Political Activism in Mexico: Student Dissapperances and Feminist Protests

Guest Speaker: Carla Villanueva

Carla Villanueva is an up and coming historian of twentieth-century social movements with a background in sociology; she has spent the last two years conducting research in Mexico and I believe that her particular way of connecting history to the current discussions around student disappearances and the recent waves of feminist protests in Mexico would be very welcomed by our students across all majors. Her current project centers around guerilla movements in the Mexican state of Guerrero and the rural teacher’s schools, with an aim on analyzing and contextualizing the case of the forty-threestudents that disappeared in September of 2014 in that part of Mexico. It will be important for the class to hear from a historian who’s interdisciplinary work seeks to understand broader questions of human rights, revolution, and political activism in Latin America. The learning outcomes for this guest speaker include learning about political activism, resistance, and autonomy-building among rural communities.This is a public event and open to students, faculty, and staff to attend.