DRCLAS and Other Harvard Events on Central America

Fall 2009

Ricardo Arjona: El Papel del Artista en Promover Cambios Sociales

Date: Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Time: 3:00 - 5:00 pm
Location: Sackler Lecture Hall, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, 485 Broadway, Cambridge
Contact: Monica Tesoriero, smtesor@fas.harvard.edu

Ricardo Arjona is a well-known Guatemalan singer and one of the most prolific Latin American singers of this time. Throughout his musical career he has been received multiple awards, including two Latin Grammys.

Please note that this talk will be held in Spanish.

This event is co-sponsored by the Consulate General of Guatemala in New England.



Understanding the Honduran Coup and Its Aftermath: An Insider's Perspective on the Political Crisis in Honduras

Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Time: 12:00 - 2:00 pm
Location: CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street, S-250
Contact: Halbert Jones, hmjones@fas.harvard.edu

Rodolfo Pastor, Minister of Culture, Republic of Honduras, 1994-1998 and 2006-2009; Visiting Professor of History, DRCLAS.

Opportunity for comments and questions to follow presentation.



Nicaragua: The Lost Revolution

Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Time: 12:00 - 2:00 pm
Location: CGIS South, S-250, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
Contact: Monica Tesoriero, smtesor@fas.harvard.edu

Sergio Ramirez, Robert F. Kennedy Visiting Professor, DRCLAS; Former Vice President of Nicaragua.

Opportunity for comments and questions to follow presentation.
The Tuesday Seminar is co-sponsored by the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs



Monseñor Federico Lunardi (1880-1954): Italian Diplomat, Archaeologist and Mayan National Identity in Honduras

Date: Thursday, October 8, 2009
Time: 5:30pm
Location: Sherman Fairchild Auditorium, 7 Divinity Ave., Cambridge, MA
Contact: Peabody Museum, 617-496-1027

Dario Euraque, Professor of History and International Studies, Trinity College
This lecture explores the life of Monseñor Federico Lunardi who served as Papal Nuncio in Honduras between 1939 and 1948. With in-depth study of the archaeology and ethnography of Honduras during his years there, Lunardi focused on formulating theories about the descendents of the ancient Maya in Honduras as the main protagonist of indigenous peoples there. His publications and intellectual ties in Honduras became one source for the predominant role that the ancient Maya occupy in contemporary Honduran national identity, in official and unofficial versions.



The Day That Changed My Life Forever: A Guatemalan Torture Survivor Speaks Out on Violence, Impunity, and Immigration Reform

Date: Thursday, October 29, 2009
Time: 6:00 - 8:00pm
Location: CGIS South, Belfer Case Study Room, S-020, 1730 Cambridge Street
Contact: Halbert Jones, hmjones@fas.harvard.edu

Gladys Monterroso, Attorney; Professor; Secretary General of the Encuentro por Guatemala Party

Opportunity for comments and questions to follow presentation.
This event is co-sponsored by the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies and the Guatemala Human Rights Commission USA.



Robert F. Kennedy Lecture: El oficio de inventar: Una visión de la literatura y la política
Reception to follow presentation.



Much Ado About Nothing: 2012 and the Maya

Date: Thursday, November 19, 2009
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street
Contact: Peabody Museum, http://www.peabody.harvard.edu

Marc Zender, Research Associate, Maya Hieroglyphics, Peabody Museum



The Story of a Nicaraguan Family: 1984 and 2009

Date: Monday, November 30, 2009
Time: 5:45-8:00 PM
Location: Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, Room B04, 24 Quincy Street
Contact: Halbert Jones, hmjones@fas.harvard.edu

A screening of the 1985 documentary "Living at Risk" and of new interviews with the family featured in the film.

Introductory Remarks by Filmmakers Alfred Guzzetti and Susan Meiseles

Comments by Sergio Ramírez, RFK Visiting Professor, DRCLAS, and Former Vice President of Nicaragua (1985-1990)

Institute of Politics

Over the years, the Insitute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School has hosted a variety of forums discussing Central America's cultures, economies, politics, history and environment.  Click here for an indexed list of these filmed presentations.