February 25, 2025 - March 10, 2025 | |
CISSR Faculty Fellows Alan Kolata and Sabina Shaikh Lead Project Supported by Yung Hung Ching Cambodia Community Fund | |
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2017-18 and 2018-19 CISSR Faculty Fellows Alan Kolata and Sabina Shaikh are leading critical research in Cambodia’s Mekong River Basin. Kolata, the Bernard E. and Ellen C. Sunny Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Shaikh, Senior Instructional Professor in the Committee on Environment, Geography and Urbanization, focus on how communities adapt to environmental change. Their work has been recently supported by the Yung Hung Ching Cambodia Community Fund, established by University of Chicago alumnus John Yung, enabling them to expand their study beyond Phnom Penh to include Siem Reap, Battambang, and Kompong Thom. This will enable a unique analysis by revisiting 64 villages studied in previous funded research, offering refined insights into social, economic, and cultural shifts over the last 20 years.
By integrating physical, ecological, and social sciences, Kolata and Shaikh follow a multidisciplinary approach that aims to model livelihood possibilities in the face of rapid environmental transformation, informing sustainable practices in the Mekong River region. Kolata and Shaikh’s project has consistently attracted support from organizations like the National Science Foundation and the Neubauer Collegium.
In 2017-18, CISSR funded similar research led by Kolata and Shaikh around how people in the Mekong River Basin respond to rapid environmental changes caused by human activities and climate change. Their project measured existing hydrologically-based human activities in Cambodia's Mekong River floodplain and examined how these activities change under various scenarios, with the goal of identifying potential adaptive pathways for local populations. CISSR funded a fellow renewal for Kolata and Shaikh in the following year to expand their research and analyze the impacts of rural-to-urban migration on traditional livelihoods. They worked to model the complex factors influencing this migration, particularly among women, as part of a larger effort to assess rural livelihood viability under different scenarios.
Read more about their research here.
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February 28
Franke Institute for Humanities, Balzan Foundation, Department of Music, Department of Race Diaspora and Indigeneity, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, International House, Ethnoise: Music and Cultures Workshop, Office of Multicultural Student Affairs
Unsettled Passage: A US-Mexico Border Symposium on Sonic Encounter
9:30am
Franke Institute for the Humanities
1100 E. 57th St.
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Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression
Dinner at the Chicago Forum: What is the role of the United States in the world?
6:30 - 7:30pm
The Chicago Forum
5737 S. University Ave.
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February 27
Department of Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity
RDI Diasporas Workshop: Chinese Caribbean Art: Diasporic Affect in Migration and Cultural Mixing with Lok Siu
4:00pm
Kelly Hall, Room 108
5848 S University Ave.
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Seminary Co-op Bookstores and Center for East Asian Studies
East Asia by the Book! CEAS Author Talks ft. Giorgio Biancorosso (University of Hong Kong)
5:00pm
Franke Institute for the Humanities
1100 E. 57th St.
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Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, Centers for Latin American Studies and Middle Eastern Studies, Departments of Comparative Literature, Middle Eastern Studies, and Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity, and the Program in Creative Writing
Lina Meruane, “Chilestinians: Notes on the Palestinian Diaspora in Chile”
5:00pm
Swift Hall, Third Floor Lecture Room
1025 E. 58th St.
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Franke Institute for Humanities, Balzan Foundation, Department of Music, Department of Race Diaspora and Indigeneity, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, International House, Ethnoise: Music and Cultures Workshop, Office of Multicultural Student Affairs
Unsettled Passage: A US-Mexico Border Symposium on Sonic Encounter
5:00pm
International House, Assembly Hall
1414 E. 59th St.
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Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures
Kevin Platt: Russian-Speaking Latvians at the Borders of Global History
4:30pm
Franke Institute for the Humanities Regenstein Library, Room S-102
1100 E. 57th St.
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March 4
Center for East European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies
Alexis Peri - Dear Unknown Friend: The Remarkable Correspondence between American and Soviet Women
4:00pm
Social Science Research, Tea Room
1126 E. 59th St.
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Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality
“Can you see us? Thinking through areas of dialogue between Queer and Mainstream Muslim Communities” with Momin Rahman and Eman Abdelhadi
4:30pm - 6:00pm
Centers for Gender/Race Studies, Community Room (105)
5733 S. University Ave.
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March 7
Center for International Social Science Research
“The Candidates” Book Talk
4:00pm
Seminary Co-op Bookstore
5751 S. Woodlawn Ave.
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Around Town and Down the Road | |
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Early Modern Mediterranean World Workshop
Various Tuesdays 12:00pm — 1:30pm in Pick Hall
February 25:
2:30-4:00pm (SSRB 224)
Olivia Young, PhD Candidate, University of Chicago
March 4:
Tingfeng Yan, PhD Candidate, University of Chicago
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Gender and Sexuality Studies Workshop
Alternate Tuesdays 5:00pm — 6:20pm at The Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, Room 103
February 25:
CSGS Community Room
Camille Robcis, Professor of History and French, Columbia University
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Demography Workshop
Thursdays 12:30pm — 1:50pm in the NORC Conference, Room 232, 1155 E. 60th St.
February 27:
Jacob Faber, New York University
March 6:
Abby Weitzman, University of Texas
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East Asia: Transregional Histories Workshop
Thursdays 3:30pm — 5:00pm in John Hope Franklin Room (SSRB 224)
February 27:
Xiaoyu Gao, PhD Candidate, University of Chicago
March 6:
Gabriel Groz, PhD Candidate, University of Chicago
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Workshop on Latin America and the Caribbean
Alternate Thursdays, 5:00pm – 6:30pm in Pick 118
February 27:
Session with Chilean writer Lina Meruane
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Political Theory Workshop
Various Mondays 12:00pm —1:20pm in Pick 506
March 3:
Michael George Hanchard, Gustave C. Kuemmerle Professor of Africana Studies, University of Pennsylvania
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Latin American History Workshop
Alternate Thursdays, 4:30 – 6 pm in Pick 118
March 6:
Henry Bacha, PhD Candidate, University of Chicago
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Immigration Workshop
Various Mondays 12:30pm — 1:45pm in Pick 105
March 10:
Laura Fürsich, University of Chicago
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Colonialism and Capitalism: The Roots of Atacama Archaeology | |
2019-20 CISSR Lloyd & Susanne Rudolph Field Research Fellow, Estefanía Vidal Montero’s research explores how archaeology emerged alongside colonial expansion and capitalism, often mixing public and private interests. The 1963 discovery of the ruins in Guatacondo, Chile's Atacama Desert highlighted a long history of scientific exploration in the region, revealing the connections between politics, ideology, and archaeology. Vidal Montero explores how scientific expeditions, museum operations, and mining enterprises shaped archaeological practices in the Atacama. Focusing on engineer Emil de Bruyne and his network, the study explores how personal backgrounds and social positions influenced archaeological development in the area. By weaving together these diverse threads, Vidal Montero offers a nuanced view of how broader historical forces and individual actors molded Atacama Desert archaeology, challenging the notion of archaeology as purely an objective scientific endeavor.
Read the full article here.
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Local Voices and Global Issues: New Perspectives on Extractive Practices | |
2023-24 CISSR Faculty Fellow and Assistant Professor of Anthropology Mareike Winchell's research explores how Indigenous and other communities deal with the effects of extractivism - the large-scale removal of natural resources. The study looks at areas changed by activities like resource mining, single-crop farming, and deforestation. Winchell's work draws from various academic fields to understand extractivism as a system that exploits both nature and people. Instead of idealizing traditional ways of life, the research examines how communities express their needs and resist exploitation in ways that go beyond just talking about natural resources. The study shows that there's no standard approach to extraction or to fighting against it. Communities respond in different ways, shaped by their unique histories and environments. Winchell's research also considers how today's extractive practices are connected to historical colonialism, providing a deeper understanding of current conflicts over land and resources. By looking at these complex relationships, the research offers more comprehensive insights into how extractivism affects people and places in our modern world.
Read more about the research here.
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How Covid Changed Latin America | |
In a recent publication for Journal of Democracy, CISSR 2017–2025 Faculty Research Fellow and Associate Professor of Political Science, Michael Albertus and his coauthors examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected democracy and governance in Latin America and the Caribbean. The pandemic hit the region especially hard, with high death tolls and worsening social inequalities. Governments struggled to respond effectively, and in some cases, leaders used the crisis to expand their power, leading to more corruption, human-rights abuses, and military involvement in civilian affairs. However, the authors also highlight positive developments. Some ineffective or authoritarian leaders were voted out, and new reform-minded politicians gained power. Social movements mobilized to push for change, and some governments, like Costa Rica’s, managed to handle the crisis relatively well despite economic challenges. While the pandemic exposed deep-rooted governance problems, it also showed that democratic institutions in the region are more resilient than many expected. The study suggests that lessons from the pandemic can help build stronger and more inclusive democracies in the future.
Read the article here.
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Discerning Personhood through Lena-Dena: Disability Professionals, Ethics, and Communication | |
2021-22 Monograph Enhancement Fellow, CISSR Board Member, and Chair of the Department of Comparative Human Development, Michele Friedner published a research article in American Anthropologist that explores how disability professionals in India interpret and shape communication. Friedner and coauthor Shruti Vaidya examine how special educators and speech therapists engage in discernment: interpreting communicative cues in ways that shape the identities of both disabled individuals and the professionals themselves. Special educators take a broad approach, interpreting nonverbal expressions to understand the preferences and personalities of intellectually disabled individuals. In contrast, speech therapists working with deaf children adopt a narrow view, prioritizing spoken language and training children to communicate in ways that align with societal norms. The article highlights how these professionals not only define personhood for disabled individuals but also construct their own professional identities through their work. Friedner and Vaidya argue that these interactions have significant ethical stakes, given the power dynamics at play, and call for more inclusive and collaborative approaches to communication that recognize diverse ways of expressing and understanding the world.
Read the article here.
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René D. Flores, Associate Professor of Sociology and 2020-21 CISSR Faculty Fellow, recently joined NPR Illinois' Un-Debates discussion series, where panelists explored controversial issues leading up to the 2024 Presidential Election. In a panel focused on immigration, Flores discussed his research on how public sentiment turned against immigrants in the mid-2000s, the local factors driving support for these laws, and how political actors exploit immigration anxieties. He explained that while social controversies typically fade over time, immigration has remained a persistent flashpoint due to heightened tensions and anti-immigrant rhetoric since 2016. Flores also talked about how public opinion is shaped by the narratives of the two presidential candidates, noting that immigration debates in the U.S. tend to be driven more by sentiment than data, unlike in other countries. He then discussed how different nations approach migrant integration before sharing insights from his own work with Venezuelan migrants in Chicago.
Watch the discussion here.
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