Announcements

Julian Ammirante (PhD, Political Science).  Julian’s research interests include: the political economy of democratic transitions and consolidation (Southern Cone); comparative political economy of the mining industry in South America and Canada; and the sociology of soccer.

Pablo Andrade  (PhD, Social and Political Thought).  Pablo’s thesis topic is economic and political dynamics of democracy in Ecuador, and his supervisor is Liisa North.

Karen Antonio (MES).  Karen’s thesis will be on “Sustainable Tourism Planning and Development” and she will use the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development in Jamaica as a case study.

Jose Alberto Benvenuto (MSW). Jose’s thesis is on “The Process of Identity Transformation of Immigrants in a Multicultural Society: A Case Study of the Spanish Speaking Community of Toronto”.

Ana Christina Chase (MES). Ana’s thesis is on AThe Illegal Trade of Endangered Animals in Central America@.  She was CERLAC=s Brown Bag Seminar leader in 1998. She participated in a field course in Honduras during the summer of 1998, and then proceeded to Costa Rica to conduct her field experience in a centre for endangered animals close to San José, Costa Rica.

Alyson Crosby (PhD, Sociology), Brígido Galván (PhD, Music), and Kathleen Gordon (PhD, Sociology) all received SSHRC Doctoral Grants.

Josette Dobra (MA, Political Science). Josette graduated in 1997 and her thesis was on “Chile’s Potential Accession to NAFTA: Basic Human Rights Issues”.

Karen L. Dubin (MA, Social Anthropology). Karen’s thesis is on “The Discursive Construction of Barbadian Masculinity: An Examination of Competing Discourses”.  Karen’s MRP supervisor is Daniel Yon and her committee members are Rinaldo Walcott and Margaret Rodman.

Sam Dunn (MA, Social Anthropology). Sam is researching issues of memory, identity, and psychosocial well-being among Guatemalan men in Toronto.  His thesis committee includes David Lumsden, Daphne Winland, and Alan Simmons.

Pablo Escobar  (MA, Social and Political Thought). Pablo is working on psychoanalysis and political economy. As a CERLAC graduate assistant, Pablo assisted in the 1997 CERLAC/FOCAL jointly organized workshop  held in Toronto.

Nicole Fuhr (MES). Nicole’s thesis was on “Migrant Farmers, Natural Resource Use and Protected Areas: Pico Bonito National Park, Honduras”. She graduated in 1998 and also received a Graduate Diploma in LACS.

Maurilio de Lima Galdino (MA, Political Science). Maurilio’s thesis was on “The Landless Rural Worker’s Movement in Brazil: Social Movements as Political Actors”. He graduated in 1999 and also received a Graduate Diploma in LACS.

Kathleen Gordon (PhD, Social Anthropology). Kathleen recently received an award from the CIDA Award Program for Canadians.

Suzanne Hamm (MES). Suzanne is working on AGrassroots Movements in Central America.@ She was a
CERLAC GA in 1998.  She worked on multiple tasks throughout the year and represented CERLAC at
International Development Week 1998.  Suzanne’s main focus is Guatemala and she spent the summer of 1998
volunteering at a Guatemalan women=s cooperative.

Gail A. Karish (LLM). Gail’s thesis topic was “Toward a Rational Model for Corporate Governance: Privatization and the Promise of Private Sector-led Economic Growth in Latin America”. She graduated in 1997.

Lori Kerr (IMBA). Lori’s research focused on Latin American development and hemispheric integration.. She graduated in 1999 and also received a Graduate Diploma in LACS.

Eduardo Lis (MA, Music). Eduardo graduated in 1997. His thesis was on “Creating a New Tradition: The Brazilian Jazz Experience in North America”.

Alex Long (MES). Alex’s research focus is community involvement in waste management.  His supervisors are Bryn Greer-Wootten and Leesa Fawcett.  Alex spent time at the Universidad de Guadalajara in Mexico with the Consortium for Sustainable Community Development.

Andrew Macdonald (MES). ACommunity Service Based Popular Environmental  Education@. Andrew was CERLAC=s main Newsletter coordinator in 1997-98.  Andrew plans to study in Guadalajara, Mexico through the Consortium for Sustainable Community Development and Planning.

Marie-Josée Massicotte (PhD, Political Science).  Marie-Josée’s dissertation topic is the transformative potential of Mexican sociopolitical movements in the era of economic restructuring in the Americas.

Sharlene L. Mollett (MES). Sharlene’s thesis is AReconstruction of Ethnic Identities in Central America@. Sharlene was a CERLAC GA for the year 1997-1998.

Gustavo Morán (MES). Gustavo received a fellowship with FES to complete a number of projects with the Faculty and the Centre for Applied Sustainability.

Colette Murray (PhD, Geography).  Colette’s research interests include the dynamics of inter-ethnic conflict in Costa Rica.  She is also examining steps taken by Fundación Socio-Cultural Afrocostarricense (FUSCAL) to resolve such conflict and the role of women in development.

Laura Norris (MA, Political Science).  Laura’s research is focused on  ethnic identity in Guatemala and the implications after the signing of the Peace Accords. She worked on various projects as a GA at CERLAC this year, including editor of the Centre’s newsletter.

Manuel Poitras (PhD, Political Science). Manuel’s research is on “The Political Economy of the Use of the New Biotechnologies in Mexico”.  Manuel is currently conducting field research in Mexico and loving it!

Natasha Pravaz (PhD, Social Anthropology). Natasha is looking at “Hybrid Culture: Mulatto Women’s Experiences in Brazil”.  Natasha’s thesis supervisor is Naomi Adelson.  Her committee members are Malcolm Blincow and Kenneth Little.  Natasha’s analysis engages in a critique of racist discourse in Brazil with particular emphasis on women’s understandings of it.

Adriana Premat (PhD, Social Anthropology). Adriana has been awarded the 1998 FGS Thesis Prize for her MA thesis “Feeding the Self and Cultivating Identities in Havana, Cuba”. Her research interests include agriculture and food in urban centres.

Rosa Prince (MES). Rosa’s thesis is “Social Change: Women and Health Care in Trinidad and Tobago”.  Rosa’s research advisor is Trevor Hancock.

Roberta Rice (MES). Roberta’s research is on AAlternative Rural Development in the Andean Region@. Roberta has recently received an IDRC scholarship to conduct her research on alternative forms of development in Ecuador.

Davina Robinson (MA, History). Davina’s research focused on perceptions of host societies to British West Indian immigrants. She graduated in 1998 with a Graduate Diploma in LACS.

Malcolm Rogge (MES). Malcolm received an award from the CIDA Award Program for Canadians to travel to Ecuador in January, 1998.  He worked on a research project which develops legal materials for indigenous peoples effected by transnational corporations.

Alejandra Roncallo (PhD, Political Science). Alejandra’s research is on “Mexican Women Migrants to the United States”.  Alejandra’s academic interests include issues related to International Relations, International Migration and Gender.

Juan Gabriel Ronderos (LLM). Juan’s thesis was on AOrganized Crime in Colombia@.

Chris Rosene (MES). Chris researched “Environmental and Social Impact Assessment in Latin America”. Chris graduated from York in 1998 with a Graduate Diploma in LACS. He recently completed a study on labour rights in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico for the Canadian Labour Congress.

Olga Sanmiguel-Valderrama (DJur). Olga’s research is on the “Impact of International Trade Agreements on Labour and Women’s Rights: the Case of the Colombian Flower Industry”.  Olga is currently on exchange at the Latin American Institute for Alternative Legal Services (ILSA) in Bogotá, Colombia.

Deborah Senior (MES). Deborah looked at “Obstacles to Environmental Policy Making in Caribbean States”.  Deborah attended the UN Earth Summit II conference and presented a speech at Earth Day with then Minister of the Environment, Sergio Marchi.  Her supervisors are Ann Joyner and Liora Salter.

Suzanne Stevenson (MES). “Community Participation in Marine Conservation: The Sandy Bar/West End Marine Reserve, Roatan, Honduras”. Suzanne graduated in 1999 and also received a Graduate Diploma in LACS.

Carlos Torres (MA, Political Science). Carlos worked as a GA at CERLAC and was also involved in the CERLAC-OAS Internship Program. He is active with Chilean community groups in Canada.

Gabriela Torres (PhD, Social Anthropology). “Refugee Return: The Constitution of a Local ‘Community’ in the New Guatemalan Nation”.  Gabriela recently presented a paper for CASCA 1999. Her supervisor is Shubhra Gururani.  Her committee members include Liisa North and Malcolm Blincow.

Hendrik (Gus) Van Harten (MES/LLB) is doing research on “Human Rights and Democratization in Guatemala”.

Graduate Seminar Series

CERLAC’S Brown Bag Seminar Series provides an informal and multi-disciplinary forum for discussion of recent research related to Latin America and the Caribbean.

Frank Scherer (M.A. Anthropology candidate, York University) presented “Barrio Chino: The Touristification of ‘Chineseness’ in Post- Revolutionary Cuba” on November 6, 1997.   Mr. Scherer’s research examined  the socio-cultural history of Cuba's Chinese community with focus on questions of ethnicity, identity, labour, migration and diapora.

John Cameron (Ph.D. Political Science candidate, York University) presented “The Politics of Street Art in Chile” on January 29, 1998.   Mr. Cameron used slides in presenting the history of muralism and street art in Chile since the 1940's, including the evolution and politics of street art under the Pinochet dictatorship.

Chris Rosene (M.E.S. Environmental Studies candidate, York University) presented “The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment in Latin America: Participatory Approaches” on February 26, 1998. Mr. Rosene lectured on basic methodology and provided a case study from Brazil.

Tom Legler (Ph.D. Political Science candidate, York University) presented “The Politics of Economic Restructuring in the Mexican Countryside: Insights From the State of Jalisco" on March 5, 1998.

Lisa Kowalchuk (Ph.D. Sociology candidate, York University) presented  "Peasant Struggle and the Unfinished Agrarian Reform in El Salvador" on March 17, 1998.

Juan Gabriel Ronderos (LL.M Law candidate, York University) presented "The Colombian Fight Against Drugs: Myths and Reality" on March 24, 1998.

Epsy Campbell from the Women’s Forum for Central American Integration presented “Women’s Participation in Central American Integration” on June 26, 1998. (see article on page 2)

Masani Montague (MES) presented “Criminalization of Jamaican Deportees” on October 28, 1998.

Carlos Rosero and Libia Grueso, two leaders of Proceso de Communidades Negras presented “Afro-Colombian Activists” on November 26, 1998. Proceso de Communidades Negras is concerned with issues relating to social control over territory and biodiversity in Colombia.

Cecil Foster (MA, Social and Political Thought) read from his most recent book, Island Wings on December 3, 1998. Cecil writes on race relations and also works as a journalist.

Janice Allman (MES) presented “Caribbean Dialect” on January 28, 1999.  Janice’s presentation focused on teaching English as a second dialect to Caribbean children in the context of a Canadian classroom.

Carol Wood from Casa Canadiense, presented “Nicaragua Report” on February 4, 1999 and spoke about the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch in Nicaragua and how the York University community could help.

Karen Antonio (MES) presented “Tourism Development in Jamaica: A Neo-Colonial Folly?” on February 11, 1999.  Karen spoke about the unique nature of tourism in Jamaica and the pursuit of tourism as a path to Jamaica’s economic development.

Ingrid Godinez from Ulew Tinimit, presented “Guatemala Report: Peace, What Peace?” on March 9, 1999.  Ulew Tinimit is a Spanish language school and community development centre in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.

Close-Up on John Cameron

John Cameron is currently in his fourth year of the PhD program in Political Science at York. He received his BA (Honours) from Dalhousie University in 1991 and his MA in Latin American Studies from Simon Fraser University in 1996. His current research interests are in municipal decentralization policies and the responses of popular organizations in Latin America generally and Ecuador specifically.

John first became fascinated with Latin America in a course on Central America taught by John Kirk at Dalhousie: "Of all the professors I encountered during my BA, he was by far the most passionate and excited about his teaching and research and I guess some of that excitement rubbed off on me." After completing his honours thesis on the Contadora peace process in Central America in 1991, John travelled first to Costa Rica to study Spanish and then continued to travel for another eight months in Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina.

In 1992, he returned to Costa Rica to work as a volunteer with Youth Challenge International, a Canadian-based organization which places groups of volunteers in communities in Costa Rica and Guyana. The following year, John began his MA at Simon Fraser University and spent January to May of 1995 living in Santiago, Chile conducting field research in the neighbourhood of La Victoría for his MA thesis, "Participation in Neighbourhood Organizations and Community Development in Low-Income Neighbourhoods of Santiago, Chile". John returned to Chile in the fall of 1995 as a teaching assistant with SFU's Chile Field School (SFU runs a field school to a different country in Latin America every two years).

At the end of 1995, John moved to Whitehorse to join his partner Susan McClure who was working there as an Archivist at the Yukon Archives. While in Whitehorse John worked as a researcher for the Yukon NDP, as a substitute high school teacher and a bus driver, as well as volunteering on the board of the Yukon Development Education Centre.

Since coming to York in 1996, John has presented papers at CALACS conferences in both 1996 and 1998. In October 1997, he participated with other representatives from CERLAC in the SICA/CERLAC colloquium on Central American Integration in San Salvador (see page 7) and in January 1998 presented a paper on the politics of street art in Chile at a CERLAC Brown Bag seminar. He has been working as a research assistant with Dr. Liisa North and together they published an article in Ecuador Debate comparing rural development experiences in Taiwan and Latin America. John is also a member of the editorial collective of Americas Update, a Toronto-based magazine on social and political issues in Latin America.

Graduate Diploma Program

The CERLAC Graduate Diploma Program in Latin American and Caribbean Studies began in 1986. Professor Luin Goldring (Sociology) was appointed as the coordinator of the Program on July 1, 1997. During 1998/99 Prof. Harry Smaller (Education) served as acting coordinator during Prof. Goldring’s parental leave.

The Program generally holds one information session and one or two receptions during the year. In addition to informing students about the Diploma Program, these events offer graduate students and some undergraduate students working on Latin American and the Caribbean a chance to meet and talk in an informal setting. A distribution list of Diploma Program and interested students facilitates dissemination of information on funding, employment, language programs in Latin American, and other material considered relevant to the Program. For program information, see the associated page on this site.   Appointments with the Program Coordinator can be made by signing up on a schedule posted on her office door at 240B York Lanes (in the CERLAC Office Suite).