Newsletter No. 18 – 01/26/2015
06.06.2014
Dear members of the International Research Training Group ‘Between Spaces’ and those interested in the IRTG,
With this, the eighteenth issue of the IRTG ‘Between Spaces’ newsletter, we would like to inform you about our news and current events.
News from the Coordination Office
It is our pleasure to welcome Katharina Homering as a new student assistant at the coordination office. She will be responsible for supporting the office’s activities relating to the programme and other administrative tasks. Katharina obtained a Bachelor’s degree in IberoCultura and History at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg. Currently, she is pursuing her Master of Arts (M.A.) in Interdisciplinary Latin American Studies at the Institute for Latin American Studies of the Freie Universität Berlin.
New Mexican Scholarship Holders
Our Mexican partners in the International Research Training Group selected a new group of scholarship holders, who will soon be coming to Berlin to join the German section:
Isabel Dolores de León Olivares
We cordially welcome all the new members of the IRTG and look forward to working with them!
Recent Events
September 9-13, 2014, XVIIth International Congress of AHILA “Entre Espacios: La historia latinoamericana en el contexto global”, organized by the IRTG ‘Between Spaces’
From September 9-13, 2014, the International Congress of the European Association of Latin American Historians (AHILA) was held at the Freie Universität Berlin and hosted by the International Research Training Group ‘Between Spaces - Entre Espacios’. ‘Entre Espacios: La historia latinoamericana en el contexto global’ (‘Between Spaces: Latin American History in a Global Context’) was the theme of the Congress, which was attended by more than 1,100 scholars, who had come to Berlin-Dahlem to discuss their research. In addition to the more than 100 symposia, two keynote presentations, panel discussions as well as numerous films, the event was rounded off by an extensive cultural programme.
The range of topics in the symposia and lectures extended from current trends in historiography in the global context and the exchange of knowledge between Latin America and Europe to the issues of corruption, migration and exile. Keynote speakers at the event were the renowned US historian Jeremy Adelman from Princeton University and the Argentine historian and Humboldt Research Award winner Hilda Sabato of the University of Buenos Aires, whose lectures were attended by several hundred participants at both the opening and closing of the Congress. Also enjoying great interest was the panel discussion organized by the International Research Training Group ‘Between Spaces - Entre Espacios’.
Stefan Rinke, Professor of Latin American History at the Latin American Institute of the Freie Universität Berlin and organizer of the Congress, was pleased with how the event turned out, which brought together experts on Latin America from all over the world. He noted that the high number of participants had exceeded all expectations, and that in Germany there had never been such a large group of researchers from Latin America, who represented nearly two-thirds of the event’s participants.
Rinke’s assessment was thoroughly positive: ‘The atmosphere was superb and easy-going. The discussions in the symposia and coffee breaks seemed to be very lively, and all the participants appeared to be pleased with the event.’ Rinke extended his particular gratitude to the many employees and especially the more than 80 helpers, whose extraordinary dedication and commitment ensured that everything ran smoothly.
At the General Assembly on Thursday evening, Stefan Rinke was elected as president of the Association for the next three years. Valencia, Spain was also approved to be the host of the next AHILA Congress in 2017.
November 10, 2014, Interinstitutional Colloquium, El Colegio de México, Mexico City
On November 10, one of the winter-term sessions of the Interinstitutional Colloquium took place at El Colegio de México.
Participants included professors Carlos Alba, Alberto Aziz, Marisa Belausteguigoitia, Ilán Bizberg, Teresa Carbó, Luz Elena Gutiérrez de Velasco, Bernd Hausberger, Antonio Ibarra, Ricardo Pérez Montfort, Stefan Rinke, Lorenza Villa Lever, Liliana Weinberg, Guillermo Zermeño, as well as doctoral students and other professors and researchers from the COLMEX.
Ricardo Pérez Montfort introduced Stefan Rinke from the IRTG Berlin/Potsdam to the participants. Professor Rinke presented his current research project ‘The First World War as a Global Event from a Latin American Perspective’. This session was especially productive because of the commentaries of other experts, who joined the audience.
(Karina Esparza, IRTG Mexico)
November 13, 2004, Gisela Cánepa Koch (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú): “Acerca de la visión y los demás sentidos como métodos y mediaciones etnográficas”, Institute for Latin American Studies, Freie Universität Berlin
The idea for this workshop originated during the 2014 summer school in a discussion between professors and students on visual policy. For many students, photos, images and video recordings play a major role in their research projects. Currently, most of the doctoral students are analysing fieldwork material. It therefore seemed appropriate to organize a workshop which deals with the power and danger of images, as well as their proper use in a PhD dissertation. Ingrid Kummels proposed inviting Gisela Cánepa Koch, an expert on the subject who is currently on a research stay in Germany as a Georg-Forster-Fellow at the Institute for Latin American Studies.
The beginning of the workshop focused on the question of whether visual anthropology is a discipline in its own right or a field of argumentation and ethnographic exploration. To answer this question, Cánepa gave a lecture on some of the possibilities that visual media offer to ethnographic research.
Following the presentation of certain concepts and principles of visual and sensory methodologies, previously assigned readings from Gillian Rose, Sarah Pink, Deborah Poole and Paul Stoller were discussed. Afterwards, visual anthropology was debated as an area of study, with particular attention being paid to the image as an object, a form of technology, a mode of representation and a type of performance. Additionally, the methodological, ethical and political relevance of visual methodologies was explored.
In the second part of the workshop, some students used the opportunity to present their own research projects within the context of the previous discussions on visual anthropology.
Overall, the workshop was a great source of inspiration for all participants. Indeed, the sound theoretical introduction, lively discussions and personal short lectures made it possible to answer many individual problems and questions.
(Katharina Farys, IRTG Berlin/Potsdam)
November 14, 2014, Interdisciplinary Colloquium, Institute for Latin American Studies, Freie Universität Berlin
The first session of the Interdisciplinary Colloquium “Entre Espacios: conceptos y categorías para el estudio de procesos de globalización” was held on November 14 at the Institute for Latin American Studies in Berlin. We had the pleasure of welcoming Rodolfo Cruz-Piñeiro from el Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Mexico, and five PhD candidates from the Freie Universität and the UNAM, Mexico, who presented their respective projects and spoke about concepts and categories of globalization.
Luis Aguirre opened the session with a presentation entitled “Cuando el Río se convirtió en frontera: circuitos comerciales y redes sociales en la región rioplatense alrededor de los procesos de independencia”. The respondent to this talk was Nikolaus Böttcher. The second presentation was given by Víctor Hugo Ramos, who talked about “Trayectorias universitarias de jóvenes migrantes de origen mexicano en Los Ángeles”. Commentary on this project was provided by Ingrid Kummels. Visiting professor Rodolfo Cruz-Piñeiro from COLEF (Colegio de la Frontera Norte) presented the journal Migraciones internacionales and invited the PhD students to submit articles.
In the afternoon session, Ybeth Merly Arias Cuba gave a presentation on “Lo global y lo local en la devoción de santa Rosa de Lima, 1668- 1737”. Yoer Javier Castaño Pareja next presented his project “Comercio, mercados y circuitos pecuarios en el Nuevo Reino de Granada y la Audiencia de Quito, 1580-1715”, with Nino Vallen offering commentary. Finally, Sebastián Pineda Buitrago gave some insights into his recently completed research on the topic “Alfonso Reyes en Madrid (1914-1924): entre la vanguardia y la filología”. The respondent to his talk was Sergio Ugalde Quintana.
The participants’ presentations stimulated engaging and illuminating conversations.
(Nadia Zysman, IRTG Berlin/Potsdam)
December 4, 2014, Interinstitutional Colloquium, CIESAS, Tlalpan, Mexico
On December 4, the last yearly session of the Interinstitutional Colloquium took place at El Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social, CIESAS, in Tlalpan, close to Mexico City.
In this session, professors Carlos Alba, Alberto Aziz, Bernd Hausberger and Teresa Carbó participated along with several doctoral students, including the recently selected Mexican students Jaqueline Garza, Carlos Mora, Isabel de León and Veremundo Carrillo.
Doctoral students Carla Russ and Marco Just (both from the IRTG Berlin/Potsdam) presented their current research projects.
Carla gave a presentation entitled ‘(Pro-)German Propaganda in Latin America during World War I, 1914 – 1918’, which received commentary from José Alberto Moreno Chávez from CIESAS.
Marco presented his project ‘State, Territory and Development: Exploring Spatial Patterns of Local Public Service Provision in Bolivia’. He received feedback from Alberto Aziz, CIESAS.
Both presentations stimulated the discussion, not only among the professors who were present, but also the students.
(Karina Esparza, IRTG Mexico)
December 5, 2014, Interdisciplinary Colloquium, Institute for Latin American Studies, Freie Universität Berlin
Friday, December 5, the second session of the Interdisciplinary Colloquium of the IRTG ‘Between Spaces’ took place at the Latin American Institute of the Freie Universität Berlin. Starting in the morning, the PhD candidate Lorena Rodríguez gave a presentation on her project “La construcción de un imperio global. Viejas evidencias y nuevas hipótesis sobre el papel de los misioneros en la reconfiguración del espacio en las Filipinas hispanas”. Lorena intends to investigate how different groups of actors participated in the territorialization of the early Spanish rule in the colonial Philippine Islands. She focusses on how missionaries and secular Spanish colonists, emenderos, contested the rule over the island and its inhabitants and thereby created the spatial structure of colonial society. Her presentation received helpful feedback from Lasse Hölck (FU Berlin) and was also discussed by other colloquium participants.
The next presentation was from Mexican scholarship holder Juan Pablo Ulises Garrido López, who just recently had arrived for his exchange stay in Berlin. His project, entitled “Movilidad y estrategias migratorias de los peruanos en México – posicionamientos sociales y económicos en los contextos de salida y de llegada” focuses on how the social and educational background of Peruvian migrants in Mexico determines their status in their host society. Given the ever growing importance of migration movements from Peru to other Latin American states, his work promises to further the understanding of migration patterns and their social consequences. His presentation received valuable criticism and commentary from the audience.
Next, PhD candidate Carlos Pérez Ricart shared insights into the results of his nearly completed thesis. In his talk “¿Transferencia o localización de políticas antinarcóticos? Una conclusión a partir del caso México-Estados Unidos (1938-1980)” Carlos Pérez Ricart argued that the violent turmoil created by the Mexican drug enforcement policy is the result of police training and guidelines that have been inspired and financed by the US government since the 1940s. Unlike other studies on the topic, Ricart emphasises the agency of the Mexican police in adapting US techniques and policies to their specific contexts. His presentation received commentary from José Luis Valdés Ugalde (UNAM), who moreover congratulated Carlos Pérez Ricart on his original and path breaking work. The ensuing discussion among the colloquium’s participants highlighted the actuality and political relevance of this research.
After a lunch break, Mexican scholarship holder María José Grisel Enríquez Cabral presented her research project, “Ciudadanía activa, inclusión desigual y exclusión a la educación superior en Estados Unidos. El caso de estudio de las familias migrantes mexicanas de estatus mixto y su lucha por la DREAM Act en Mesa y Phoenix, Arizona”. María José investigates how migrant families in Arizona, whose members have partially Mexican and US citizenship, organize themselves politically to fight for the DREAM Act in Arizona. If implemented, this legislative proposal would offer US citizenship to young Mexican immigrants who graduate successfully from US educational institutions. María José received valuable feedback from her respondent, Martha Zapata Galindo (FU Berlin). In the commentary and ensuing discussion, it was particularly stressed how difficult it is to correctly define the boundary between ‘political’ and ‘non-political’ work.
After the colloquium, professors, PhD candidates and members of the coordination office stayed for a small Christmas gathering. The highlight of this cordial gathering was undoubtedly the traditional Mexican piñata, which was appropriately demolished by the members of the IRTG ‘Between Spaces’.
(Thilo F. Papacek, IRTG Berlin/Potsdam)
Upcoming events
IN BERLIN:
January 27, 2015, 2-5 pm Institute for Latin American Studies, room 243 and others
Tutoring day of the IRTG
January 30, 2015, 9:30 am-7 pm, Institute for Latin American Studies, room 201
Conference ‘Brazil 2015 and Beyond: “The Difficult Balance between Democratic Governability, Economic Growth and Politics of Inclusion”’
February 6, 2015, 9 am-5 pm, Institute for Latin American Studies, room 243
Workshop with Christine Färber: “Gender Awareness”
February 12, 2015, 9 am-5 pm, Institute for Latin American Studies, room 243
Workshop with Marco Estrada Saavedra: "Política popular contestataria: reflexiones teóricas y metodológicas"
February 13, 2015, 10 am-5 pm, Institute for Latin American Studies, room 243
Interdisciplinary Colloquium
February 19/20, 2015, 10 am-6 pm, Institute for Latin American Studies, room 201
Conferencia "Después de Ayotzinapa. Estado, crimen organizado y sociedad civil en México"
IN MEXICO:
February 5, 2015, 4 pm-7 pm, El Colegio de México, room 2245
Inter-institutional Colloqium
Brenda Rodríguez Juárez (IRTG Mexico): “El espacio de experiencia en México: prisioneras en el sector B III de Auschwitz Birkenau, mayo – octubre de 1944”
Veremundo Carrillo Reveles (IRTG Mexico): “México en la Unión de las Repúblicas Americanas, 1901-1941: entre el ‘latinoamericanismo’, el ‘interés Nacional’ y la cooperación internacional”
February 19, 2015, 5 pm-7 pm, Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales, UNAM
Inter-institutional Colloquium
Manuel Aßner (IRTG Berlin/Potsdam): “Does Residence Status Changes on Migrant Transfers- The Case of Ecuadorian and Colombian Migrants in Spain”
Kevin Niebauer (IRTG Berlin/Potsdam): “Amazonia en la narrativa ecológica-científica: entrelazamientos, continuidades y rupturas”
March 19, 2015, 4 pm-7 pm, CIESAS, room Juárez
Inter-institutional Colloquium
Jaqueline Garza Placencia (IRTG Mexico): “Sociedad civil organizada en la vigilancia y defensa de los derechos humanos ante la violencia en México”
Isabel Dolores De León Olivares (IRTG Mexico): “Redes intelectuales en el Caribe, 1880-1930. Un abordaje desde la historia intelectual de la República Dominicana”
Luis Aguirre Montaño (IRTG Berlin/Potsdam): "Cuando la corriente dividió: circuitos comerciales, redes sociales y globalización en el espacio rioplatense alrededor de la formación de los estados nacionales"
April 9, 2015, 4 pm-7 pm, Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales, UNAM
Inter-institutional Colloquium
Carlos Nazario Mora Duro (IRTG Mexico): “Mexicanos sin religión en los albores del siglo XXI. Entre espacios de definición: el contexto del Distrito Federal y Chiapas”
Víctor Hugo Ramos Arcos (IRTG Mexico): “Trayectorias académicas de estudiantes de origen mexicano en Los Ángeles”
Sebastián Pineda Buitrago (IRTG Mexico): “Visión y revisión de España: la década madrileña de Alfonso Reyes (1914-1924)”
Best wishes
Ingrid Simson and the IRTG team
