Latin America Research Seminar (LARS)

Bio: Varun is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, double majoring in Biological Sciences and Spanish. After teaching English for two years in the Basque Country, he entered Georgetown’s doctoral program in Hispanic Literature and Cultural Studies. He has taught Spanish, English, and Basque as well as Hispanic Cinema. His areas of interest include Discard Studies, Parallel Cinema, and minority language education and preservation. When he has spare time, he enjoys playing the viola and running along the Potomac. 

Bio: Marília Ferreira is a Full Professor at Federal University of Pará and Research Fellow with Brazil’s National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). From 2024-2025, she is the Ruth Cardoso Chair in CLAS, Georgetown University, in DC.
Abstract: Onomastic studies in general—and the studies of the onomastic systems of indigenous languages in particular -require interdisciplinary investigations that address properly the diversity inherent in the field. Thispresentation will discusses how linguistic concepts dialogue with anthropology and ethnography in the study of the onomastic system of Gavião-Jê, an indigenous language spoken by people who live in sotheast of Pará, in Brazil. We will discuss aspects observed in the description of the anthroponyms known and used by native speakers of that traditional language. The methodology includes fieldtrips for data collection, ethnographic documentation, data analysis in presence of the Gavião-Jê language speakers and data archiving in a digital database.

Bio: Transfeminist researcher (they /them) interested in Latin American cuirism. L Angulo Amaya is a PhD student in Spanish Literature and Cultural Studies at Georgetown with a Master’s degree in Literature from the Universidad de los Andes. Their research focuses on transfeminist anti-racist artivism and the metaphor of the monster in Colombia, where they were born and raised. They’ve been working non-stop as a Spanish teacher since 2018, first at Universidad de los Andes and now at Georgetown University. With a commitment to Disability Justice, their ethic is one of community care, rest, and work boundaries. L enjoys doing embroidery and everything related to Halloween.
Abstract: Desde canciones hasta literatura, talleres y películas, el colectivo afrocolombiano Las Raras se apropia del espacio y el tiempo, en cuanto a sus calles, su virtualidad, sus memorias y presentes, resignificando el papel de las diversidades y las tradiciones regionales. Esta ponencia entiende que el uso de transmedia en el activismo, ejemplificado con el grupo Las Raras (productor de música, películas, fanzines y talleres), funciona como un no-lugar crítico que atraviesa a los cuerpos como una transducción háptica, lo que refuerza, voluntaria o involuntariamente, su calidad de protesta cuir frente a la realidad colombiana. Es decir, su uso de transmedia, entendido como agencia política por su contenido y su relación con la comunidad, trabaja directamente con la redefinición de espacio, creando así un colectivo cultural interdisciplinario para pensar críticamente la realidad de los derechos TLGBIQA+ en Colombia con mayor cercanía a la primera persona, lo que aumenta su relevancia como grupo críticamente político. Desde la teoría transfeminista sobre los medios culturales como espacios políticos, propongo un análisis del colectivo para comprender el espacio que toma en pro del activismo colombiano en el contexto de posguerra, con un fin de memoria y reparación. Primero, revisaré Las Raras como medio cultural. Después, me adentraré en su contexto de origen y los mensajes que transmite. Para finalizar, presentaré su agencia política como material de historización e inclusión de subjetividades. 

Amanda Robles López
“Trade and Investment Priorities of Costa Rica”
MSFS ’24

Bio: Amanda, raised in a single-parent household in Puerto Rico, is a passionate advocate for low-income communities and minority inclusion in politics. At 17, she designed a bill for auditive street lights and spoke in the Puerto Rican Senate for LGBTQ+ rights. Her experience includes assisting asylum seekers as a bilingual intern at Human Rights First, mentoring first-generation and low-income students, and volunteering with AmeriCorps VISTA to combat COVID-19 in Puerto Rico. She served as a youth delegate at the UN’s U.S. Youth Consultation for Climate Strategy, addressing disaster preparedness. Amanda holds a bachelor’s in politics from Catholic University and a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, where she focused on international development and humanitarian emergencies. She led Georgetown’s Decolonizing International Affairs Club and interned at the Minority Business Development Agency, working to boost minority business competitiveness. Amanda aims to strengthen Puerto Rico’s economic resilience to natural disasters.

Peter Clanton
“Explaining the Divergence between Perceptions of China in Paraguay and Economic Engagement”
CLAS ’25

Bio: Peter is a second year candidate at Georgetown University’s Center for Latin American studies. Peter graduated from Wake Forest University in 2022 with a degree in Politics and International Affairs. During his undergraduate studies, Peter interned with the Department of State and the Perry Center for Hemispheric Studies. Peter currently works for a cybersecurity and business risk firm. Peter is passionate about Chinese investment in Latin America, as well as other Asia-LATAM cultural, economic, diplomatic, and diaspora-related connections.

Lucia Gonzalez Camelo
“Transitioning to Empowerment – Guyana’s Journey with the Private Sector in Oil Extraction Production”
CLAS ’25

Bio: Lucia is a first-year candidate in Latin American Studies. She was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, and she graduated in May 2023 from Universidad de Los Andes with a degree in Political Science with an International Relations concentration. During her undergraduate, she interned at the Embassy of Colombia in Switzerland. Also, Lucia was a research assistant in a Policy Paper for the Friedrich Naumann Foundation on technology-related issues in the Andean countries. As well, Lucia conducted investigations on security and intelligence-related topics. In 2022, she was also the head of responsibility for the model U.N. team at her university, where she helped with fundraising for a Colombian NGO in the Pacific.

Lucia is passionate about foreign policy, diplomacy, peace processes, security, and democracy. She aspires to work in an international organization where she can work on Latin American topics, especially raising awareness on important issues for her home country, Colombia.

Grace Fay
“Argentina’s Bilateral Currency Swap with China—Why the Swap Line Matters in Milei’s Argentina”
CERES ’25

Bio: Grace Fay is originally from Attleboro, Massachusetts, but spent the last two years working as a Litigation Paralegal at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP in New York City. Grace graduated with a BSFS from Georgetown in 2021, where she majored in International History, minored in Russian Language and earned a Certificate in Diplomatic Studies. At CERES, Grace hopes to study the history and development of law in Russia to better understand the attitude towards law and justice in Russian society today.

Bio: Osmel Manzano is Regional Economic Advisor for the Country Department for the Andean Countries at the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), and Adjunct Professor at the Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.  He is responsible for the research agenda and macroeconomic monitoring of the IADB in the Andean region. He has been working on the development challenges in the region, with emphasis on natural resources, energy, growth and productivity. Hehas authored different publications on these subjects. Previously he was the Regional Economic Advisor for the Country Department for Belize, Central America, Haiti, Mexico, Panama and Dominican Republic.
Before joining the IADB, he was Assistant Director, and Coordinator of the Research Program at the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF). He was also Visiting Adjunct Professor at George Washington University and Adjunct Professor at Universidad Catolica Andres Bello, the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University and IESA Business School -in Venezuela, and has been invited to teach at different Latin American universities. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He holds a Ph.D. Degree in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Abstract: The Andean region (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela) is on both sides of the energy transition.  On one hand, all these countries produce fossil fuels, ranging from coal to natural gas.  On the other hand, they possess an important resource base of critical minerals, including copper, which are essential for green technologies.  Therefore, the region could leverage this duality to foster development and avoid the negative consequences that decarbonization could pose to it. Nevertheless, this will require important transformations that range from geographical issues to institutional frameworks. In this context, the relationship between society and the mining sector has proven to be particularly complex.  The Andean region has one of the highest rates of conflicts related to mining. This research project agenda looks at different experiments done to understand what drives the Social License to Operate.I finds that there are deep-seated issues of both distributive and procedural justice. While many citizens do state that mining and oil and gas are good for their country, granting an implicit license to the sector, they also express a feeling of being unheard by these companies and that they are not receiving a fair share of the rents. Regarding distributive justice, the conflict appears to stem not from differences between constituencies, but rather from the relationship between firms and the government. Procedural justice is equally crucial, as environmental concerns and community relations play a key role in these dynamics. Communities desire firms that genuinely prioritize environmental sustainability and fulfill their tax obligations.

Bio: Laia Balcells (Yale PhD ’10) is a Professor of Government at Georgetown University. Her research focuses on the causes and consequences of political violence and repression, transitional justice, nationalism, and ethnic conflict. Her first book, Rivalry and Revenge: The Politics of Violence during Civil War, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2017 and translated into Spanish by ICIP/Edicions Bellaterra in 2021. She has published over thirty-five articles in peer-reviewed journals, and her work has received multiple awards. Her research has been supported by the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, the Folke Bernadotte Academy, and others.
Abstract: What makes the public see armed groups as acceptable partners for peace instead of targets of law enforcement or military action? We examine legitimacy as an important but underexplored factor in determining when the public accepts peace negotiations with an armed group and on what settlement terms. We unpack legitimacy into motivational, material and moral dimensions, which shape public perceptions through compliance with the social contract, institutional recognition, and ethical appraisal. A group’s legitimacy is informed by different characteristics and behaviors. We test this argument in a conjoint experiment embedded in a unique online survey of 1,950 respondents in Colombia. The findings will help inform public attitudes to negotiations with armed actors, which can help create a more accepted peace.

Bio: Maggie Dunlap is a Ph.D. student of Literature and Cultural Studies in the Spanish and Portuguese Department at Georgetown University. She received a B.A. in Political Science from Sewanee: The University of the South and an M.A. in Spanish from Middlebury College, with the distinction of “Mejor estudiante graduada.” Her academic interests include affect theory, contemporary Latin American fiction and nonfiction, and the role of narrative in articulating lived experiences of violence. Her dissertation proposal, “The Discourse of Disaster: Nonfiction Literatures of Catastrophe in Contemporary Latin America,” is a comparison of Argentine and Brazilian narrative nonfiction portraying urban crises like nightclub fires and nuclear contamination events.

Abstract: In the early morning of January 27th, 2013, over two hundred and thirty people lost their lives in a fire at the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Almost a decade earlier at the República Cromañón in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a strikingly similar tragedy claimed almost two hundred victims when fireworks were also ignited inside an overcrowded nightclub. Both the “Tragédia de Santa Maria,” as it would come to be known, and the Cromañón tragedy had enduring consequences for the families and communities of the victims, the survivors, and their respective nations at large. A comparative analysis of two nonfiction novels dealing with these disasters–Daniela Arbex’s Todo dia a mesma noite: a história não contada da Boate Kiss (2018) and Camila Fabbri’s El día que apagaron la luz (2019)–illuminates both shared narrative strategies and significant differences in the way these events are represented. Though Fabbri’s use of anaphora and the trope of the suffering mother echo Arbex’s emotional style in Todo dia, Fabbri’s deeply personal connection to the Cromañón fire and the very real trauma of that experience is rendered in a multitude of styles, voices, opinions, and tones. Therefore, while Arbex’s narrative is rooted in the belief that a nation is not merely a collective that suffers tragedy together, but one that feels tragedy together, Fabbri’s portrayal of catastrophic violence resists any such totalizing conclusion. Drawing on the ideas of Sara Ahmed and Lauren Berlant, I argue that Arbex’s literary-adjacent style seeks to connect Brazilian readers to the reality of the Boate Kiss fire, and more importantly, make them feel responsible for its aftermath through the affective experiences of compassion and shame. Fabbri’s narrative, on the other hand, responds to Ignacio Sánchez Prado’s concern for the “narrative mediation of violence” through its kaleidoscopic portrayal of the fire and its aftermath. Through this comparative analysis, I begin to show how disaster is produced discursively in the contemporary period.

Bio: I am an Assistant Professor in Computational Social Science at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and a faculty affiliated with the Massive Data Institute. Before joining Georgetown, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow at NYU’s Center for Social Media and Politics. I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Maryland, College Park, where I am still a faculty member affiliated with the iLCSS and worked as a misinformation researcher at @Twitter.

Abstract: In most advanced democracies, concerns about the spread of misinformation are most often associated with feed-based social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, and these platforms also account for the vast majority of research on the topic. However, in most of the world, particularly in Global South countries, misinformation often reaches citizens through social media messaging apps, particularly WhatsApp. In this presentation, I will discuss a set of WhatsApp Deactivation Field Experiments incentivizing participants to either (1) reduce exposure to multimedia content on WhatsApp or (2) limit overall WhatsApp usage to up to 10 minutes per day. These experiments were deployed ahead of general elections in three major Global South countries: Brazil, India, and South Africa. Across the three cases, our intervention significantly reduced participants’ exposure to false rumors circulating widely online and to overall political news. However, these changes in the informational environment did not significantly change belief accuracy. Results for changes in polarization are minimal, and restricted to ethnic-based prejudice in India when participants reduced their overall WhatsApp usage. At the end of the presentation, I will briefly mention ongoing efforts to collect WhatsApp data through a data donation pipeline.

Abstract: What happens when indigenous groups use the legislation designed to take away their land to preserve it instead? This was the case with the Guarani communities in the Andean foothills and the Gran Chaco in the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth centuries. They designed a number of strategies that permitted them to maintain their lands while integrating into Bolivian society, to a large extent on their terms. This presentation is based on the microhistory of the region that Prof. Langer is writing as a book that calls into question our understandings of indigenous-settler relations in the Western Hemisphere.

Bio: Dr. Langer is Professor of History in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He has taught at Georgetown University since 1999. His main research interests include the economic history of Latin America, frontiers and missions, and indigenous movements. Dr. Langer has written, edited, or co-written eight books and over fifty scholarly articles. Dr. Langer was Director of the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown from 2009 to 2013. He was awarded academic multiple awards, including four Fulbright Research and Lecturing Awards, two Social Science Research Council Awards, two National Endowment for Humanities Research Awards, as well as the Orden “Universidad Central de Venezuela.” He was elected Honorary Member of the Academia Boliviana de Historia in 2016.