Brazil – Wicked Problems, Wicked Solutions

Social Science Scholar: Research in South America and in the U.S.

With the support of the Social Science Scholars program I was able to work on several projects. Once summer began, I conducted a preliminary visit to Alban, Colombia to form relationships with community members to conduct an ethnographic research project in the future about the negation and recuperation of Indigenous identities in Colombia. After my…

Research Spotlight: Can We Prevent Democratic Breakdowns and Help Democracies Endure?

The world is facing an erosion of democratic institutions. But this erosion is not an equal opportunity offender. Elections, a standard feature of democracy, have rarely been more popular. Today, democrats and autocrats alike employ elections to legitimize their rule. At first glance, we might be encouraged by this. However, despite this potentially positive trend,…

Brazil- Race, Gender, and Economic Independence Ethnography

I was in Brazil for just over two months, and spent most of the time visiting different quilombos in the region. Whenever Dr. Rocha was not sending me out into the field, I was shut away in her home library for hours on end, reading and unlearning much of what I had thought about race in Brazil prior. Apart from my mini-ethnography, there were many takeaways from my time in Brazil, and I must offer my sincerest thanks to Social Science Scholars and my supervisors, who guided me along the way.