CLAS Speaker Series

About the Series

The CLAS Speaker Series brings together leading scholars, policymakers, and cultural figures to explore critical issues shaping Latin America, the Caribbean, and their diasporic communities. Aligned with the Center for Latin American Studies' mission, this series fosters global understanding by supporting cutting-edge research, enriching student learning, and promoting meaningful dialogue. By engaging faculty, students, and the broader community, the series creates a dynamic space for interdisciplinary exchange, advancing knowledge and collaboration at regional, national, and international levels.


Past Events

In Search of Slave Ship Camargo: The quilombo of Bracui and the historical research about slavery in Brazil

Presenter:
Martha Campos Abreu
Date:
Wednesday, April 2, 2025 - 16:30

Join us Wednesday, April 2 for our fifth Speaker Series of the semester! We welcome Dr. Martha Campos Abreu from the Fluminense Federal University from Brazil for her presentation "In Search of Slave Ship Camargo: The quilombo of Bracui and the historical research about slavery in Brazil". She works in the areas of History of Brazil and History of the African Diaspora in the Americas, including memory of slavery, post-abolition and cultural heritage.

This speaker series will take place during our usual place and time for this semester at 4130 Posvar Hall and starting at 4:30 PM. Dinner will be provided.

Recording:

“Puerto Rican Mothers Who Stay: Negotiating Gender, Labor, and (non)Migration to Rural Midwest”

Presenter:
Lisa Ortiz
Date:
Thursday, March 27, 2025 - 16:30

Join us for the fourth Speaker Series of the semester with Lisa Ortiz on Thursday, March 27! Dr. Lisa Ortiz will be leading the seminar on the topic "Puerto Rican Mothers Who stay: Negotiating Gender, Labor and (non)Migration to Rural Midwest". She is an interdisciplinary scholar whose work is grounded in education, Latinx/a/o Studies, (im)migration, race, ethnicity, and gender.

Dinner will also be provided! The talk will be in our usual room at 4130 Posvar Hall.

 

 

Recording:

“Stories of Rubber Plantations: Orality, Gender, and Labor in the Acre and Purus River Basin (1912-1997)”

Presenter:
Mariana Muaze
Date:
Wednesday, February 19, 2025 - 16:30

Join us this Wednesday, February 19 at 4:30 PM for our third Speaker Series presentation for the Spring 2025! We are welcoming Dr. Mariana Muaze for her discussion “Stories of Rubber Plantations: Orality, Gender, and Labor in the Acre and Purus River Basin (1912-1997)”. 

Her line of research focuses on Visual History, Brazil's slavery, plantations and labor relations! Dinner will also be provided! 

The talk will be in our usual room at 4130 Posvar Hall.

 

Recording:

Corporate Complicity and Human Rights Violations in Brazil’s Dictatorship (1964-1985)": Insights from Recent Amazon Research

Presenter:
Alessandra Gasparotto
Date:
Wednesday, February 5, 2025 - 16:30

Join us this Wednesday, February 5 at 4:30 PM for our second Speaker Series presentation for the Spring 2025!

We are welcoming Dr. Alessandra Gasparotto, who is one of our Billie Lozano fellowship recipient, for her discussion “Corporate Complicity and Human Rights Violations in Brazil’s Dictatorship”. Her research focuses on Brazil's Civil-Military Dictatorship (1964-1985) and impacts on today's society through rural land struggles!

Dinner will also be provided! The talk will be in our usual room at 4130 Posvar Hall.

Recording:

Toleration Instead of Refuge: The Proliferation of Temporary Protections in Latin America

Presenter:
Andrea Peña-Vasquez
Date:
Wednesday, January 29, 2025 - 16:30

Join us this Wednesday, January 29 at 4:30 PM for our first Speaker Series presentation for the Spring 2025!

We are welcoming Dr. Andrea Peña-Vazquez for her discussion “Toleration Instead of Refuge: The Proliferation of Temporary Protections in Latin America”. Her research focuses on issues of legal status and identity documentation, race/ethnicity, and migration governance in multi-level states!

Dinner will also be provided! The talk will be in our usual room at 4130 Posvar Hall.

 

 

Recording: