'Gender Dynamics in Latin America' and more for the fall Charla De Merienda Series

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies, a designated U.S. Department of Education National Resource Center, has announced its fall 2019 lineup for the Charla de Merienda (Afternoon Chat and Snack) Series. The series, a partnership with The Commons and Lawrence Talks!, launched last year as a model of critical debate through dialogue around recent research and current affairs in the Caribbean and Latin America. 

CLACS will offer four discussions, moderated by Lawrence Talks! Editor David Tamez, delving into timely subjects of concern for people across Latin America, the Caribbean and the U.S, including Lawrence:

• “Gender Dynamics in Latin America”: 1-2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, 183 Regnier Center, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park.
• “Friction at the Frontera”: 2:30-4 p.m. Oct. 3, Spencer Museum of Art, 1301 Mississippi St.
• “Women’s Reproductive Rights Across the Americas”: 3:30-5 p.m. Oct. 29, Jayhawk Room, KU Memorial Union.
• “Food Security in the Americas: A ‘Farm-to-World’ Conversation”: 5:30-7 p.m. Nov. 14, The Commons, Spooner Hall.

The Charla de Merienda series will begin by exploring the various ways gender roles operate in Latin America and Latinx communities in the U.S. This event will extend the conversation started last spring at the event “Machismo in the #YoTambien Era,” which focused specifically on toxic masculinity in the Americas. In this discussion, CLACS will seek to widen the scope and explore how machismo is interrelated with other aspects of gender dynamics and how those dynamics could be reconsidered moving forward.

“Friction at the Frontera” will explore the complexity of conflicts that arise around tense borders and borderlands in the Americas. Join CLACS to discuss the human cost of border frictions that have historically plagued countries in Latin America and the U.S. A companion event planned for the spring semester will look at the nonhuman cost in the form of environmental impacts of borders.  

The series will go on to consider recent shifts across Latin America regarding women’s health and reproductive rights. For this charla, CLACS will partner with the Department of Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies to delve into multiple facets of the decisions women face regarding their health and sexuality in Latin America today.

Rounding off the series for the semester is “Food Security in the Americas: A ‘Farm-to-World’ Conversation.” This charla will bring together people across different disciplines to discuss food security and sustainable farming practices in Latin American and Latinx communities. This event will feature Carlos Centeno, a KU CGIS alumnus who is visiting KU to speak about Panamanian refugees and the Venezuelan food crisis. The conversation will consider many angles on the issue, such as the effects of farming practices, community outreach and public policy. The discussion will seek answers to the following questions: What constitutes food security, and how do we attain it in Latin American and Caribbean communities? How does food security interact with other forms of security, such as economic security and personal safety in the making of a just society?

The Charla de Merienda Series is free to attend and open to the general public, faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, researchers, area educators and staff. Light refreshments and meriendas (snacks) will be provided. 

Contact Aron Muci at clacs@ku.edu with any questions regarding the series or any upcoming event at CLACS.