Department of Anthropology

ANTHROPOLOGY DEPARTMENT NEWSLETTER

Week of 19 April, 2010

ANNOUNCEMENT-REMINDER

All seniors should send me their photos and biographical paragraphs by the end of this week. My address is rappapoj@georgetown.edu. Please copy your email to Jimmy Cheng at amchenson@gmail.com.

EVENTS

1. LAST ANTHROPOLOGY COLLOQUIUM OF THE SEMESTER

28 April – Luke Eric Lassiter, Marshall University Graduate College, “Prospects for Collaborative Anthropologies” (with student response by Molly Leblanc-Medeiros) 1-2:30 pm, 450 ICC

Luke Eric Lassiter is Professor of Humanities and Anthropology and Director of the Graduate Humanities Program at Marshall University Graduate College. He has authored or co-authored several books, including The Power of Kiowa Song (1998), Invitation to Anthropology (2002), The Other Side of Middletown (2004), and The Chicago Guide to Collaborative Ethnography (2005). The Other Side of Middletown won the 2005 Margaret Mead Award.

Editor of the journal Collaborative Anthropologies, Lassiter’s writings have focused on elaborating the relationships between community expressions (e.g., language, song, narrative) and larger systems of meaning (e.g., memory, belief, identity). His Chicago Guide elaborates strategies for collaborative research between and among academics and local communities. In the Middletown project, he brought together over 75 faculty, students, and local community members of Muncie, Indiana—the site of the famous "Middletown" studies—to chronicle the unrecorded history of Muncie's African American community. Students, in teams with community members, wrote individual chapters that explored various social and cultural elements of the larger community, including education, recreation, religion, politics, work and home life.

2. IMPONDERABILIA

Copies of the spring 2010 issue of Imponderabilia, the student journal of anthropology from University of Cambridge, are available to anyone interested in picking one up from our department office in 597 ICC. Please ask for Jimmy if you would like a copy, and he will give one to you as long as supplies last

Katherine Relle, a GU anthropology major who is in the U.K. this year, has an article in this issue of the journal! So please think of revising your own research papers and submitting them for a future issue.

3. HONORING THE LIVING EARTH: AFRO-COLOMBIAN AND INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN COLOMBIA

Thursday, April 22, 2010
12 – 1:30 p.m.
National Museum of the American Indian
Room 4018, Fourth Level
4th Street & Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC

This program will be webcast live at www.nmai.si.edu/webcasts

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY with special presentations by Luis Gilberto Murillo-Urrutia and Dr. Alicia Rios Hurtado. Murillo was elected governor of Chocó, Colombia, at the age of 31 after successfully instituting pioneering programs to protect biodiversity and the tropical rainforest, and to defend the land rights of Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities. As governor, Murillo won wide praise for his innovative proposals and strategies for sustainable development and environmental protection. He is currently the Vice President for Programs and Strategy at Phelps Stokes in Washington, DC.

Alicia Rios Hurtado has served as Vice-President for Research and Director of the Institute of Biodiversity at the Technological University of Chocó and currently leads the university research group on sustainable use of biodiversity. Dr. Rios Hurtado received Colombia’s prestigious National Award for Scientific Merit in 2004. She is one of the nine members of the National Council of Science and Technology, and is the only woman and the only Afro-Colombian on the Council.

Co-sponsored by the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, the Smithsonian Latino Center, and the Embassy of Colombia.

To RSVP or for more information, please email NMAI-SSP@si.edu.

4. PHOTO EXHIBIT: VERTICAL BORDER- MIGRATION & HUMAN RIGHTS

Friday, April 30, 2010, ICC Galleria

The Vertical Border explores the deadly trajectory taken by hundreds of thousands of Central and South American migrants through Mexican territory every year.

Once in Mexico, trans-migrants surrender their rights and dignity, and are systematically exploited and abused by authorities and common criminals with complete impunity. Traveling in appalling conditions, many are gravely injured or perish along the way. Most will never even reach the US/Mexico border - another focal point of violence and abuse. These images not only bring to light this neglected aspect of Latin American migration to the US, but the legal vacuum in which economic migrants find themselves throughout the world.

Felipe Jacome's 'The Vertical Border' comes to Georgetown University after being exhibited at Amnesty International's Human Rights Action Centre in London, UK and at the Teatro Sucre in Quito, Ecuador.

INTERNSHIPS, SUMMER PROGRAMS, JOBS

1. EXTENDED DEADLINE: APRIL 30TH - ANDEAN ACTION RESEARCH

The Center for Social Well Being is now in its 9th year offering our 3 week training program in ethnographic field methods, in addition to Spanish and Quechua language classes, in the Peruvian Andes. The combined undergraduate and graduate level seminar is held at the center’s rural base, an adobe lodge on an ecological ranch in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range of the Callejón de Huaylas, 7 hours northeast of Lima. Coursework provides in-depth orientation to theory and practice in anthropological investigation that emphasizes methods in Participatory Action Research and Andean Ethnography centered on themes of Health, Ecology, Biodiversity and Community Organization. Students will have the opportunity to actively engage in ongoing investigations in local agricultural communities to develop effective field research techniques, and to acquire language skills. In addition, the program provides excursions to museums, archaeological sites, glacial lakes and hotsprings; optional recreational activities include hiking, mountain biking, rafting, kayaking, rock climbing and trekking.

Course Tuition is $3,200 US dollars. Tuition covers in-country travel, food and accommodations at the rural center, all classes, field activities and study materials. The program is under the direction of Applied Medical Anthropologist, Patricia J. Hammer, Ph.D., and Ecologist, Flor de María Barreto Tosi.

Program dates: June 4th through June 24th 2010

Please contact us for programs in July and August.
For an application contact: phammer@wayna.rcp.net.pe
Further information available at www.socialwellbeing.org
Application deadline: April 30th, 2010

2. FREEDOM HOUSE PROGRAM ASSISTANT - LATIN AMERICA - WASHINGTON, D.C.

Through research, effective advocacy, and programs directly supporting frontline activists, Freedom House supports the spread of freedom and democracy throughout the world. Freedom House has been a leader in identifying threats to freedom through its highly regarded analytic reports, including Freedom in the World. Its diverse programs have supported the work of civic activists and human rights defenders in over 40 countries. Advocacy and outreach are aimed at encouraging democratic governments, including the United States, to adopt and implement policies that effectively advance human rights and democracy at home and abroad. Freedom House’s annual budget is $18 million, with 13 field offices, and two U.S. offices. Freedom House seeks a Program Assistant for its Latin America department. The position is based in Washington, D.C.

BASIC FUNCTIONS
The tasks of the Program Assistant will include: supporting and reporting on programs in Latin America; maintaining databases; providing research and administrative assistance; assisting in financial management responsibilities; and other administrative duties as assigned.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

* Maintain financial and program administration databases;
* Process financial reports and track expenditures;
* Maintain and update files for program grants, contracts, and licenses;
* Conduct periodic research assignments on Latin America, as needed;
* Assist in drafting standard reporting requirements for funders; and
* Assist in researching and writing project proposals.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

* Knowledge of and experience using Microsoft Office software. Familiarity with Adobe products, Filemaker Pro, and QuickBooks is preferred;
* Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, ability to prioritize assignments;
* Ability to work independently and with a team, take initiative, as well as follow directions from supervisors;
* Strong research and writing skills in English and Spanish; and
* Bilingual Spanish and English required.

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

* A demonstrated interest in democracy and human rights issues;
* Experience with Latin America, and/or transition countries is preferred; and
* Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience is required.

Looking for candidate to begin immediately and applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

*Interested candidates must submit a cover letter and resume. Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be notified.

Please send cover letter and resume by email or fax to:

Yolanda Abner
Human Resources Manager
humanresources@freedomhouse.org
Fax: (202) 822-3893