Events

ISLAC Global Symposium

Mapping contemporary challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean

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Date, Time and Location

Thursday, April 11 - 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday, April 12  - 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Tampa Campus
TECO
4110 Apple Dr.
Tampa, FL 33620

Registration

Please Register to attend.

Director’s Welcome  

Beatriz Padilla

Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) studies have grown significantly since the 1960s, adapting to the forces of globalization, encompassing transnational migrations, international trade, and global partnerships. 

In commemoration of its upcoming 30th anniversary, the Institute for the Study of Latin America and the Caribbean (ISLAC) welcomes you to its first Global Symposium, highlighting USF’s achievements and featuring global experts discussing contemporary issues in LAC communities across the world. 
 
Thank you for joining us!      
  
Գ, 
  
Beatriz Padilla, PhD 
Director, Institute for the Study of Latin America and the Caribbean (ISLAC) 
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Speakers

María Auxiliadora González Malabet

María Auxiliadora González Malabet

Anastasia Bermúdez Torres

Anastasia Bermúdez Torres

Angelina Cotler

Angelina Cotler

Luciana Gandini

Luciana Gandini

Richard Kernaghan

Richard Kernaghan

Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian

Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian

Edlin Veras

Edlin Veras

Angela Vergara

Angela Vergara

SPEAKER BIOS

María Auxiliadora González Malabet 

UNINORTE, Colombia  
“Impact of the Political Incidence School for Migrant Women. A Case of Social Integration Between Venezuelan Migrants and Colombian Leaders in the Colombian Caribbean Coast.” &Բ;
 
María González-Malabet has a PhD in Government from the (USF). Her major is in Comparative Politics and a minor in International Relations. She received different fellowships to finance her doctoral thesis from institutions, such as the Inter-American Foundation, the Sisters of the Academy, the University of South Florida, and the Universidad del Norte. Her doctoral dissertation is focused on the political agency of women for the progressive change of Latin American cities. She is director of Instituto de Desarrollo Político e Institutional – IDEPI, and a full-time professor and researcher at the Universidad del Norte in the Department of Political Science and International Relations. Her research focus is on Development Policies, Gender, Latin American Feminisms, and Social Movements. She is currently a serving in the postdoc fellowship “Orchides” from Colombia’s Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation researching the impact of the Colombian Peace Treaty (2016) in Women´s political participation in PEDT zones.

Anastasia Bermúdez Torres 

University of Seville, Spain 
“The Colombian diaspora in Europe and the Truth Commission: the role of exiled women in the political space” &Բ;
 
Anastasia Bermudez is senior lecturer/researcher in the Department of Social Anthropology, Universidad de Sevilla (Spain). She has a PhD and MSc in Geography, an MA in Area Studies (Latin America), and a BA in Human Geography and Politics, all from the University of London (Queen Mary; Institute of Latin American Studies). Her main research interests include international migration and mobilities, violence and peace in Colombia, and gender and intersectionality. 

Angelina Cotler 

John Hopkins University 
“The main challenges programs in Latin American and Latinx studies face in the current political climate in the U.S.”&Բ;
 
Angelina Cotler holds a PhD in Socio-Cultural Anthropology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and is currently the inaugural program director of the Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies program at Johns Hopkins University.

Previously, she was the senior associate director of the Center for Latin American at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and the University of Pittsburgh, before taking up the position of Director of Membership and Development at the Latin American Studies Association (LASA). She was the co-chair of the Peru section in LASA and currently is the media manager. 

Luciana Gandini 

UNAM  
“Migration policies and prolonged transit in the Americas: The contemporary mobility context” &Բ;
 
Luciana Gandini is a research fellow at CLALS, non-resident fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, and a full-time tenured researcher at the Legal Research Institute at UNAM in Sociology law. She is a member of the National System of Researchers (SNI, CONACYT), level II. She coordinates the University Seminar on Studies on Internal Displacement, Migration, Exile and Repatriation (SUDIMER) at UNAM, which promotes research on migration and human mobilities at UNAM. She is a co-author of  Caravanas  (UNAM, 2020), which was a co-recipient of the .  In 2018, she received the award "Reconocimiento Distinción Universidad Nacional Jóvenes Investigadores 2018" from UNAM. 

Her project, “Emerging challenges on immigration policy: the case of Migrant Protection Protocols and other Latin American forced immigrants,” aims to identify some of the main public policy challenges on both human mobility and international protection in the Latin American region, particularly in Mexico, in a context where the increase on the mobility of people in need of international protection contrasts with the tendency of governments to impose limits on the right of asylum.  Additionally, in recent months she has focused her research on the impacts of the COVID-19 sanitary crisis on the inclusion and effective access and exercise of socio-economic rights of Venezuelan and Central American displaced populations in Latin America and how this situation generates an even more complex scenario and demands reshaping immigration policies through the enforcement of international protection principles. &Բ;

Luciana is interested in topics related to international migration, development and human rights, (in)voluntary migration and forced migration, Venezuelan exodus and Central American migrant caravans, impacts of COVID-19 on migrant and refugee population, return and skill migration, and qualitative and quantitative social research methods.

Richard Kernaghan

University of Florida  

Richard Kernaghan is an ethnographer of aesthetics and legal relations interested in rivers, settler colonialism, and political time. He teaches courses on legal anthropology and the craft of ethnographic representation at the University of Florida, where he is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Affiliate Faculty in the UF Center for Latin American Studies.

Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian

Organization of American States  
“Regional agenda for the inclusion of migrants and refugees in the Americas”  
 &Բ;
Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian (Venezuelan-American) is director of the Department of Social Inclusion of the Secretariat for Access to Rights and Equity at the Organization of American States (OAS), where she is responsible for directing the work of the OAS in matters of social inclusion and access to human rights with special consideration to populations in vulnerable situations. Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian has a Master's degree in International Relations from the and a PhD in Political Science from Florida International University. 
 &Բ;
She has edited, published, and co-authored several articles and volumes on issues of Latin American reality. Some of her recent contributions include the articles, “The Summit is a Great Chance for Better Cooperation on Migration” (2022) and “One Year Later: Slow Progress on a Key Migration Initiative” (2023), both published by Americas Quarterly, and the book chapter, “How to achieve more representation of indigenous and Afro-descendant people in Latin America and the Caribbean” (UNAM 2022). 
 &Բ;
She is also a founding member and coordinator of the Network of Latin American Female Political Scientists “#NoSinMujeres,” a project that seeks to promote, make visible, and empower the work of women dedicated to Latin American Political Science. &Բ;
 &Բ;
She is a regular columnist for the Venezuelan daily, El Nacional, and for the Web portal Caracas Chronicles, as well as a guest columnist in various regional media. She is also a 2021 Fellow of the Draper Hills Fellowship on Democracy, Development and Rule of Law at Stanford University, a member of the Advisory Board of the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University (GMU), and a Senior Associate (Non-Resident) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC. 
 &Բ;
In 2008, 2016, 2019, and again in 2020, she won the Outstanding Performance Award granted by the Secretary General of the OAS, in recognition of her extraordinary work and contribution to the American organization. Muñoz-Pogossian won the Status of Latinos' Alumna Award in 2023.

Edlin Veras

Swarthmore College 
“Caribbean Apartheid: Race, Racism, and the Law in the Dominican Republic” &Բ;
 
Dr. Edlin Veras is a visiting assistant professor of Sociology and Black Studies at Swarthmore College. His research and teaching interests include race, racism, immigration, and antiblackness in the U.S. and Caribbean, with a specific focus on Haiti and the Dominican Republic. His research has been published in the “Sociology of Race and Ethnicity.” He is a 2020 American Sociology Association Minority Fellow and is working on his book project tentatively titled, “Expired and Unfree: How Anti-Blackness Shapes Life after Work.”

Angela Vergara

University of Central Florida  
"Navigating Success: The Impact of Latin American Student Presence on Academic Achievement in a Hispanic-Serving Institution" 
 
Dr. Angela Vergara is a lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Central Florida. Her areas of expertise include Latin American sociology, global and social inequalities, and reproductive health. Her research involves topics in Hispanic/Latinx race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, mental health outcomes, and interwoven identities. Her current research focuses on gender differences, immigration status, culture language and the effects on the educational achievement gap, social class, health inequalities, and mental health accessibility in the Hispanic/Latinx population. Her teaching interests include qualitative research methods, health inequalities, and global inequalities. 
 

AGENDA

April 11, 2024

Time Session
8:30 AM Registration and Check-In
9:00 AM

Opening Remarks  

Beatriz Padilla, ISLAC Director
Prasant Mohapatra
, Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs 
Betty Castor, Former USF President 
Magali Michael, Interim Dean College of Arts & Sciences 
Maura Barrios, Community Historian of Tampa Bay

9:45 AM

Institutes and Centers for the Study of Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latinos: Roles and Challenges 

Moderator: Alejandro Márquez, Sociology & Interdisciplinary Social Sciences/ISLAC 
Angelina Cotler, Johns Hopkins University
“The main challenges programs in Latin American and Latinx Studies face in the current political climate in the U.S.”&Բ;
Angela Vergara, University of Central Florida
"Navigating Success: The Impact of Latin American Student Presence on Academic Achievement in a Hispanic-Serving Institution" 
Beatriz Padilla, Sociology & Interdisciplinary Social Sciences/ISLAC
“Centers and Institutes: International Comparative Perspectives”&Բ;

10:45 AM Break
11:00 AM

Migrations Across the Americas  

Moderator: Beatriz Padilla, Sociology & Interdisciplinary Social Sciences/ISLAC 
Luciana Gandini, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México “Migration policies and prolonged transit in the Americas: the contemporary mobility context”&Բ;
Betilde Muñoz Pogossian, Organization of American States “Regional agenda for the inclusion of migrants and refugees in the Americas”&Բ;
Arlene Calvo, USF Health/College of Public Health
“Migrants’ Route in Latin America and its Impact in Public Health”

12:00 PM Lunch Break
1:00 PM

International Experiences in Education

Moderator: Lauren Braunstein, USF College of Education  
Michelle Angelo-Rocha, USF College of Education
“Navigating Educational and Migration Borders: Experiences of Emergent Multilingual Latinx and Caribbean Mothers in K-12 Public Schools”&Բ;
Glenda Maria Vaillant Cruz, Sociology & Interdisciplinary Social Sciences/ISLAC
“Constructing a Place Within Spanish Universities: Unpacking the Ethnoracial Experiences of Latino, Latin American, Afro-Latino, and Afro-Latin American Students”&Բ;
Lindy Davidson, USF Judy Genshaft Honors College
“To Make a Long Story Short: Faculty Study Abroad Experiences in Latin America”&Բ;
Liliana Villavicencio, Omar Guerra, Wilfrido Moreno, USF College of Engineering
“Leveraging Latino Immigrant Youth for Future STEM Success in the USA”&Բ;
Emely Matos Pichardo, Sociology & Interdisciplinary Social Sciences
“Exploring Integration: A Systematic Literature Review of Newcomer Programs Serving Latinx Adolescents Education Policies” 

2:00 PM

Latin Americans in the Diaspora

Moderator: Kersuze Simeon-Jones, School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies/ISLAC 
Edlin Veras, Swarthmore College
“Caribbean Apartheid: Race, Racism, and the Law in the Dominican Republic”&Բ;
T. Adam Golob, Gulf Coast State College
“Central American Criminal Justice: Nuances of Exploitation, Impunity, and Victimization”
María Auxiliadora González Malabet, UNINORTE, Colombia “Impact of the Political Incidence School for Migrant Women: A Case of Social Integration between Venezuelan Migrants and Colombian Leaders in the Colombian Caribbean Coast”&Բ;

3:00 PM Break
3:15 PM

Borders, Crime, and Mobilization

Moderator: Dr. Molly Hamm-Rodriguez, USF College of Education
Alejandro Márquez, Sociology & Interdisciplinary Social Sciences/ISLAC
“Deter-care chain: how the state creates, and the immigrant rights movement addresses, the migrant care crisis on the US-Mexico border”&Բ;
Anastasia Bermúdez Torres, University of Seville, Spain
“The Colombian diaspora in Europe and the Truth Commission: the role of exiled women in the political space”
Richard Kernaghan, University of Florida
“Rivers in nomos: sounding law from transit through Western Amazonian terrains” 

4:15 PM

Poster Presentations           

Matheus Ivanesciuc, USF Judy Genshaft Honors College
“Poorly Functioning Institutions Undermine Development In Latin America: A Comparison Between Two Perspectives on the Same History” 
Fidel Galaura, USF Judy Genshaft Honors College
“HIV stigma within the Dominican Republic”&Բ;
Julianna Heitman, USF Judy Genshaft Honors College
“Game of Bones: Orthopedic Injuries and Outcomes in the Dominican Republic”&Բ;
Courtney Bauer, USF Judy Genshaft Honors College
“Health and Hygiene in the Dominican Republic: Unveiling Structural Violence” 
Ana Medeiros, USF Judy Genshaft Honors College
“Development and Economy in Latin America: A comparison of Kingson and Svampa’s books”&Բ;
Samantha N. Carrera, USF Economics
“The Mobilization of Indigenous Communities in the Wake of Twenty-First Century Socialism in Ecuador”&Բ;
Geeti Anwar, Sociology & Interdisciplinary Social Sciences “Latinx Youth in Education: Transitions and Trajectories Beyond High School”&Բ;
Julissa Maria Ramirez Perez, School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies, Master of Arts in Latin American and Caribbean Studies
“The Law that Targeted a Group: Immigration Law in Costa Rica and its impact on Nicaraguan immigrants”&Բ;
Anabela Cibele Villach Vaquer, School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies, Master of Arts in Latin American and Caribbean Studies
“Paradiplomacy in Argentina and Brazil: A perspective from their federal governments”&Բ;

April 12, 2024

Time Session
8:30 AM Registration and Check-In
9:00 AM

Hybrid/Interactive Panel: Exploring the Cultural Contributions of Virtual Global Exchange: Students from the and the Universidad Marista de Mérida de México (UMM) 

Margarita Altuna, Rachel Hipkins, Tyler Green, Milysha Castaneda, USF World Languages 
Victoria Albertos González, Martha Villalón, Alessandra Rivero Baeza and Eduardo Xool, UMM Departamento de Idiomas 

10:00 AM

Social and Civic Transformation “Here” and “There” - Teaching About and Engaging with Latin America and the Caribbean

Dr. Molly Hamm-Rodriguez, USF College of Education “Language and Social Justice: Youth Participatory Action Research in the Dominican Republic” 
Dr. Patriann Smith, USF College of Education
“Reading and Writing Transnational Worlds: The Liberatory Imaginaries of Caribbean Youth”&Բ;
Dr. Clarence Walker, Jr., USF College of Education
“16 Shades of Blackness: Afro-Mexicans, Justice, and Citizenship
Dr. Bárbara Cruz and Dr. Deanna Michael, USF College of Education
“Oral Histories in the Secondary Classroom: Teaching about Latin America and the Caribbean” 

11:00 AM Break
11:15 AM

Democracies and Regimes in Latin America and the Caribbean

Moderator: Angelina Cotler, Johns Hopkins University 
Luis Felipe Mantilla, School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies (SIGS)
“Mobilization and Repression in a Weak Democracy: The Post-December 7th Protest Cycle in Peru”&Բ;
Harry Vanden, SIGS
“In Peru, the urban elite trembles as challenged by the mobilized masses”&Բ;
Aaron Augsburger, SIGS
“Plurinationalism and the temporalities of revolution in Bolivia”

12:15 PM Lunch Break
1:00 PM

Migration and Health

Moderator: Mahmooda Khaliq Pasha, USF College of Public Health (USF COPH)
Olga Aranzabal, USF COPH
“Navigating the Unseen Path: Understanding the Health Challenges of Women and Children Immigrants Crossing the Darien Gap”
Santiago Hernandez Bojorge, USF COPH
“Outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Panama: impact of country of origin and clinical data”
Tailyn Osorio, USF College of Arts and Sciences/Salud Latina
“Exploring the mental health status of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic”
Rolando Trejos, USF COPH
“Levantando la Voz for Climate Justice, Latino Health, and Latino Cancer: Advocating for Change Through the Activist Lab”

2:00 PM

History and Culture  

Moderator: Adriana Novoa, USF Department of History/ISLAC
Zachary Kuntz, USF Department of History
“Bananas, Revolutions, and Riots: Ecuador during the Cold War, 1959-1960”&Բ;
Benjamin Puterbaugh, USF Department of World Languages – Linguistics
“Emerging narratives about the Haitian Other in Dominican social media” 
Donnie Ibn Malik Ali McClendon, USF Department of English “Theft, Trial, and Treason: The Curious Case of Santiago Duarte and the St. Augustine Uprising of 1795”&Բ;

2:50 PM Break
3:00 PM

Culture and Literature 

Moderator: Roberto Jiménez, USF Department of World Languages/ISLAC
Evguenia Davenport, USF Department of English
“Intellectual and Power: Anti-Establishment Discourse in Jacobo Timerman’s Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number”&Բ;
Victoria Cuomo, USF Department of English
“Transformation of the Myth: La Llorona and Redefining Cultural Norms”&Բ;
Nicholas Colecio, USF Department of English
“Asexuality in Ana Cristina Rossi’s Science Fiction”&Բ;
Alyssa Sotelo, USF Department of English
“Latine Feminist Potential in Pat Mora’s Poetry”&Բ;
Katrina Sandefer, USF Department of English
“Horror as a Disruptor in Modern Latin American Literature”&Բ;
Morgan Hunter, USF Department of English
“Maybe she’d gone mad. Bodies and Madness in Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic”&Բ;

4:00 PM Final Closing Remarks
 

Reception

Join us for a reception in the Rotunda (next to TECO)

Special thanks to our community partners

Latine Graduate Student Organization logo HPWA logo Salud Latina logo TSC Seal Black Swan Productions logo

PARKING

Guest parking is available. Please look for signs to indicate ISLAC GLOBAL SYMPOSIUM.    
 
More information about guest parking and handicap parking options can be found at Parking Services.

DIRECTIONS


 
For reasonable accommodations or questions, please contact CAS RSVP.