Skip to main content

FLAS Info Session – January 2023

June 17, 2022

FLAS Fellowship Information Session

Date: January 12, 2023
Time: 12:00pm
Address: FedEx Global Education Center, 4th Floor

Information session for the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship. Come learn about opportunities to study less-commonly-taught languages, such as Portuguese and the indigenous and creole languages of Latin America!

FLAS Info Session – December 2022

June 17, 2022

FLAS Fellowship Information Session

Date: December 1, 2022
Time: 11:00am
Address: FedEx Global Education Center, Room 1009, and Zoom

Information session for the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship. Come learn about opportunities to study less-commonly-taught languages, such as Portuguese and the indigenous and creole languages of Latin America!


FLAS Info Session – November 2022

June 17, 2022

FLAS Fellowship Information Session

Date: November 16, 2022
Time: 1:00pm
Address: FedEx Global Education Center, Room 1009, and Zoom

Information session for the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship. Come learn about opportunities to study less-commonly-taught languages, such as Portuguese and the indigenous and creole languages of Latin America!


FLAS Info Session – October 2022

June 17, 2022

FLAS Fellowship Information Session

Date: October 25, 2022
Time: 2:00pm
Address: FedEx Global Education Center, Room 3024, and Zoom

Information session for the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship. Come learn about opportunities to study less-commonly-taught languages, such as Portuguese and the indigenous and creole languages of Latin America!


Duke-UNC Latin American Politics Working Group Mini-Conference

April 18, 2022

Duke-UNC Latin American Working Group Mini-Conference

Speaker: Caitlin Andrews-Lee and Alisha Holland

Date: April 22, 2022
Time: 9:00am-12:00pm
Address: Virtual

Join visitors Caitlin Andrews-Lee of Ryerson University and Alisha Holland of Harvard University, alongside graduate student presenters Diego Romero and Nicolás de la Cerda, in this year’s Duke/UNC LAWG mini-conference. Together, they will discuss the various manuscripts described below.

Caitlin Andrews-Lee
How to Play the Woman Card: The Divergent Gender-Based Performances of Female Leaders in Programmatic Parties and Charismatic Movements

Women who seek executive political office face higher barriers than their male counterparts, in part because people tend to associate the “agentic” traits of leadership with men while associating women with “communal,” supportive roles. To demonstrate their fitness for office without appearing to violate their gender role, female leaders construct “gender-based performances” in which they emphasize preferred gender stereotypes while downplaying others deemed unsuitable. This paper argues that the type of political attachments held by the leader’s primary base of potential supporters—rooted in the party’s programmatic brand or the individual authority of a charismatic leader—may cause female leaders to construct divergent gender-based performances. I document and explain the contrasting performances of female leaders across programmatic and charismatic contexts by comparing two presidents: Michelle Bachelet, who came to power in Chile via a coalition of programmatic parties, and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who rose in Argentina through a charismatic movement. By analyzing speeches, public appearances, and media portrayals of these two women during their campaigns and administrations, the analysis sheds greater light on how and why different types of political attachments can influence how female leaders strategically navigate gender stereotypes to establish legitimacy and exercise power.

Nicolás de la Cerda
Beyond Partisanship: Political Identity Profiles in Latin America

Research in political identities have been dominated by a predominant focus on partisanship. Yet, parties are only one of many political objects with which citizens can identify. I address this gap in the literature by providing a theoretical and empirical framework to understand different profiles of political identification. First, I introduce a multi-item scale to measure the extent to which political labels are understood as social identities. Second, using data from Latin America, I show that three different types of political identities (partisan, ideological, and charismatic) are widely held and distinct empirical constructs. Third, I asses the relative centrality of non-partisan political identities in reference to partisanship in both Argentina and Brazil. Fourth, I demonstrate that ideological and charismatic identities have a distinct effect on a range of different behavioral and attitudinal outcomes. These findings suggest that non-partisan political identities can play a fundamental role shaping political attitudes and behavior, particularly in places where partisanship is weak.

Alisha Holland
Creative Construction: The Rise and Stall of Infrastructure Projects in Latin America

Chapter One previews the main arguments of Holland’s book manuscript, Creative Construction: The Rise and Stall of Infrastructure Projects in Latin America. Chapter Five then fleshes out one piece of the argument about how these projects are funded.

Diego Romero
Bureaucratic Capacity and Political Favoritism in Public Procurement

Government contracts are huge business and, in many countries, are associated with considerable corruption. Much research emphasizes bureaucratic improvements as a means to reduce corruption. In this paper, I draw a sharp distinction between the extent to which a bureaucracy is politically controlled and its technical capacity. I argue that in politically controlled bureaucracies, stronger technical capacity facilitates corruption. In such contexts, more capable bureaucrats utilize their skills to shield favored firms from competition using complex strategies that minimize the risk of detection. I test the argument on a novel dataset of 54,623 municipal contracts in Guatemala and 21,631 firm-politician ties. In line with the argument, I find that more capable bureaucracies increase the likelihood of well-connected firms winning contracts through less competitive processes. This paper delivers important policy lessons, an original, widely applicable, measure of political networks and new insights into the sources of corruption.

To join this year’s mini-conference, follow the “Read More” link below!


Access for Immigrants Symposium

April 6, 2022

Access for Immigrants Symposium

Date: April 13, 2022
Time: 12:00pm-4:00pm
Address: Virtual

AFI is an inclusive community symposium that aims to increase awareness of services available for immigrants, asylees, and refugees in the Triangle Area and the capacity of providers in caring for these populations.
This year’s theme ” Learning from Research, Investing in Communities ” sends the message to participants and the community that “We hear you, let’s take action together.”

Please visit this website to learn more about the SER program and previous AFI symposiums!

Registration is free! To register, click the “Read More” button below.


Living Galapagos

April 4, 2022

Screening for 2022 Living Galápagos project

Speaker: UNC Global Storytellers

Date: April 26, 2022
Time: 5:00PM – 8:00PM
Address: Nelson Mandela Auditorium, Global Education Center

The UNC Hussman School of Media and Journalism class on Global Storytelling will be presenting their work from their 2022 Living Galápagos project. This evening will have a reception, film screenings, and a Q & A.

Visit their Facebook page to gain insight into their experience in the Galápagos Islands.
You can also check out their blog, The Cutaway, to learn more about life in the field.

Charanga Carolina

April 1, 2022

Charanga Carolina Spring Concert

Speaker: Charanga Carolina

Date: April 19, 2022
Time: 7:30pm
Address: Moeser Auditorium in Hill Hall

The Department of Music has returned to hosting live performances and this semester’s Charanga Carolina performance is scheduled for Tuesday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m. The concert is FREE and will take place in Moeser Auditorium in Hill Hall. They will be performing music by Celia Cruz, Soneros del Barrio, Eddie Palmieri, Paquito de Rivera, Fania All Stars, among others. For more information on Charanga’s concert, please visit the department’s events page by clicking on the “Read More” button below.


“Radical Transversality: Intergenerational Transmission of Political Memories in Argentina”

March 25, 2022

Radical Transversality: Intergenerational Transmission of Political Memories in Argentina

Speaker: Dr. Federico Pous

Date: March 26, 2022
Time: 3:00pm
Address: Toy Lounge, Dey Hall

The keynote speaker for the 26th Carolina Conference for Romance Studies will be Elon University professor Dr. Federico Pous. His current research focuses on Latin American and Spanish authoritarian regimes and political resistance in 20th and 21st century. His interdisciplinary approach combines cultural studies, political theory, sociology as well as film and literary studies.

Democracy and Elite Rule in Argentina

March 23, 2022

Democracy and Elite Rule in Argentina

Speaker: Pablo Querubin

Date: March 25, 2022
Time: 12:00pm-1:00pm
Address: Virtual

Traditional theories of democracy focus on changes to the identity of the electorate. In this event, NYU Professor Pablo Querubin comes together with joint hosts Julien Labonne, Sebastian Saiegh, and Shanker Satyanath to argue that we should also analyze the equally important relationship between democracy and elite rule. By using Argentina, a country that experienced substantial regime instability during the 20th century, as a model, they will document patterns of elite persistence across different regimes and study how traditional elites adapt to losses in their political power. To accomplish this, they will utilize Argentina’s rich reserves of individual and family-level data on their elite classes, extending well back through the nation’s history.

After the event, Professor Querubin will meet with graduate students and faculty members from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. If you are interested in meeting Professor Querubin, please answer this very short survey. To join the main Zoom meeting, click the “Register Here” button below.