Research

The Latin America Research Group (LARG) is a forum for the study of Latin America. We bring together faculty as well as graduate and undergraduate students working on Latin America from a number of disciplines including anthropology, business, environmental studies, Indigenous education, geography, Hispanic studies, medicine, music, philosophy, political science, public administration and sociology.

LARG aims to foster academic exchanges and research initiatives. We hold an interdisciplinary workshop every two years with the support of the Latin American Studies Program. LARG also sponsors a lecture series every term hosted by the Centre for Global Studies and a diversity of cultural events related to Latin America.

Please contact: Michelle Bonner, Coordinator for more information.

11th Latin American Research Group workshop

March 7, 2026
9:30 - 3:30
CLE A127 & CLE A118

Complete schedule here.

Co-sponsored by Latin American Studies (UVic), the Centre for Global Studies (UVic), and the Latin American Landscapes research cluster (UBC)

9:30 Coffee

9:45-10:00 Welcome CLE A127

Michelle BONNER, Political Science and Director, Latin American Studies

10:00-11:05

Latin American Film & Comics, CLE A127

Chair: Dan RUSSEK, School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures, UVic

“Ixcanul After the Applause”, Paul HAASE, Hispanic Studies, UBC

“Don’t you touch [them]!” On West Side Story, Latin America, Ideology and Mourning during Trump Times” José Ricardo GARCIA MARTINEZ, Lasalle College Vancouver, UBC

“Coloniality and Nutrition in Rius’s oeuvre” Annick PELLEGRIN, Department of French, Hispanic and Italian Studies and Department of Languages and World Literatures, UBC

Rethinking Approaches to Education, CLE A118

Chair: Carmen RODRIGUEZ DE FRANCE, Indigenous Education, UVic

“Indigenous perspectives in Mexico’s postsecondary education: experiences in the contexts of music education, campesino-informed pedagogy, and youth leadership development” Hector VAZQUEZ-CORDOBA, Curriculum & Instruction and Department of Indigenous Education, UVic, Jesús Alberto FLORES MARTINEZ, SSHRC Research Collaborator, UVic, Valeria CORTES, Indigenous Education, UVic “Archaeological Lessons for Andean Futurity: Sustaining Heritage, Biodiversity and Sociopolitical Networks” Aleksa K. ALAICA, Anthropology, UBC

Land and the Environment, CLE A224

Chair: Ana Maria PEREDO, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa & Environmental Studies, UVic

“Understanding women’s land rights in the Colombian Amazon” Debbie PIERCE, Forestry, UBC

“Agroecological Transitions in Latin America” Isabela TSUTIYA ANDRADE, and Hannah WITTMAN, Institute of Resources, Environment and Sustainability, UBC

“Commons in Crisis: Indigenous Knowledge and Collective Life in the Andes” Ana Maria PEREDO, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa & Environmental Studies, UVic

11:10-12:15

Human Rights in Latin America, CLE A127

Chair: Marcel RAMIREZ LA TORRE, Public Administration, UVic

“Memories from the Land of Amnesty: Historical Narratives of the Armed Right in Brazil” Ana Paula SANTANA BERTHO, History, UVic

“Countermemories and Cultural Interventions in Human Rights Era Peru” Cynthia MILTON, History and Director of the Centre for Global Studies, UVic

“Controlling the Narrative: Contesting Enforced Disappearances in Democratic Latin America.” Michelle BONNER, Political Science and Director of Latin American Studies, UVic

Literary Reflections on Latin America, CLE A118

Chair: Beatriz DE ALBA-KOCH, History, UVic

“Unsettling Travel Narratives: Mobility and Metareflection in César Calvo’s Amazon.” Julián GALVAN, Hispanic Studies, UBC

“Enunciaciones peatonales y ciudad: lenguaje, memoria y prácticas urbanas desde Certeau” Alexander NOREÑA AGUDELO, Hispanic Studies, UBC

“Cómo escribí algunos de mis sonetos (y viví para contarlo)” Dan RUSSEK, School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures, UVic

12:15-1:15 LUNCH

1:15-2:45

KEYNOTE ADDRESS CLE A127

“Democracy without parties or state capacity? Peru’s 2026 election”

Maxwell CAMERON, professor of political science in the Department of Political Science and School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, UBC. Current Latin American Studies Association (LASA) President and 2022 Guillermo O’Donnell Democracy Award and Lectureship winner.

Introduction: Michelle BONNER, Political Science and Director, Latin American Studies UVic

2:50-3:55

New Perspectives on Latin American History, CLE A127

Chair: Cynthia MILTON, History and Director of the Centre for Global Studies, Uvic

“Syphilis Re-examined: Blame and Identity in Interpretations of the Great Pox” Jonah BURKART, History, UVic

"An Andean Sacred Stone and the Cross of Santiago Apóstol of Cusco: Recodifying an Origin Narrative." Beatriz DE ALBA-KOCH, History, UVic

“Transoceanic Communities: The Keichō Phenomenon and Its Affective Impact Across the Hispanic World” Kim BEAUCHESNE, French, Hispanic and Italian Studies, UBC

Knowledge Production on Sustainability CLE A118

Chair: Hector VAZQUEZ-CORDOBA, Curriculum & Instruction and Department of Indigenous Education, UVic

“Relational Wisdom and Climate Action: Centring Indigenous Elders’ and Older Adults’ Voices from Canada and Mexico” Matilde CERVANTES NAVARRETE, Indigenous Education, UVic and Valerie SALEZ, Artist, Global Pax Collective, Community Member.

“The Invisible Middle: Precarity and Policy Erasure in São Paulo’s Recycling Value Chain”, James ROSZEL, Geography, UVic

“Learning From Brazil: Co-Creating Knowledge and Empowerment Through the UNICATA Model”, Ana Maria CASTRO, Geography, UVic, Felipe SILVA, Federal University of ABC, Brazil, Isabella VALLIN, University of São Paulo, Brazil, Greice MARTINS, Federal Institute of Brasília, Brazil, and Jutta GUTBERLET, Geography, UVic.

LARG workshop programs: