SUMMER 2001 RESEARCH REPORT

Mexico Project and CLAS Award Summer Research Grants

A research trip to a Movimiento Sem Terra camp in Betim, Brazil was only part of Ruth Ann Hudson's summer research. During her stay in Brazil Hudson researched the political consequences of heightened tensions during the last decade between land reform movements and the federal government in Brazil.

Hudson was one of twelve Georgetown University students who received grants to conduct research in Latin America this summer. The travel opportunities for this year's participants were partially funded by grants from Dr. John Bailey of the Mexico Project. Graduate students campus-wide competed to earn grant money for their research and travel expenses. A faculty group composed of Bailey, John Tutino and Arturo Valenzuela read student proposals and selected those who would receive grants. For many years the Center for Latin American Studies has offered grant money for summer research but this year was the first time in which such a large sum of money, $10,000, came from Bailey.

One student who traveled to Cuba was Josh Busby, who spent a week in Havana studying the intersection of Cuban society and the dollar economy. Also traveling to Cuba was Martha Carro Fernandez, who attended a seminar on Cuban foreign policy at Havana's Instituto Superior de Relaciones Internacionales.

While traveling to Colombia and Ecuador, Jose Antonio Figueroa studied the links between aesthetical representation of national identity and the weakness of the political and economical spheres in both nations. Julian Quibell also traveled to Ecuador to assess the role of the national military in the civilian political arena and to quantify any changes in military prerogatives over the last decade.

Rural development efforts in Colombia were the focus of Pamela Phillips's summer research. Her research led Phillips to define her thesis as an examination of the role of outside organizations in the strengthening of democracy, the promotion of development, and the resolution and prevention of conflict in Latin America and the domestic impact of such activities.

Marianne Benet spent twelve weeks in Guatemala working with the Foundation for International Community Assistance and conducting an assessment and analysis of the impact that small loans have on program members. Katherine S. Hutter's two-month research in Chile focused on aspects of the impact of the Church of Latter Day Saints in Chile. Through this experience, Hutter expanded her thesis to include a discussion of the innumerable social networks created and fostered by the Chilean LDS Church.

Also traveling to Chile was Abelardo Rodríguez who researched the 1988 Chilean plebiscite, the articulation of a government of coalition in 1989 and the real impact of the Chilean transition to democracy as whole in the electoral outcome of Mexico in the year 2000. Okezi Otovo traveled to Ecuador to research racism and representation issues that the Afro-Ecuadorian population faces and how these problems may be alleviated.

Irina Feldman researched folkloric dances and their importance in society during her travel to Bolivia. José Jouve Martín spent three weeks in Lima conducting research on African women and their role in African community in Peru between 1650 and 1700.

2002 Article & Individual Reports
2003 Article & Individual Reports
2004 Article & Individual Reports