LALS 30th Anniversary Celebration

Latin American and Latino Studies 30th Anniversary Celebration


12 P.M. - Dr. Sheryl Lightfoot Talk: Enhanced Participation of Indigenous Peoples at the UN: Pushing the Boundaries of Indigenous Rights, Statehood, and Citizenship
 
Abstract: Throughout the decades that Indigenous peoples have appeared at the UN, only two paths of participation have been available to them: representation by Member States, with whom they are often in conflict, or as non-governmental organizations. Indigenous peoples have not been allowed to represent themselves as nations or polities at the UN. At the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in 2014, an important shift occurred, as Indigenous peoples increasingly demanded equal rights of self-determination in UN participation, and states also committed to making this a reality. In practice, enhanced participation would mean that Indigenous groups, who organize and advocate for themselves in international space, without representing or being represented by states or NGOs, would be engaged in a form of global political self-determination distinct from already existing channels. This paper will explore the process involved in advancing Indigenous peoples’ participation in the UN General Assembly and its potential implications, based on original fieldwork in drafting and consultation meetings on enhanced Indigenous peoples’ participation.

Dr. Sheryl Lightfoot is the Canada Research Chair in Global Indigenous Rights, Associate Professor of Political Science and First Nations and Indigenous Studies at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada). She is also Senior Advisor to the President of UBC on Indigenous Affairs.

This interdisciplinary seminar is co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science, the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration, the Department of Anthropology, the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program, and the Latin American and Latino Studies Program. 

Please RSVP here for the noon talk.


2 P.M. -  Indigenous Rights and Demands in Extractivist Economies International Symposium

Co-sponsored by Africana Studies and Perry World House. In addition to Professor Lightfoot, this panel will feature the following participants:

Verónica Huilipán, Werken (traditional authority) of the Mapuche community Quintriqueo (Neuquén, Argentina); Southern Coordinator for the Continental Union of Indigenous Women of the Americas; member of Human Rights of Indigenous Communities and of the Mapuche Confederation of Neuquén; and former representative for indigenous issues at the Confederation of Argentine Workers union (Confederación de Trabajadores Argentinos, CTA).
 
Natalia Caniguán, Director of the Institute for Indigenous and Intercultural Studies, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile (UFRO) & Assistant Researcher for the Center of Intercultural and Indigenous Research.

Juan Manuel Salgado, Founder and director of the Human Rights Observatory of Indigenous Peoples (Neuquén, Argentina). Adviser for 20 years of the Mapuche Confederation of Neuquén. Former president of the Association of Lawyers of Indigenous Law in Argentina. Professor of Philosophy of Law (National University of Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Argentina).
 
This interdisciplinary symposium is co-sponsored by the Latin American and Latino Studies Program, Department of Africana Studies, and Perry World House.

6 P.M. - The Latin America and Latino Studies Program's 30th Anniversary Celebration! Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall. Dinner and programs starts at 6 P.M., followed by a live latin jazz/salsa band at 7:30 P.M.

Co-Sponsored by Penn Sociology. Please RSVP here.