LAC-EU’s first network event was a success!
On March 19-21, the doctoral candidates, researchers and experts from the LAC-EU network gathered in York for an intense programme of workshops, talks and cultural activities.
On March 19, Andrea Bianculli from IBEI and LAC-EU’s Project Coordinator welcomed attendees to the doctoral network and presented an overview of LAC-EU. Following her, Jean Grugel and Saba Joshi from the University of York, who were hosting the event, explained the activities that the event would include. Next, all participants introduced themselves by stating their names, institutions and roles within the network. Then, Saba Joshi and Henrice Altink presented the Interdisciplinary Global Development Centre-IGDC, highlighting its alignment with the research conducted by LAC-EU and the different doctoral candidates. Finally, Anna Barrera from the EU-LAC foundation chaired a session where five PhD researchers introduced their research projects and received valuable feedback from attendees.
The following day, Axel Max, from KU Leuven, chaired another round of presentations featuring six doctoral candidates. This was followed by a session titled “Pathways to Impact: Advancing Health, Equality and Dignity for Displaced Women and Girls through Policy Engagement.” The session was delivered by Pía Riggirozzi from the University of Southampton and chaired by Juan Carlos Triviño-Salazar from Universitat Pompeu Fabra. After the session, the doctoral researchers divided into two groups and were able to discuss the contents of the talk with Cintia Quiliconi from FLACSO Ecuador, Axel Marx, Andrea Ribeiro-Hoffman from PUC-Rio, Jean Grugel, Mercedes Botto from FLACSO Argentina, and Francesc Badia from openDemocracy.
The afternoon was dedicated to a discussion on fieldwork methodologies. Saba Joshi delivered a presentation on this topic, after which the doctoral candidates were divided into two groups to continue the discussion together with Patrick Le Galès from Sciences Po Paris, Benedicte Bull from the University of Oslo, Maria Grau-Perejoan and Dunia Gras from Universitat de Barcelona, Carmen Fonseca from IPRI-NOVA, Anna Ayuso from CIDOB, and Henri Billard from the University of Poitiers. The day concluded on a cultural note with an open concert by Mestisa, a band that performs traditional and popular music from Latin America.
On Friday, March 21, the first activity of the day was a panel on the far right, chaired by Vicente Ugalde from the Colegio de México and a member of LAC-EU’s External Advisory Board. Daphne Halikiopoulou from the University of York delivered a presentation on the “Far Right in Europe and Latin America.” Leslie Wehner from the University of Bath discussed “The International Dimension of Latin American Populism: Global, Regional and National Impacts”. Following this, Barbara Göbel, from the Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut, also a member of LAC-EU’s External Advisory Board, presented the institute, providing a detailed overview of its archives, books, and various research activities. This was succeeded by a session on designing good research questions and plans, facilitated by Jacint Jordana from IBEI and Gustavo Müller from KU Leuven.
In the afternoon, the members of LAC-EU’s Supervisory Board held a meeting, while the doctoral candidates met together for the first time. This gathering provided an opportunity to discuss their research and their roles in the network, as well as to select two representatives to join the Supervisory Board. Finally, all attendees gathered to share their thoughts on the first network event and discuss the next steps coming forward
We would like to express our gratitude to everyone for their generosity and time; the event was very productive and enriching. The entire network will gather again in mid-September for the "LAC-EU Summer School: Reimagining EU and LAC Relations," hosted by the University of Barcelona. More details will be shared soon!