Charla de Merienda: Caribbean Carnival Culture

Tuesday, February 25th 2020 from 2:30pm-4:00pm

In The Commons at Spooner Hall 

CLACS in collaboration with ACSA and Lawrence Talks!

Speakers: 

Giselle Anatol, English Department

Timmia Hearn, Theatre & Dance Department

Cécile Accilien, Institute of Haitian Studies and African and African American Studies

 Carnival in the Caribbean is a popular tradition that came from the celebration of freedom. Emancipated enslaved populations reveled in the mimicry of traditional European masquerade balls, while also embracing African song, dance and masquerade.This tradition has been incorporated into the culture of  Caribbean communities in Canada and the United States, becoming its own cultural phenomenon of Caribbean pride. As the popularity of Carnival grows, so do misconceptions about its rich history and significance.  Last year, culture critic and rapper, Joe Budden made controversial comments about the attire of women participating in Carnival festivities, sparking an uproar on Twitter that united many Caribbean and Black Americans to discuss  ignorance of the tradition. More importantly, the controversy shined a spotlight on the dismissal of Non-U.S. Black cultures. Therefore, Charla de Merienda asks:: Who gets to speak on behalf of Caribbean culture in the Americas? How separated is Black American culture from Caribbean culture? Join us for a riveting conversation in which we share facts, discuss opinions, and build common ground on matters concerning all of us.

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?

Thursday, October 3rd from 2:30pm-4pm @ Spencer Museum of Art

“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. 

Panelists:

• Cécile Accilien, Director of Haitian Studies Institute and Acting Chair of African and African-American Studies

• Jesus Alfonso Omaña Guerrero, Visiting Scholar from Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

• Luis Felipe Lomeli, PhD student in Spanish & Portuguese and Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte - México

For the first time ever, the joint project between the KU Commons, the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Lawrence Talks will go on the road to Johnson County Community College to discuss the conceptual and practical issues associated with the concept of machismo.

Panelists:

Pere DeRoy, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Caio de Castro, Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Dana Meredith, Department of Spanish

Go here for position pieces!

What is “artificial” intelligence? How is it being used? How should it be used? These are just some of the questions we hope to address in this discussion on artificial intelligence and the ethics of AI. Join us for a discussion we think has important implications for everyone in the Lawrence community.

Location: Lawrence Public Library, 6:30pm

Panelists:

Sarah Robins, Philosophy

Ramon Alvarado, Philosophy

David Menager, Computer Science

RESCHEDULED: Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at 5:30 p.m., location: International Room KU Union

Machismo is the term and “social construct” that upholds patriarchy and, at best, expects males in Latinx and Latin American communities to be brave, courageous, and strong providers. At worst, machismo underlies a decades long pattern of male aggression and violence towards women and marginalized communities. In the era of #MeToo and #YoTambién, Charla de Merienda asks: as gender relations are redefined across the Americas, should machismo survive? Join us for a riveting conversation in which we share facts, discuss opinions, and build common ground on matters concerning all of us.

Panelists:

Verónica Garibotto, Spanish and Portuguese

Pere DeRoy, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Caio de Castro, Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Polo Camacho, Philosophy of Science

Charla de Merienda Presents: The American Dream or American Carnage?

Friday, February 1, 2019 at 12:00 p.m. in The Commons @ Spooner Hall

The American Dream? A National Emergency? As the country is embroiled in a debate about immigration and national security, a subject that expressly concerns America’s identity and its values, let us come together to share facts, discuss opinions, and build common ground on a topic that touches all of us. Charla de Merienda asks: what does it mean to be American? Who gets to define it? What would you do to “pass” as something you’re “not”?

Panelists:

Charles Olcese, KU International Student Services

Gibette Encarnacion, English

Raul Saenz, Molecular Biosciences

Karen Lisondra, Resonation Music and Arts, LLC

Join us on Thursday, November 29, 2018 at 5:30 pm for the second Charla de Merienda, “Authoritarianism and The Rise of the Right in Latin America,” a discussion about how the rise of authoritarian and rightist ideology has emerged in Latin America. Our discussion will range across topics a number of topics and perspectives. Charla de Merienda is hosted at The Commons at Spooner Hall, located at 1340 Jayhawk Blvd. Lawrence, KS, 66045.

Join us on Thursday, November 8, 2018 at 2:30-4:00 p.m. for the first Charla de Merienda, “On Borderlands in the Caribbean, Latin America, and U.S.,” a discussion about migration, border crossings, identity and the tension that arises in contested spaces. Our discussion will range across topics human movement and settlement throughout the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States alter landscapes and shape individuals and societies on all sides and in-between? Charla de Merienda is hosted at The Commons at Spooner Hall, located at 1340 Jayhawk Blvd. Lawrence, KS, 66045. A traditional meal of rice, beans, and light refreshments is provided.

This panel discussion will focus on human migration and the immigration crisis. Our aim in this discussion, as it has been in our previous events and blog posts, is to entertain the most charitable or best formulations of all the positions in circulation. Second, we hope to do this in a way that entertains the merits and failings of every position in an honest and substantive way. Join us as we conduct a dialogue on the very human phenomenon of migration.