moving forward. From indigenous food and digital communications in Colombia, to Cuban Politics, to geology and geophysics in Ecuador you’re sure to find something you’ll love!

76 Days Movie Screening and Post-film discussion with director Hao Wu

The opening sequences feel like a genre movie — science-fiction, zombie horror, apocalyptic thriller. We watch hospital workers, encased in PPE so that we only see their eyes behind foggy goggles, as they race from one patient to another. At the hospital doors, a desperate crowd is clamoring for entry. The overwhelmed workers can only admit a few people at a time.

For all the fantastical elements, this is the reality of 2020. The filmmakers of 76 Days capture an invaluable record of life inside Wuhan, China, ground zero for the outbreak of COVID-19. On January 23, the city of 11 million people went into a lockdown that lasted 76 days. This film concentrates mainly on medical workers and patients to give a pulse-racing account of what it was like to survive.

76 Days excels beyond mere reportage. The camera work is so strong that you could frame still images. In the face of fear and uncertainty, we also witness perseverance and humor, as medical workers use magic markers to decorate their plastic outfits. One memorable figure is a head nurse who never fails to make a human connection with patients, even under dire circumstances. — Toronto International Film Festival

Post-film discussion with director Hao Wu

Official Selection:
2020 Toronto International Film Festival, 2020 DOC NYC

Hinckley Forum: Beyond the Bloc: Asian American Voting & Political Power

The 2020 election demonstrated the increasing strength and diversity of the Asian American vote. Pew Research Center predicts that by 2055, Asian Americans will be the country’s largest immigrant group. In turn, they are also the fastest-growing electorate amongst eligible voters. This moderated panel discussion will examine the growing significance and nuance of the Asian American vote and what it means for representation and politics in the US moving forward.

Watch Here

Panelists:

Shu Cheng, Director, Asian Association of Utah
Representative Karen Kwan, Utah State Legislature
Baodong Liu, Professor, Political Science Department

Moderator:

Rosie Nguyen, Reporter, ABC4 News

Thrive 125: When Utah was Mexico

The Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Utah and Artes de México en Utah are excited to present Thrive 125: When Utah was Mexico. For educators and beyond, this program will tackle the history of Utah before statehood, when it was Mexican territory, focusing on the significance of this history and what it means to Utah today. We are pleased to welcome Dr. Armando Solorzano and Sherman Fleek to the conversation, and poets from Mentes Activas Utah to introduce the event.

WATCH HERE

Utah Chinese New Year Celebration

One of the biggest event held annually by Utah Chinese communities Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival, is one of the most important, if not the most important, celebrations in Chinese culture. The celebrations surrounding the holiday last 15 days, and there are a myriad of festivities and observed traditions that occur within those 15 days. Many of these festivities revolve around the origins of the holiday and the mythical beast called Nian, which means “year” or “years” in Chinese.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR 2021!

The Utah Chinese communities is celebrating the kick off to the Year of the Ox with virtual performances inspired by Chunwan traditions across Asia.

Julián Herbert: "Una tarde de literatura" Student Event

A short discussion with Julián Herbert about his journey and literature.

Borderlands Conference

Each year, the Guest Writers Series at the University of Utah brings distinguished authors to Salt Lake City. Our goal is to provide our community with an opportunity to engage in a dynamic, educational and inspiring relationship with literature. We aim to bring in a diverse array of voices and perspectives, and to provide a platform for an enriching dialogue between our authors and the audience.

Cristina Rivera Garza

Cristina Rivera Garza received a BA (1987) from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and PhD (1995) from the University of Houston. She was affiliated with San Diego State University (1997–2004), ITESM-Campus Toluca (2004–2008), and the University of California at San Diego (2008–2015) prior to joining the faculty of the University of Houston in 2016, where she is a distinguished professor in the Department of Hispanic Studies and leads the graduate Spanish-language creative writing concentration. Her recent publications in Spanish include Autobiografía del algodón (2020), the poetry collection La fractura exacta (2020), and the audiobook Ciudad XY (2020), and additional works translated into English include the essay collections The Restless Dead: Necrowriting and Disappropriation (2013/2020), Grieving: Dispatches from a Wounded Country (2011/2020), and La Castañeda Insane Asylum: Narratives of Pain in Modern Mexico (2010/2020).

Julián Herbert

Julián Herbert was born in Acapulco in 1971. He is a writer, musician, and teacher, and is the author of The House of the Pain of Others and Tomb Song, as well as several volumes of poetry and two story collections. He lives in Saltillo, Mexico.\

Fernanda Melchor

Born in Veracruz, Mexico, in 1982, Fernanda Melchor is widely recognized as one of the most exciting new voices of Mexican literature. Her novel Hurricane Season and collection This Is Not Miami are both forthcoming from New Directions.

Eduardo Halfon

Eduardo Halfon was born in Guatemala City, moved to the United States at the age of ten, went to school in South Florida, studied industrial engineering at North Carolina State University, and then returned to Guatemala to teach literature for eight years at Universidad Francisco Marroquín. Named one of the best young Latin American writers by the Hay Festival of Bogotá, he is also the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, Roger Caillois Prize, José María de Pereda Prize for the Short Novel, and Guatemalan National Prize in Literature. He is the author of fourteen books published in Spanish and three novels published in English: Mourning, winner of the International Latino Book Award and Edward Lewis Wallant Award, finalist for the Kirkus Prize, Neustadt International Prize, and Balcones Fiction Prize, and longlisted for the PEN Translation Prize; Monastery, longlisted for the Best Translated Book Award; and The Polish Boxer, a New York Times Editors’ Choice selection. Halfon currently lives in Nebraska, frequently travels to Guatemala, taught creative writing at the University of Iowa, and recently received a fellowship from Columbia University to write his next book in Paris.

Rakugo

Come enjoy Rakugo, the art of Japanese Comedic Storytelling with a top-class Rakugo speaker: Tozaburo Yanagiya

WATCH HERE JAPANESE CULTURE ASSOCIATION

Conversations and Reflections on the Nahuatl Culture of Chicontepec

Ezequiel González-Ocantos, Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford; Professional Fellow, Nuffield College

Operation Lava Jato started in Brazil as a money-laundering case. It quickly turned into a full-blown judicial anti-corruption crusade with far-reaching political implications across Latin America because the same companies at the heart of the Brazilian scandal offered kickbacks to public officials in at least 8 other countries. Critics see the prosecutorial zeal behind some of the national chapters of Lava Jatoas yet another instance of “lawfare.” For others, however, it anticipates a new era of accountability and political regeneration. In this talk I discuss a current book project, which asks two sets of questions. First, what explains why the investigation gained momentum and delivered results in some countries but not others? The answer looks at the legacy of capacity-enhancing reforms in Latin America’s prosecution services as well more immediate determinants of prosecutorial zeal and effectiveness. Second, the book relies on focus groups and original surveys to understand the impact of Lava Jato on public opinion. What kind of emotions and attitudes towards corruption and politics do voters experience when exposed to these shocks? Does LavaJato reinforce or curb political cynicism? Are all Lava Jato’s created equal, or does the way in which different investigations unfold shape emotional and attitudinal responses?

WATCH HERE

Conversations and Reflections on the Nahuatl Culture of Chicontepec

This webinar seeks to create a dialogue between Nahua scholars from the Municipality of Chicontepec, northern Veracruz, around their current research involving topics such as language, health, religion and contact with mestizo cultures. Scholars will talk and reflect on contemporary Nahua culture, focusing on the Nahua communities of the Municipality of Chicontepec.

Moderator:
Fanny Guadalupe Blauer, Artes de Mexico en Utah

Presenters:
Abelardo de la Cruz de la Cruz, Associate Instructor, World Languages and Cultures, University of Utah
Eduardo de la Cruz Cruz, Director de IDIEZ and Estudiante de doctorado en la Universidad de Varsovia
PhD. Jacinta Toribio Torres, Universidad Veracruzana Intercultural, Campus Huasteca

Watch Here Learn More About the Topics Discussed Here

U.S.- China Relations in the Biden Era

Please join us for a discussion on the changing U.S. China dynamic as President Biden comes into office. Professor Steve On from Sun Yat-sen University and Professor Yanqi Tong from the University of Utah will provide their insight into this key bilateral relationship, including how the Biden administration will approach China and how the approach might differ from the Trump Administration. The professors will also discuss the relationship in a regional context, considering the influence of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other regional players and their impact on the region’s future.

Steve On, Associate Professor, National Sun Yat-sen University Political Science Department
Yanqi Tong, Professor, University of Utah Political Science Department
Ann Lopez, Hinckley Institute of Politics Forum Host (Moderator)

WATCH HERE

A Conversation about the US Latinx Theatre & Performance in the Time of COVID-19

How have Latina/o/x theatre- and performance-makers responded to the constellation of crises of the last year? Did the Spring 2020 wave of cancellations, closures and postponements impact Latina/o/x artists in any particular ways? How have Latina/o/x theatre-makers engaged the broad reckonings around anti-Blackness, white supremacism, and racial injustice that gained prominence in the last year? What kinds of performances have Latinx artists made during this “unprecedented” historical moment? And why do the best Latinx shows on TV keep getting canceled? Join award-winning performance historian Brian Eugenio Herrera to engage these and other questions in a lively, interactive discussion. Profe Herrera will invite questions from our virtual audience members to guide a collaborative conversation about the state of US Latinx theatre and performance today.

Investigating Intra-and Inter-cohort changes in Socioeconomic Gaps in Smoking in Contemporary China

Smoking rate in China declined moderately through 1990s and early 2000s, but the decline has since stagnated. China remains the largest producer and consumer of cigarettes in the world. This lecture investigates changes in the socioeconomic gaps in smoking during this process. Our analysis suggests that an effective way to reduce smoking, social inequality in smoking and possibly health disparities in China is to target the smoking behavior among low-education groups.

Prof. Lei Jin is associate professor at the Department of Sociology and Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She received her PhD at the University of Chicago and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Robert Wood Johnson Scholars in Health Policy Program at Harvard University. Her research interests include social disparities in health and well-being, health lifestyle, healthcare policy and healthcare professions. Her work has appeared in prestigious international journals such as Demography, Social Science Research, Social Science and Medicine and American Behavioral Scientist.

Prof. Jin’s current projects examines the following topics: 1) social disparities in health lifestyle in transitional China; 2) psychological well-being and power perception in different social and political contexts across the world; and 3) professionalization and professionalism among physicians in China’s public hospitals.

Investigating Intra-and Inter-cohort changes in Socioeconomic Gaps in Smoking in Contemporary China

WATCH HERE

Virtual BIPOC Going Global Career Panel

Each year, we coordinate this event for our International & Area Studies’ students in conjunction with the Career and Professional Development Center at the University of Utah, and this year we want to highlight the global careers and international experiences and language skills of BIPOC individuals and how those skills and experiences have benefitted them in the workplace.

MEET OUR PANELISTS AND NETWORKERS

GCSC Seminar Series: Sustainable Development in Southeast Asia in a Post-COVID Era

The rapid poverty reduction and economic development experienced by the Southeast Asia (SEA) region over the last decades has been remarkable, but it has come at the cost of considerable environmental degradation. Once lauded for the regional richness of cultures, landscapes and environments, many of the economies of SEA have been built on natural resource extraction, such as timber, pulp, and paper; minerals, oil, coal and sand; fish and wildlife; and agricultural commodities like rice and palm oil, leading to deforestation, water and ocean pollution, biodiversity loss, and land degradation. Rapid urbanization has created a number of sustainability problems, with SEA recording the highest worldwide premature deaths from air pollution in recent years, and poor city planning has allowed slums to develop, floods to threaten
residents, and congestion to mark life in many Southeast Asian cities. Climate change puts future economic progress at risk, given long coastlines and vulnerability to sea level rise and natural disasters among many SEA countries, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is likely to put a serious financial strain on many countries’ abilities to address these pressing challenges. This talk will take stock of recent sustainability trends in SEA and assess what future trajectories are likely to look like, with an emphasis on how to better incorporate participatory processes in sustainable development futures.

Pamela McElwee is an Associate Professor of Human Ecology at Rutgers University. She is trained as an interdisciplinary environmental scientist, with a joint Ph.D. in anthropology and forestry, and her work focuses on vulnerability of households and communities to global environmental change, including biodiversity loss, deforestation, and climate change. Her first book, Forests are Gold: Trees, People and Environmental Rule in Vietnam won the EUROSEAS prize for best social science book on Southeast Asia. She has recently completed a book titled Sustainable Development in Southeast Asia for Cambridge Elements, forthcoming later in 2021, and her next project is a book on the environmental legacies of the Vietnam War.

Creative Construction: The Rise and Stall of Mass Infrastructure in Latin America

Since 1990, spending on large infrastructure projects has increased across Latin America. This trend is puzzling because it comes at a time of democratization and decentralization thought to hinder investment in long-run and spatially concentrated projects. This talk explains the over-time growth in investment by highlighting the financialization of infrastructure. Private sector involvement in infrastructure projects created a fiscal illusion in which the costs of infrastructure accrued off government balance sheets. Politicians shifted the extremely high costs on to future governments. Private sector financing also resulted in an arena shift in which legislatures were cut out of budget decisions made primarily within finance ministries. Presidents allocated or renegotiated infrastructure contracts to finance their campaigns, and only had to overcome constraints from the administrative state. Qualitative evidence from Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador shows how changes in the model of building infrastructure help to explain the increase in level and project size over time, whereas campaign finance needs and bureaucratic hurdles shape individual country trajectories.

Alisha Holland, Associate Professor, Harvard University Government Department

WATCH HERE

Kuifi ül-Sonido Antiguo: A conversation about contemporary Mapuche creation and their position on indigenous patrimony

Francisco Huichaqueo Pérez is a filmmaker, image and object curator, professor, and artist from the indigenous Mapuche community who lives and works in Concepción, CL

Chile, where Huichaqueo was born, embraces a racialized concept of citizenry, waging a covert and overt war on the Mapuche people. In retaliation for the defense of their territories against deforestation and other forms of extractivism, the Chilean state continues to prosecute Mapuche activists under a counter-terrorism legislation introduced by the military dictatorship.

Every Mapuche knows another—a relative, a friend or acquaintance—who is or has been a political prisoner. Besieged physically, the Mapuche are nonetheless able to travel spiritually, a process the Mapudungun language calls perimontun (vision or apparition). Cinema grafts itself easily onto the Mapuche ability to inhabit the tangible and the intangible, the reel operating as a portal to the political and spiritual dimensions of the Mapuche world.

WATCH HERE

Prof. Davinder Bhowmik: “Sight, Sound, and the ‘System of Sacrifice’”

Speaker: Davinder L Bhowmik, Associate Professor at the University of Washington

Taking a comparative approach to two works of fiction, ‘Walking a Street Named Peace’ by Medoruma Shun (1986), which is highly visual and Tokyo Ueno Station by Yū Miri (2014), which is rooted in sound, I highlight the parallels between the protagonists as marginalized in terms of class and ethnicity within Japanese society. I will be drawing on the work of Tetsuya Takahashi to show how Okinawa (the setting of Medoruma’s story) and Fukushima (the home prefecture of Yū’s protagonist) play a part in a ‘system of sacrifice’ that is oriented around the imperial throne in Japan. Bringing in scholarship by John W. Treat and Norma Field around a taboo of impunity and silence in relation to the Emperor, I argue that the pivotal placement of the system at the center of each of these stories can be seen to point to ongoing silences and inequities arising from unresolved wartime memories.

A Conversation with Roger Mello and Junko Yokota

In this hour-long conversation, Junko Yokota, Hans Christian Andersen Award jury president, introduces the award, gives an overview, and explains the process. Roger Mello, winner of the 2014 HCA Illustrator Award, describes how it felt to be named the winner and the impact it has had on his career. He then introduces five of his books, because the jury works from a selection of five books submitted for each nominee. Together, they talk about how winning this award has led to increased international attention through exhibitions, collaborative book creations, and jury work.

WATCH ASYNCHRONOUS WEBINAR HERE

Shadow Flowers

Ryun-hee Kim, a North Korean housewife, was forced to come to South Korea and became its citizen against her will. She tried to smuggle herself out and even sought political asylum at the Vietnamese Embassy but all in vain. As her seven years of struggle to go back to her family in North Korea continues, the political absurdity hinders her journey back to her loved ones. The life of her family in the North goes on in emptiness, and she fears that she might become someone, like a shadow, who exists only in the fading memory of her family.

Partnership between the Asia Center and the Utah Film Center.

Coups and Conflict: Examining Myanmar’s Struggle Toward Democracy

Myanmar long struggled with oppressive military rule and ethnic conflict. The transition to civilian leadership in 2011 spurred democratic reforms and optimism for the nation’s future; however, the military continued to maintain control over many aspects of governance and launched a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims. In February, the military launched a coup d’état: arresting opposition leaders and activists and announcing a yearlong state of emergency. Many Myanmar citizens have protested these crackdowns, but not without consequences. According to human rights monitors, since February 1st over 500 peaceful protesters (many of them children under 18) have been killed by the police and military forces, while 1000s have been wounded and detained in brutal conditions. Join our panelists as they examine the impact of the military coup in Myanmar on ethnic relationships and conflicts and the challenges and opportunities faced by the NLD-led CRPH and different key stakeholders against the military coup.

Ardeth Muang Thawnghmung, Professor and Chair of Political Science; Interim Director of Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Myat The Thitsar, Strategic Advisor and Director, Parliamentary Research and Support Program for Enlightened Myanmar Research Foundation (EMReF)

WATCH HERE

What is happening in Colombia? A conversation with experts

For the past two weeks, Colombia has seen massive street demonstrations. Notwithstanding being overwhelmingly peaceful, the protests were met with violence. Domestic and international NGOs have reported at least 55 people dead and hundreds of people injured. Despite these numbers, people are still in the streets voicing grievances that vastly outweigh the tax reform that originally sparked the demonstrations. In this conversation we will discuss the underlying problems that have led people to protest in Colombia, the government’s response to these (and other) mobilizations, and the potential pathways that all the actors involved could take to start resolving the conflict.

Speakers:

Dr. Laura Gamboa is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Utah
Dr. Angélica Durán-Martínez is an associate professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.
Dr. Juan Albarracín is the director of the Political Science Program and assistant professor of political science at Universidad Icesi in Cali, Colombia.
Dr. Laura García Montoya is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Mamdouha S. Bobst Center for Peace and Justice and the Department of Politics at Princeton University.

WATCH HERE

Social Justice for Latinx Americans and Communities

In partnership with the Consulate of Mexico in Salt Lake City, join us for a virtual discussion with experts as they discuss two indigenous language groups, Ute and Nahuatl. Ute and Nahuatl occupy opposite ends of the Uto-Aztecan language family -- not only geographically but also linguistically. This presentation will highlight some of the similarities and differences between the two languages and cultures and explain why linguists are nevertheless convinced that they belong together.

Speakers:

Abelardo de la Cruz, Nahuatl instructor, Department of World Languages and Cultures at the University of Utah where he teaches for the Salt Lake Community College, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California Merced and Associate Instructor at the Instituto de Docencia e Investigación Etnológica de Zacatecas, (IDIEZ AC)
Dirk Elzinga Ph.D, Associate Professor in the Linguistics Department at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah

WATCH HERE IN ENGLISH WATCH HERE IN SPANISH

Spanish Club Virtual Conversation Hour

The Spanish Club met every Thursday throughout the Spring semester and held multiple functions including cooking flautas and celebrate Carnaval.

Brazilian Club Virtual Conversation Hour

The Brazilian Club met throughout the Spring semester and held multiple functions including U-Brazil Music Festical, celebrate Carnaval, Portuguese in the workplace, and a graduation party.