First-Hand Experience Fighting COVID-19 in Wuhan

Dr. Zhao, as a chief physician working on the frontline throughout the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, will share his insights on China's response mechanism, treatment and prevention on COVID-19 pandemic. The talk will be followed by a Q&A session.

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Mangling the Covid-19 Pandemic in India

Join distinguished academic and writer Šumit Ganguly as he addresses India’s policy response to COVID-19. Ganguly argues India’s response to the COVID-19 crisis has been mostly shambolic. The government resorted to a nationwide crackdown without any preparation, neglected to provide sufficient aid to alleviate the human effects of the pandemic, and, until recently, failed to boost testing. As a consequence, the pandemic has assumed massive proportions, overwhelmed significant parts of India’s anemic health care system, and threatens to undermine much of the economic gains that the country had made over the past decade.

Šumit Ganguly is a distinguished professor of political science and Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations at Indiana University, Bloomington. He is also a columnist at ForeignPolicy.com and the founding editor at Indian Politics and Policy.

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The Politics of Covid in Latin America

Latin American countries have been among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the impacts exacerbated by weak social protection, decaying health-care systems, and profound socioeconomic inequalities. The economic consequences are also dire, with the region facing its worst recession in a century, pushing the number of people living in poverty up by 45 million.  This panel will examine government responses to the pandemic in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela, and explore the long-term political implications for the region. 

• Claudio Holzner, Director, Center for Latin American Studies and Associate Professor of Political Science at University of Utah

• David De Micheli, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Political Science and Division of Ethnic Studies at University of Utah

• Laura Gamboa, Assistant Professor of Political Science at University of Utah

• Caitlin Andrews-Lee, Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Ryerson University

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Impacts of Covid on Indigenous Communities in Latin America

The Coronavirus pandemic has disproportionally impacted a large number of Indigenous groups in Latin America, resulting in widespread death, and uncovering long-standing structural threats to Indigenous peoples’ physical and cultural existence. This is not only tragic because of the loss of these precious lives, but also disrupts intergenerational transfer of cultural knowledge within these ethnic groups. Join Blanca Yagüe as she moderates a discussion with Ángela López Urrego and Jozilea Kangang, who will detail this crisis in some of the areas that are most affected by the pandemic in Colombia and Brazil. This event will consist of a 20-minute discussion with each speaker followed by a Q&A.  

Panelists:

Ángela López Urrego

Candidata a Doctora en Estudios Amazónicos | Universidad Nacional de Colombia sede Amazonia | Grupo de Estudios Transfronterizos GET | Leticia, Colombia                Estudiante invitada del Centro de Urbanización, Cultura y Sociedad | Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique INRS | Montreal, Canadá

Joziléia Kaingang

Indígena Kaingang, liderança Indígena, professora, ativista ambiental, antropóloga, Doutoranda Ppgas/Ufsc | Pesquisadora do Instituto Brasil Plural – Ibp | Consultora da ONU Mulheres | Parte da Frente Indígena e Indigenista de Combate e Controle a Covid19 Na Região Sul | Participa da Rede Global de Mulheres Indígenas Trabalhando pela Cura da Terra | Engajada no movimento de mudança, pela sociedade justa e inclusiva na constante construção de uma sociedade do Bem Viver

Moderator:
Blanca Yagüe

Phd Student In Antropology - University Of Utah | Master in Amazonian Studies - Universidad Nacional De Colombia Sede Amazonia

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Hinckley Forum: Beyond the Bloc: Asian American Voting & Political Power

The 2020 election demonstrated the increasing strength and diversity of the Asian American vote. Pew Research Center predicts that by 2055, Asian Americans will be the country’s largest immigrant group. In turn, they are also the fastest-growing electorate amongst eligible voters. This moderated panel discussion will examine the growing significance and nuance of the Asian American vote and what it means for representation and politics in the US moving forward. 

Panelists:

• Shu Cheng, Director, Asian Association of Utah
• Representative Karen Kwan, Utah State Legislature
• Baodong Liu, Professor, Political Science Department

Moderator:

• Rosie Nguyen, Reporter, ABC4 News

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Thrive 125: When Utah was Mexico

The Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Utah and Artes de México en Utah are excited to present Thrive 125: When Utah was Mexico. For educators and beyond, this program will tackle the history of Utah before statehood, when it was Mexican territory, focusing on the significance of this history and what it means to Utah today. We are pleased to welcome Dr. Armando Solorzano and Sherman Fleek to the conversation, and poets from Mentes Activas Utah to introduce the event.

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Rakugo

Come enjoy Rakugo, the art of Japanese Comedic Storytelling with a top-class Rakugo speaker: Tozaburo Yanagiya

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Japanese Culture Association

Hinckley Forum: The Criminalization of Corruption in Latin America

Ezequiel González-Ocantos, Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford; Professional Fellow, Nuffield College

Operation Lava Jato started in Brazil as a money-laundering case. It quickly turned into a full-blown judicial anti-corruption crusade with far-reaching political implications across Latin America because the same companies at the heart of the Brazilian scandal offered kickbacks to public officials in at least 8 other countries. Critics see the prosecutorial zeal behind some of the national chapters of Lava Jatoas yet another instance of “lawfare.” For others, however, it anticipates a new era of accountability and political regeneration. In this talk I discuss a current book project, which asks two sets of questions. First, what explains why the investigation gained momentum and delivered results in some countries but not others? The answer looks at the legacy of capacity-enhancing reforms in Latin America’s prosecution services as well more immediate determinants of prosecutorial zeal and effectiveness. Second, the book relies on focus groups and original surveys to understand the impact of Lava Jato on public opinion. What kind of emotions and attitudes towards corruption and politics do voters experience when exposed to these shocks? Does LavaJato reinforce or curb political cynicism? Are all Lava Jato’s created equal, or does the way in which different investigations unfold shape emotional and attitudinal responses?

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Conversations and Reflections on the Nahuatl Culture of Chicontepec

This webinar seeks to create a dialogue between Nahua scholars from the Municipality of Chicontepec, northern Veracruz, around their current research involving topics such as language, health, religion and contact with mestizo cultures. Scholars will talk and reflect on contemporary Nahua culture, focusing on the Nahua communities of the Municipality of Chicontepec. 

Moderator:

Fanny Guadalupe Blauer, Artes de Mexico en Utah

Presenters:

Abelardo de la Cruz de la Cruz, Associate Instructor, World Languages and Cultures, University of Utah

Eduardo de la Cruz Cruz, Director de IDIEZ and Estudiante de doctorado en la Universidad de Varsovia

PhD. Jacinta Toribio Torres, Universidad Veracruzana Intercultural, Campus Huasteca

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learn more about the topics discussed here

U.S.- China Relations in the Biden Era

Please join us for a discussion on the changing U.S. China dynamic as President Biden comes into office. Professor Steve On from Sun Yat-sen University and Professor Yanqi Tong from the University of Utah will provide their insight into this key bilateral relationship, including how the Biden administration will approach China and how the approach might differ from the Trump Administration. The professors will also discuss the relationship in a regional context, considering the influence of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other regional players and their impact on the region’s future.

• Steve On, Associate Professor, National Sun Yat-sen University Political Science Department

• Yanqi Tong, Professor, University of Utah Political Science Department

• Ann Lopez, Hinckley Institute of Politics Forum Host (Moderator)

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Investigating Intra-and Inter-cohort changes in Socioceconomic Gaps in Smoking in Contemporary China

Smoking rate in China declined moderately through 1990s and early 2000s, but the decline has since stagnated. China remains the largest producer and consumer of cigarettes in the world. This lecture investigates changes in the socioeconomic gaps in smoking during this process. Our analysis suggests that an effective way to reduce smoking, social inequality in smoking and possibly health disparities in China is to target the smoking behavior among low-education groups.

Prof. Lei Jin is associate professor at the Department of Sociology and Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She received her PhD at the University of Chicago and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Robert Wood Johnson Scholars in Health Policy Program at Harvard University. Her research interests include social disparities in health and well-being, health lifestyle, healthcare policy and healthcare professions. Her work has appeared in prestigious international journals such as Demography, Social Science Research, Social Science and Medicine and American Behavioral Scientist.

Prof. Jin’s current projects examines the following topics: 1) social disparities in health lifestyle in transitional China; 2) psychological well-being and power perception in different social and political contexts across the world; and 3) professionalization and professionalism among physicians in China’s public hospitals.

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Creative Construction: The Rise and Stall of Mass Infrastructure in Latin America

Since 1990, spending on large infrastructure projects has increased across Latin America.  This trend is puzzling because it comes at a time of democratization and decentralization thought to hinder investment in long-run and spatially concentrated projects.  This talk explains the over-time growth in investment by highlighting the financialization of infrastructure.  Private sector involvement in infrastructure projects created a fiscal illusion in which the costs of infrastructure accrued off government balance sheets.  Politicians shifted the extremely high costs on to future governments. Private sector financing also resulted in an arena shift in which legislatures were cut out of budget decisions made primarily within finance ministries.  Presidents allocated or renegotiated infrastructure contracts to finance their campaigns, and only had to overcome constraints from the administrative state.  Qualitative evidence from Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador shows how changes in the model of building infrastructure help to explain the increase in level and project size over time, whereas campaign finance needs and bureaucratic hurdles shape individual country trajectories.

• Alisha Holland, Associate Professor, Harvard University Government Department

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Kuifi ül-Sonido Antiguo: A conversation about contemporary Mapuche creation and their position on indigenous patrimony

Francisco Huichaqueo Pérez is a filmmaker, image and object curator, professor, and artist from the indigenous Mapuche community who lives and works in Concepción, CL

Chile, where Huichaqueo was born, embraces a racialized concept of citizenry, waging a covert and overt war on the Mapuche people. In retaliation for the defense of their territories against deforestation and other forms of extractivism, the Chilean state continues to prosecute Mapuche activists under a counter-terrorism legislation introduced by the military dictatorship.

Every Mapuche knows another—a relative, a friend or acquaintance—who is or has been a political prisoner. Besieged physically, the Mapuche are nonetheless able to travel spiritually, a process the Mapudungun language calls perimontun (vision or apparition). Cinema grafts itself easily onto the Mapuche ability to inhabit the tangible and the intangible, the reel operating as a portal to the political and spiritual dimensions of the Mapuche world.

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Coups and Conflict: Examining Myanmar’s Struggle Toward Democracy

Myanmar long struggled with oppressive military rule and ethnic conflict. The transition to civilian leadership in 2011 spurred democratic reforms and optimism for the nation’s future; however, the military continued to maintain control over many aspects of governance and launched a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims. In February, the military launched a coup d’état: arresting opposition leaders and activists and announcing a yearlong state of emergency. Many Myanmar citizens have protested these crackdowns, but not without consequences. According to human rights monitors, since February 1st over 500 peaceful protesters (many of them children under 18) have been killed by the police and military forces, while 1000s have been wounded and detained in brutal conditions.  Join our panelists as they examine the impact of the military coup in Myanmar on ethnic relationships and conflicts and the challenges and opportunities faced by the NLD-led CRPH and different key stakeholders against the military coup.

• Ardeth Muang Thawnghmung, Professor and Chair of Political Science; Interim Director of Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Massachusetts Lowell

• Myat The Thitsar, Strategic Advisor and Director, Parliamentary Research and Support Program for Enlightened Myanmar Research Foundation (EMReF)

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