History of the Present: Debt and Violence in Latin America's Current Crisis

Description

LOCATION: Forsyth 213

Over the course of the past weeks and months, Latin America has faced the seismic upheaval of the present order as Latin Americans have taken to the streets and the ballot box to voice their grievances with the present state of things in the region. Protests in Chile and Ecuador, presidential elections in Argentina and Bolivia, and an uncertain peace agreement in Colombia are among just a few indications that change is on the horizon in Latin America. In this talk, we don’t want to predict the future, but rather show how history can help us understand Latin America’s present crises. We’ll focus on a few examples and how histories of violence, state debt, and finances, and dictatorship have shaped popular protests, electoral politics, and political culture.

SPEAKERS: Dr. Kyle Harvey & Dr. Susana Romero

• Dr. Harvey is an Assistant Professor of Latin American history at Western Carolina University. He earned a PhD in Latin American History from Cornell University. Dr. Harvey’s work focuses on the history of peripheral spaces and technological change in the nineteenth century, particularly in Argentina and Chile.

• Dr. Romero is an independent scholar. She earned a PhD in Latin American History from Cornell University. Dr. Romero studies the connected histories of urbanization and development in twentieth-century Latin America, with an emphasis on Colombia.

Hosts: WCU Spanish Program; Department of History

DegreePlus Skill: Cultural Responsiveness

Cover Photo: Daga95 - www.flickr.com…