Here at LACIS, we are firm believers in interdisciplinarity. Without this concept, LACIS would not be. Through our program, we offer over 250 courses in 45 different departments. Making connections between departments here on campus and between different schools of thought is extremely important, and ultimately enriches discussion and research.

Erin Johnson, a soon-to-be graduated LACIS undergrad, epitomizes the interdisciplinary spirit. She discussed her recent study abroad experience in Kenya with LACIS and how she feels her volunteer work there might take her to the LACIS region in the future.

Many thanks, muchas gracias, and muito obrigado to Erin Johnson for taking the time during the hecticness of her last finals week as an undergradute student to share her experiences with the greater LACIS community! Keep up the great work, Erin!

Do you know an exceptional LACIS undergrad? Are you one yourself? Let us know at skripp@wisc.edu

Reddy describes her town, Paraguay and the mission of her work:

“I’m currently a Peace Corps Volunteer in the South American country of Paraguay, often called the heart of South America.  I live in a small town about 2.5 hours outside of the capital called Paraguari.  The fact that we have 9,000 people living in our city center actually makes it a ‘big city’ by Paraguayan standards!  While Paraguay does enjoy access to many modern conveniences and technologies, wealth is unequally distributed, corruption is rampant and Paraguay has long remained the second poorest nation in South America after Bolivia. Creating more public and educational spaces for youth will help train the future leaders of Paraguay.”

Molly aims to help this process along through her work in remolding an old train station into a cultural and community center. According to the Peace Corps website,

“This program aims to train youth in skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and innovation, teamwork, social and cross-cultural interaction, communication, and leadership. It also hopes to revive a historic public space as a learning center. This will increase the social capital and civic pride of the citizens, as well as increase tourist visits to the town. Once a part of the steam engine railroad lines that connected the country of Paraguay, the train station is currently maintained by community efforts; their volunteer commission will be aided by the Partnership to create a reading room and art, literacy, leadership and self-esteem programming for youth.” -Peace Corps Website

To learn more about Molly’s activities with the Peace Corps and how she is utilizing her LACIS degree, check out her blog here

UPDATE (3-19-2013): Molly’s project has been fully funded!

For more photos of the train station soon-to-be community and cultural center, click here.

LACIS commends Molly Reddy for her exemplary humanitarian work and wishes her all the best in her future endeavors, wherever they may take her! 

“Can you give us a brief description of your background and your work is Costa Rica?” 

I’m Diego Mora, from San José, Costa Rica. As a social psychologist, I worked in the application and evaluation of the UNESCO Model of Media Education in high schools in San José. The results of this project were published as an academic book in Spain.

I worked also for a few years as a professor of creative writing workshops, as an editor of different literary magazines and as a producer of cartoneras books in Costa Rica.

As a writer, I published three poetry books and one fiction book.

Then, I completed a Master’s Degree in Spanish at New Mexico State University where I wrote a creative thesis related with the maras and immigration in Central America.

There, I started with my research of the cartoneras phenomenon in Latin America and I participated in the Kaleidoscope Congress here at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in February, with a presentation of my ideas of cartoneras nowadays.

“What did you do during your stay at UW?”

I worked in the Special Collections Department of the Memorial Library, studying carefully all the copies of the cartoneras books (718 books catalogued), understanding their content, dividing them into periods and also into categories. I selected a few poems and short stories with outstanding quality, and I will prepare an anthology with these texts.

The idea is to create an academic publication with the results of the research, and create a cooperation agreement between New Mexico State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison to share the results, the information and create connections and future co-research, and also to make expositions of materials in the libraries of NMSU.

Excerpt from the UW website: 

“The cartonera publishing phenomenon began in Buenos Aires in 2003 and was spearheaded by writers and artists who were interested in reconfiguring the conditions in which literary art is produced and consumed. They came up with a progressive new publishing model that challenges and contests the neo-liberal political and economic hegemony. Several cartonera projects include social and educational aspects and are using the creation of the cartonera books to redefine the relationship between ‘the book’ and the public.” (http://www.library.wisc.edu/cartoneras/)

“How did you learn about UW cartonera collection?”

I studied in Buenos Aires, Argentina many years ago. At that time I discovered the cartoneras phenomenon there. Then in my country, I organized a Latin American Young Poetry Festival, and with many poets from different countries spontaneously made a workshop-meeting of cartoneras from Latin America. Before that moment, we started producing our own cartoneras in Costa Rica, named Cartonera Tuanis, referring to this word as a very nice state of mind.

Then, I participated in the Kaleidoscope Congress here in the University of Wisconsin-Madison in February, when I met Paloma Cellis, the librarian who started the biggest collection of cartoneras in the whole world.

“How did you arrange for your visit/stay at UW?”

First of all, through my contact with Paloma Cellis and Molly Molloy, librarians at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and New Mexico State University respectively. Then, I applied for a grant provided by the Southwest and Border Cultures Institute of the College of Arts and Sciences of New Mexico State University. They gave me the grant to come here. And finally, a group of students of the Department of Spanish at the University of Wisconsin-Madison helped me a lot.

In the globalized world in which we live today, chances are you already know a Chilean. Here in Madison we meet a few new Chileans every year, and it never stops surprising us. We could never imagine that such a small country (with an area about twice the size of Montana, but less populated than Florida) will have so many “compatriotas” all over the world. The case of Chileans in Madison is different, as the university makes this part of the world very attractive for many Chilean students in different fields. Moreover, a scholarship exists at UW-Madison devoted exclusively to Chilean students. As a result, it should not be surprising to find so many here. However, a significant part of the Madison Chilean community is not comprised of students!

Many Chileans have graduated from UW-Madison (79, according to 2012 statistics by the Wisconsin Alumni Association), and a few have truly left their mark on the community. The legacy of past Chileans is evident in the existence of the Chilean Students Association (CSA), established in 2006, and registered as a student organization at the university in 2010. Starting as a social club for Chileans and any other students interested in Chile, the activities of the CSA have always been much more than getting together for beers. In the words of Anton Aramayo, one of the founders of the CSA, “Our first official activity was ‘What you should know before going to Chile’, a timid and simple presentation in the old Union South to American students preparing their trip to Chile as exchange students.”

Chilean students in Madison, 2007

Following along with the founders’ ideas, the mission of the CSA could be summarized in three main goals:

•            To contribute to the development of the international environment at UW and the enrichment of its social, cultural and intellectual life, organizing activities related to the Chilean culture.

•            To provide a friendly and supportive environment for the Chileans who are members of the UW community.

•            To provide a cultural link to Chile for those graduate and undergraduate students, faculty and staff academically and personally interested in Chile

Every year, we connect with the Chileans who have arrived in Madison to help them and offer guidance in their adjustment. At the same time, we participate in different orientation sessions at the university to attract student members not only from the US but also from other countries.

From the social events the CSA regularly hosts, the celebration of the Chilean Independence Day is by far the most important event of the year. It coincides with the beginning of the semester, making this celebration the equivalent of our kick-off party. Our celebration has traditionally been a large outdoor barbecue, attended by nearly a hundred people. The event not only includes food, but also traditional games, music and dance.

Chilean Independence Day BBQ, 2012

This year, we decided to go further, and take advantage of the resources the University provides to student organizations. Last year, we were awarded the use of a wonderful room in Memorial Union for an event in the 2012 Fall semester, perfect for our Independence Day celebration. Our imagination led us to think of a great formal dinner event, where we could invite University officers, professors, friends and family. The idea sounded spectacular, however, the cost of such a party would be out of our budget. Here is where other University resources come into play.

After months of planning and grant application processes, we were able to secure funds for our dinner, just a few weeks before the event date! LACIS played a significant role in our event, since it became our co-sponsor and co-funder. At the same time, LACIS was extremely supportive during the advertisement stage, featuring our event in their “Noticias de la semana.”

Our Chilean Inedependence Day Dinner, held on September 22nd, 2012, included presentations about the CSA’s role at UW-Madison, a brief introduction to Chile, and a presentation about the current Chilean UW students and alumni. At the same time, we provided some cultural performances with a music group made up of Chilean students who performed several traditional folkloric songs, and a few volunteers that danced the cueca, the national dance of Chile. The menu was tailored for our event, offering choices based on traditional Chilean recipes, such as “ensalada chilena” and “tomaticán.”

Volunteers dancing Cueca, national dance of Chile, at the Independence Day Dinner, 2012

The feedback we received from the attendees during and after the event was extremely positive, highlighting the enthusiasm and energy that we put in all our events. Our own evaluation of the event is also positive, as we saw the enjoyment of the attendees during the dinner.

We are grateful for the support we received that made this event possible. Without the financial support of our three sponsors, the Wisconsin Experience Grant, the Wisconsin Union Directorate Late Night Event Grant, and LACIS, this event would not have been possible. We are also thankful for the help that our volunteers gave us during the event planning, grant application process and execution.

We hope the future brings us more opportunities to share the Chilean culture with you, and we trust the support of LACIS will be extremely valuable in our future endeavors.

The Chilean Students Association is a Registered Student Organization at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and can be reached at csa@rso.wisc.edu

Jackson Foote recently returned from a month of field work in central Chile where he interviewed and observed student activists who have pushed education reform onto the national agenda about their use of media, journalism and social media alike.  He is interested in whether social movements like the Chilean student movement use online social networks to create alternate spaces for discussion about society and politics.  He wrote an article for the popular media in late August about the generation rift: older generations who helped to end the 17-year brutal dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet and the young students who are increasingly disappointed with Chilean politics and the media that cover it.

Here is the link for his article on the website In These Times: http://www.inthesetimes.com/uprising/entry/13739/re_radicalized_chilean_students_plan_mass_strike/

Congratulations on your publication, Jackson!

Chilean security forces employing water canons to disperse demonstrators.

“Privado, pero no callados” = “Private but not silent,” written on a Chilean flag in reference to the privatization of schools.

A confrontation between civil journalists and Chilean security forces.

Photo credit: Jackson Foote

Here is a link to Professor Palacio’s article:

http://envhis.oxfordjournals.org/content/17/4/725.full?keytype=ref&ijkey=LwH7yDunRM76AIf

In tandem with the Latino Law Student Association of the UW-Madison Law School, Kathryn Finley–president of the LLSA, third year law student, LACIS graduate and current candidate in LACIS’ MA law degree program–spearheaded an effort to found the state’s first pro bono law clinic dedicated to immigration law. The Immigrant Justice Clinic offers much-needed legal support to non-citizens facing imminent deportation hearings. Through their work, student attorneys aid clients in navigating the complicated legal proceedings surrounding deportation hearings. The law clinic has recently received press and LACIS is proud to highlight the following articles and commends Kathryn for the great work she is doing in the Madison and greater Wisconsin community. Keep up the good work!

http://law.wisc.edu/news/Articles/Law_Students_Launch_First_Immigr_2012-09-19

http://host.madison.com/daily-cardinal/news/campus/uw-madison-law-school-creates-clinic-to-help-immigrants/article_6a3c4ef0-02fc-11e2-9fb8-001a4bcf887a.html

Gabrielle Korb with students while teaching English in Nicaragua

Professor Ksenija Bilbija and student Gabrielle Korb received a Hilldale Award (a competitive faculty/student research grant) for their project, “The Resurrection of a Cause: Sarita Cartonera’s Battle Against Economic Partiality with Cardboard.” Bilbija is the director of the Latin American, Iberian, and Caribbean Studies program and Korb is an undergraduate student majoring in Spanish and Latin American Studies. The following is the abstract from the research project proposal:

Eloísa Cartonera, an avant-garde Argentine publishing house, provided an exemplar for the Peruvian Sarita Cartonera. Since the profitless Sarita Cartonera’s 2004 instauration, the founders promoted decreasing economic inequality by distributing books at an affordable price, displaying local creativity by publishing emerging authors, and enhancing literary culture and understanding by offering primary- and secondary-school literary workshops. However, due to difficulties with sustainability, subsidization, and support from the Ministry of Education, Sarita Cartonera collapsed in 2010. After a year in limbo, two enthusiastic students reanimated the moribund cooperative in December 2011 with revamped goals. Through interviews with the founders, the new editors, and previous and current members, as well as archival research into referent publications, I will investigate the differences between Sarita Cartonera’s two manifestations and dying organization’s process of revival, and the value with reference to Peruvian literacy rates. I will study the following matters: 1) How will the process of publishing, distributing, and advertising vary from that of the old Sarita Cartonera? 2) Are there attached stigmas and expectations due to the previous Sarita Cartonera? 3) How will the project confront education (LUMPA) as an important constituent of Sarita Cartonera? 4) How will the program become sustainable?

Gabrielle Korb answered the following questions regarding the research she will conduct in collaboration with Professor Bilbija.

Can you give me a description of the project?

Sarita Cartonera, a Peruvian alternative publishing house originally founded in 2004, has sought and continues to seek decreasing economic inequality by distributing books at an affordable price. Due to various issues mentioned in my proposal, Sarita Cartonera collapsed in 2010. In December 2011, two students bravely decided to recreate Sarita Cartonera and tackle the same literacy and poverty issues. However, since Sarita Cartonera has just reinstalled itself in Lima and it must focus on strengthening its base, the editors have provided sparse information as not to mislead me. In the project, I will juxtapose Sarita Cartonera’s previous development with its present methods. I am currently in contact with the editors and discussing my anticipated involvement upon my arrival in Lima during August, 2012. There I will participate firsthand in the publishing process, interview the current editors and members, and witness the development of a sect of this Latin American phenomenon.

In addition to studying Sarita Cartonera, I will be comparing the daughter cartonera Qinti Qartunira which focuses on Quechua anecdotes and histories. As of right now, I have basic information on this publishing company due to the lack of information available on the Internet and in the library. I have recently contacted the director of the program, and I am currently awaiting a response. [delete] This cartonera views cardboard-bound texts as an affordable and affective method to cause lingual proliferation for the Inca’s moribund language. In an article outlining the cartonera’s development, Director Barbara Rodrigues expresses the shame many indigenous peoples feel while speaking their native language, a quality that must disappear. I will extend my research to include the rebirth and sustenance of a struggling language, as Sarita Cartonera has also recently published a book in Castellano and Quechua.

How did you select that topic?

I first met Director Bilbija while completing a Latin American literature course for my Spanish major. As well as majoring in Spanish, I am specializing in LACIS, for which Director Bilbija has firsthand access to students’ records. After having discovered my involvement in the department and my academic credentials, she courteously presented this wonderful opportunity to me.

Following a bit of research at home, I realized I would love to participate in and promote such a magnificent movement. Since taking various cultural anthropology courses which allowed my personal growth as a sociologist and anthropologist as well as participating in two Alternative Breaks programs to instruct English to a previous squatters’ community in Granada, Nicaragua, I have sprouted an interest in social and economic equality. This phenomenon which has rapidly spread throughout Latin American and continued to extend to other continents targets these aforementioned passions. By studying these two cartoneras, I will promote literacy and social equality in less recognized populations. Eventually, I will pen a master’s thesis on the subject, perhaps eventually instigating my own cartonera in Nicaragua given the proper demand, support, and funding.

How do you plan to carry out any research required for the project?

I will explore these questions through a multi-step process, ultimately resulting in field research in Lima, Peru. In order to compare the two Sarita Cartoneras, I will review the holdings in Memorial Library’s Special Collections unit, the largest collection of continually updated cartonera books, where over thirty Sarita Cartonera titles are stored. I will then compare these findings to the new publications of the new Sarita Cartonera upon arrival in Peru. I have successfully contacted prior Sarita Cartonera members as well as numerous researchers who worked on the original project. I will study Harvard’s LUMPA reproduction and LUMPA’s Latin American presence to better understand its efficacy, allowing a more profound understanding of the new Sarita Cartonera’s implementation of this program. This research will be completed before my departure to Lima.

Following this intensive research, I will perform a semester-long field-research project in Lima. During that time, I will become acquainted with Sarita Cartonera through first-hand experience. First and foremost, I have contacted the new editors in order to facilitate my integration into the program. By utilizing the methodology of a cultural anthropologist, other members will feel more comfortable around me, leading to a true-to-reality realistic experience, since others frequently alter their actions based on familiarity of those present. I will do this by not only expressing my interest in the study, but also by showing dedication to the program and offering my services, effectively installing myself as one of Sarita Cartonera’s members and erasing the stigma of a spectatorial researcher. As a result, I will better understand the revamped publisher, their distribution processes and contribute to its production. I will transcribe my interviews and field notes, and in spring 2012 I will enroll in a three-credit independent study course with Professor Ksenija Bilbija. We will collaborate to compile my data to prepare a presentation for the Undergraduate Symposium, and I will consult with her to complete a senior’s thesis. This scholarly article will greatly contribute to the limited amount of research that has been done on cartoneras and more specifically Sarita Cartonera. It will especially provide a unique outlook on a cartonera’s revival, restructuring, and development. I was also recently accepted into the Lima, Peru 2012-2013 study abroad program so I will be in Peru from August 2012 until July 2013, enabling in-depth and long-term research on the phenomenon, an insight which academia has not yet greatly provided.

More information about Garielle Korb:

Gabrielle Korb is a fifth-year senior majoring in LACIS, Spanish Language and Culture, Anthropology, and Russian Language and Literature. She has worked on campus as a SAFEwalker for three years and as a Residence Life Spanish tutor for one, two responsibilities which will cease upon departure for a year-long study abroad program in Lima, Peru. Following graduation, she plans to receive a master’s in LACIS from Stanford University and a PhD in Anthropology from an undecided institution, aiming to ultimately better social conditions in some Latin American communities. In her spare time she does American-freestyle karate and yoga, hikes, and plays video games.

More information about Professor Ksenija Bilbija:

Professor Bilbija specializes in contemporary Spanish American writing, cultural studies (post-traumatic memory) and gender criticism. She is the author of Textual Bodies: Metaphors of Narrative Genesis in Twentieth-Century Latin American Literature (Lima, Berkeley: Latinoamericana Editores, 2001), as well as Yo soy trampa: Ensayos sobre la obra de Luisa Valenzuela, (Buenos Aires: Feminaria, 2003). She co-edited The Art of Truth-Telling About Authoritarian RuleMadison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2005). Her most recent publications include essays on Eloísa Cartonera publishing paradigm in Argentina (Studies of Latin American Popular Culture), Luz Arce, Luisa Valenzuela (Casa de las Américas and Paris Review/ Latin American Writers at Work), Ana María Shua and argentine director Eliseo Subiela. In addition, she has published translations of work by María Luisa Bombal, Luisa Valenzuela, Mario Benedetti, Clarice Lispector in her native Serbian. From 2001-2006 she was the Editor of Letras Femeninas: Revista de Literatura Femenina Hispánica. Professor Bilbija has produced a video art piece on Luisa Valenzuela’s story Other Weapons. Currently she is a Director of Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program. Bilbija holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Iowa.

The following is the literature review from the research proposal, which provides additional background on the topic:

An intriguing cardboard binding with an unfamiliar name inscribed on the cover nods to the main

goal of Sarita Cartonera, an unconventional publishing house founded in 2004 in Lima, Peru: providing

affordable books to a poverty-stricken population while abandoning habitual publishing practices by

supporting emerging authors. In order to have a customer base for this atypical program, Sarita Cartonera

first had to confront local issues, the scarcity of reading culture and lack of textual comprehension. A

subsidiary project called LUMPA (Libros, un modelo para armar) which began in 2005 and dwindled in

2007 examined these controversies. Regretfully, Sarita Cartonera did not survive past 2010 due to an

absence of focus on sustainability, and the public all but forgot the project. Then, in December 2011, the

revived Sarita Cartonera unveiled itself, ready to start afresh under new leadership.

Sarita Cartonera was modeled after the pioneer publishing house Eloísa Cartonera which

blossomed in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2003. It soon became a sociocultural and economic

phenomenon defying the stereotypical mold of the neoliberal publishing industry, and ambitious literature

students Milagros Saldarriaga and Tania Silva imitated the unique layout adapting it to Peruvian

circumstances. They simulated the ideal to provide affordable books to the indigent population by binding

short stories and poetry with recycled cardboard. The process of collecting materials, retrieving rights

from previously unknown authors, producing cover art, publishing books, and distributing the final

package was profitless. In fact, Sarita Cartonera aided cartoneros, recycled cardboard collectors, by

paying for materials at an elevated price and, in some cases, employing them to produce books. The only

other compensated collaborative workers assembled books, although the founders gladly volunteered. The

authors, too, offered their shorts stories and poems without any expectation of monetary revenue. Once

the texts were bound, they were sold at a minimal price, substituting six to seven books where there

originally would have been one, which limited capital surplus for Sarita Cartonera. Upon attempted

distribution, however, they realized the economy was not the sole problem in Lima.

The few standard Peruvian publishing companies published books for profit, and non-traditional

texts were even less in demand than the already overlooked classic novels, hence the preference for

acclaimed authors and the disregard for still undiscovered ones. Due to this literary neglect, in 2004 there

were only twenty bookstores in Lima, a city of around seven million people. This statistic paired with the

fact that most Peruvians, including university students, did not read even one book per year, exposed

difficulties for an organization intending to distribute books to the general public. This vanishing interest

led to a lack of comprehension, with an estimated 47 percent of students not understanding what they

read. To overcome these obstacles, Sarita Cartonera created the subsidiary program LUMPA in 2005

with the mission to combat educational hindrances and create more attentive readers.

The Peruvian Ministry of Education rarely consulted instructors, therefore it had abridged

expectations of literary analysis. The uninspiring curriculum delegated that teachers require students to

identify only apparent textual qualities, such as character names and major plot points, in effect creating

simple-minded readers. LUMPA alternately challenged participants to analyze stimulating concepts and

structure their own opinions. Eventually, they penned their own works related to the original which

incited respect for the technique, skill, and cerebration involved in a narrative’s composition. Many

participating schools even instigated a silent reading session every morning before classes to support this

endeavor.

LUMPA was fantastic in theory and even in practice, as this technique has spread northward to

Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts. The Paper Picker Press educational program, funded by the

aforementioned affluent institution, has successfully employed the same interactive approach in Boston,

Puerto Rico, Colombia, Mexico, and Uganda. Although many schools coveted LUMPA’s assistance, the

Peruvian venture did not survive beyond 2007 due to a lack of funding and institutional support, a system

which often restricted children’s creativity. The Ministry of Education’s demands prevented instructors

from concocting individual syllabi and limited students from exercising their cognitive capabilities.

Additionally, they did not recognize LUMPA as an official project to improve literacy, therefore a

deficiency of subsidies and repetition troubled Sarita Cartonera’s mission. Although literary interest

increased in a few districts, these strenuous adversities led to the program’s 2007 descent, a frightening

foreshadowing of Sarita Cartonera’s 2010 collapse.

Sarita Cartonera was established on a volunteer basis with no expectation of monetary profit, and

regretfully nobody can manage a steady lifestyle by working without pay. Unlike Argentine Eloísa

Cartonera, Sarita Cartonera had not focused on autosustainability even though Peru and Argentina

suffered equally from poverty. Having failed to find national and foreign monetary representatives, Sarita

Cartonera slowly started to dissolve after having published 45 titles. After the project’s ill-omened

downfall, various members moved on and Sarita Cartonera ceased to exist.

Due to the increasingly democratic and less censured government, in late 2011 Sarita Cartonera

returned. The new editors and one of the original founders’ recruits, have enlisted friends to work

collectively on the Sarita Cartonera’s revival. Seeking to address current social issues, Sarita Cartonera

will continue publishing emerging authors and provide books at an accommodating price using the same

publishing process as before. Their first and only published work thus far, a collection of poems, reveals

two new concepts to Sarita Cartonera. Firstly, Sarita Cartonera has changed their marketing scheme to

focus on a specific niche: “collector’s books.” This term does not exactly fulfill the same meaning as it is

generally understood. Instead of merely publishing emerging authors, they seek to provide usually

overpriced classic Latin American works at an affordable amount for those in financially constrictive

situations. Additionally, their first publication is bilingual, Quechua and Spanish, pointing to the idea of

expanding the readership to include Quechua speakers. This leads into a very important aspect of the

original Sarita Cartonera, education, which will still play an essential role in the revived project’s

development.

Nonetheless, vital information is missing from Sarita Cartonera’s only legitimate website, their

Facebook profile, in reference to their goals. Therefore, I propose the following, specified questions for

research: 1) What kind of literature is the new Sarita Cartonera publishing? Will bilingual editions

continue to be part of their editorial policy? 2) How will the process of publishing, distributing, and

advertising vary from that of the old Sarita Cartonera? 3) How will new Sarita Cartonera survive the

economic and political challenges of Peruvian socio-economic structure? To avoid the fate that the

previous project suffered, how will Sarita Cartonera become sustainable? 4) How will the project

confront education (LUMPA) as an important constituent of Sarita Cartonera?

Methods and Timeline:

I will explore these questions through a multi-step process, ultimately resulting in field research

in Lima, Peru. In order to compare the two Sarita Cartoneras, I will review the holdings in Memorial

Library’s Special Collections unit, the largest collection of continually updated cartonera books, where

over fifty Sarita Cartonera books are stored. I will then compare these findings to the new publications of

the new Sarita Cartonera upon arrival in Peru. I have successfully contacted prior members of Sarita

Cartonera as well as numerous researchers who worked with the original project. I will study Harvard’s

LUMPA reproduction and LUMPA’s Latin American presence to better understand its efficacy, allowing

a more profound understanding of the new Sarita Cartonera’s implementation of this program. This

research will be completed by June 2012.

Following this intensive research, I will perform a six-week field-research project in Lima.

During that time, I will become acquainted with Sarita Cartonera through first-hand experience. First and

foremost, I have contacted the new editors in order to facilitate my integration into the program. By

utilizing the methodology of a cultural anthropologist, other members will feel more comfortable around

me, leading to a true-to-reality realistic experience, since others frequently alter their actions based on

familiarity of those present. I will do this by not only expressing my interest in the study, but also by

showing dedication to the program and offering my services, effectively installing myself as one of Sarita

Cartonera’s members and erasing the stigma of a spectatorial researcher. As a result, I will better

understand the revamped publisher, their distribution processes and contribute to its production.

Upon returning in late July 2012, I will transcribe my interviews and field notes, and in Fall 2012

I will enroll in a three-credit independent study course with Professor Ksenija Bilbija. We will collaborate

to compile my data to prepare a presentation for the Undergraduate Symposium, and I will consult with

her to complete a senior’s thesis. This scholarly article will greatly contribute to the limited amount of

research that has been done on cartoneras and more specifically Sarita Cartonera. It will especially

provide a unique outlook on a cartonera’s revival, restructuring, and development.

References

Bilbija, Ksenija, and Carbajal Paloma. Celis. Akademia Cartonera: A Primer of Latin American

Cartonera Publishers = Un Abc De Las Editoriales Cartoneras En Ame•rica Latina. Madison,

WI: Parallel, University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries, 2009. Print.

Casasus, Mario. “Milagros Saldarriaga: “Las Editoriales Cartoneras Lanzamos Una Apuesta Por Otro

Tipo De Literatura”.” El Clarin. 13 Dec. 2009. Web. 11 Feb. 2012.

<www.elclarin.cl/index.php? option=com_content&task=view&id=19406&Itemid=1>.

“Cultural Agents Initiative – Programs.” Home | Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Web.

07 Feb. 2012. <http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~cultagen/programs.htm?paper>.

“Effective Literacy Programmes › Programmes › Target Groups.” United Nations Educational, Scientific

and Cultural Organization. Web. 27 Jan. 2012.

<http://www.unesco.org/uil/litbase/?menu=9>.

Libros, Un Modelo Para Armar (LUMPA). 2007. Web. 07 Jan. 2012.

<http://proyectolumpa.blogspot.com/>.

“Sarita Cartonera” Jose Javier Leon Maracaibo Venezuela. 2007. Web. 07 Jan. 2012.

<http://josejavierleon.blog.com.es/2007/09/10/sarita_cartonera~2953477/>.

“Sarita Cartonera: Experiencia De Un Proyecto Literario, Comunitario Y Solidario.” I Encuentro

Internacional Del Libro Alternativo. 2006. Web. 07 Jan. 2012.

<http://filven2006.blogspot.com/2006/10/sarita-cartonera-experiencia-de-un.html>.

Stitgen, Jennifer. “On Garbage, Books, and Literacy: A Peruvian Example in the Context of the United

States.” Thesis. Ad. Ksenija Bilbija. University of Wisconsin – Madison, 2011. Print.

Additionally, earlier this month, Panmela returned to Madison to complete another live mural installation — this time at Willy Street Coop’s Eastside location.

Professor José Pablo Prado Córdova was the Spring 2012 Tinker Fellow coordinated by the LACIS program. He is an agronomist by training with a Masters of Science (MSc) in Environmental Sustainability from the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom and a PhD in Conservation Ecology from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. He is a tenured lecturer in the Social Sciences and Rural Development Department, Faculty of Agronomy, at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Professor Prado teaches courses related to Scientific Methods, Environmental Science, Food Security and Ecological History.

As a Tinker Fellow during spring semester, Professor Prado paid a visit to Professor Janet Silbernagel´s seminar on The Practice of Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development, where he lectured on the topic The Conservation-by-cultivation Approach in Guatemala in three sessions.  He also visited Professor Lisa Naughton seminar on Conserving Biodiversity amid Rapid Social Change, where he delivered a one-session talk on the topic Collective Boundaries and Local Nature Conservation in Western Guatemala. His main activity, however, was teaching a seminar  called “Conservation Discourses and Rural Livelihoods Across Geographies.” The seminar focused on an assortment of contentious issues drawn from the interface between conservation and human well-being in rural areas. The students learned about political ecology, including theories about power and natural resources, and also spent time discussing how the discourse from mainstream conservation organizations can impact the livelihoods of people living in rural areas. The class also spent some time reading and discussing the decentralization of forest resources in Guatemala. This involved theories of core and periphery and pinpointed linkages between geopolitics and conservation. The students were tasked with organizing discussions and each group came up with a distinctive way of doing so, namely: (i) Group 1 used the approach of Integral Ecology to frame the discussions on mainstream conservation and the political economy of nature appropriation; (ii) Group 2 organized a role-playing game to address different stakeholder’s perspectives in regard with nature conservation and land use; and (iii) Group 3 invited a number of speakers and organized an outing to Troy Gardens in order to explore community-based work and the rights-based approach.

The seminar had various guest speakers. Dr. Martin Tchamba from the University of Dschang in Cameroon spoke about elephant conservation and the problem of wildlife poaching. Another guest speaker was a member of the Menominee tribe from Keshena, Wisconsin named Ada Deer. Deer is a Native American advocate and scholar who holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master of Social Work degree from Colombia University. Deer was the first member of the Menominee Tribe to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the first member of the Menominee Tribe to receive a master’s degree, and the first woman to serve as chair of the Menominee Restoration Committee. Deer was also the first Native American woman to serve as the head of the United States’ Bureau of Indian Affairs, a position she held from 1993 to 1997. As a guest speaker, Deer discussed the Menominee Tribe’s struggle in Wisconsin regarding conservation of tribal lands.

The students in the seminar organized a trip to Troy Gardens; a local community initiative that merges community development with land trust and conservation. Troy Gardens are part of a larger community development and housing project that is led by the nonprofit organization called Community GroundWorks. According to their website, Community GroundWorks connects people to nature and local food by using hand-on education initiatives so that children and adults can learn about gardening, urban farming, healthy eating, and natural areas restoration. Community GroundWorks was founded in 2001 and was formally known as The Friends of Troy Gardens. The organization is dedicated to developing, managing, and stewarding the 26-acres of urban property. Troy Gardens includes community gardens, an organic farm, and restored prairie and woodlands. The gardens are also open to the public and more information can be found at the Community GroundWorks website: http://www.troygardens.org/

Prado said that he couldn’t have been happier with the outcome of the seminar and said it was the highlight of his stay at the UW-Madison. Further, he had no idea that he would be able to teach such a committed group of students that contributed greatly to the seminar’s conducive learning environment by making a concerted effort to read every single paper he assigned. Prado structured the course in a decentralized manner whereby he would present topics at the beginning of class and then groups of students would lead the class discussion on weekly topics. This gave students a degree of autonomy with the opportunity to focus on particular aspects of the topic that they found to be most interesting or felt were the most important to discuss as a group. He said that the students were very opinionated and enjoyed the opportunity to guide the discussion, so this structure worked out very well.

During his semester in Madison, Prado also took advantage of the many extracurricular opportunities available on campus. He attended university-sponsored talks once or twice every week. Pablo was particularly impressed with presentations by Bob Nixon, Patti Low, and various LACIS-sponsored talks he attended. Prado recalled Bob Nixon’s talk about environmental degradation, which Nixon described as a form of slow violence and aggression on the poor given that it takes so many years to see the consequences. This dynamic is further exacerbated by the fact that environmental degradation-related news don’t make the front page of the news because they typically lack the shock factor the media seeks to increase sales. Pablo described Patti Low’s talk as passionate and full of energy. Low spoke on a panel with four other Menominee tribe representatives (http://humanities.wisc.edu/events/humanities-now/calendar/). The panel spoke about reservation land and the debate regarding open pit mining in Northern Wisconsin. Low spoke about the history of tribally-owned land in Wisconsin, the negotiations over land with the Federal government, and the subsequent land treaties that were signed. The open pit mining discussion included the concern by the Bad River Chippewa tribe given the proximity of their tribal lands to the proposed mining area and the fear of pollution that would damage the area where the tribe grows wild rice, fishes, and carries out other sacred tribal customs.

Prado also attended various LACIS-sponsored talks and the LACIS film festival. During the film festival, Prado saw Black Bread (Pa Negre), which is a 21^st century Catalan film that takes place in post-Spanish Civil War Spain. The film tells the story of a young boy who is adopted by a rich family and then must confront accusations that his biological father committed an assassination. The film won nine Goya awards and 13 Gaudí awards. Prado was thankful that LACIS put in the effort to organize the film festival so that both students and faculty have the opportunity to see films from Latin American, Iberian, and Caribbean countries.  Prado attended a LACIS-sponsored lecture by Ezequiel Gonzalez Ocanto called, “The Ideational Foundations of Judicial Power: Legal Cultures, Strategic Litigation and Judicial Behavior in Cases of Gross Human Rights Violations in Peru.” Ocanto discussed his original theory of litigation-induced institutional changes within judicial branches to explain why in some Latin American countries amnesty laws, statutory limitations, and presidential pardons (among other impunity dispositions) were overcome to open criminal investigations again those who designed and executed state-sponsored systematic attacks against civilian populations during authoritarian regimes and internal armed conflicts in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Prado also attended a talk called “Mayan Cosmovision: Politics and Spirituality in 2012” given by Carlos Escalante that was coordinated by the sociology department and LACIS. Escalante is a Mayan spiritual guide and intercultural coordinator of Sustainable Development for Guatemala (DESGUA) and he presented on current social and political issues facing Guatemala, Mayan cultural policy, and current perceptions of Mayan predictions regarding 2012.

One other Madison activity that stuck out in Prado’s mind was regularly attending lunches and dinners organized and run by the Slow Food UW Madison organization. Slow Food UW was founded in 2007 and is made up of a group of UW Madison students whose mission is to promote affordable access to ‘good, clean, fair’ food by creating awareness about and engagement with our food system. Prado attended lunches on Wednesdays at the Slow Food Café.. Prado said it was extremely pleasant to sit down to eat locally grown produce and enjoy stimulating conversation at these community student-organized events. More information about the Slow Food UW organization can be found at their website: http://slowfooduw.org/home

Adjusting to his new environment in Madison was relatively easy for Prado. He enjoyed the opportunity to jog at picnic point, ride his bike around campus, walk through the city parks, and admire Madison’s architecturally interesting buildings. He said that it was a nice break from the rush of a large urban center such as Guatemala City. Prado was particularly amazed by the ability to travel with a bike on the Madison city buses. He specifically liked trying the food at Mickey’s Tavern, watching films at the Wisconsin International Film Festival and at Sundance Cinema, visiting the Orpheum, and spending a night at the Cardinal Bar where he was impressed by the local salsa dancers. He mentioned that salsa dancing in his usual night life in Guatemala is not very common so it was interesting for him to see that part of Madison’s night scene. Prado also met the Cardinal Bar owner, who immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba some 50 years ago. Before heading home in the beginning of June, Prado also planned to visit Olbrich Gardens. Overall, Prado confirmed that he thoroughly enjoyed the semester at UW-Madison and that he will miss living in Madison.

Prado is grateful for the opportunity to interact with so many renowned scholars at UW-Madison and will maintain contact with his UW colleagues for collaboration in the future. Prado looks forward to sharing his experiences at UW-Madison with his students back in Guatemala. He would like to work in etnobotony (the study of the relationship between people and plants) and how different groups of people use plants when he returns to Guatemala. He also expressed interest in spending time working in Europe in the future.

Two UW-Madison professors and Professor Prado are collaborating to teach a Fall 2012 course that will be simultaneously taught at the University of San Carlos of Guatemala and at UW-Madison. The course will function as a joint project by utilizing video conferencing so that both the students in Guatemala and the UW-Madison students can communicate throughout the course of the semester. The course is called “International Food Security and Environmental Conservation in Botany and Plant Pathology.” This 500-level course will be cross-listed between the Botany and Plant Pathology Departments. The students at UW and in Guatemala will interact frequently – at least four lectures will be conducted via videoconference. Prado will collaborate with Don Waller (Botany) and Caitilyn Allen (Plant Pathology) to teach the class. The course will examine the tension between agriculture and the conservation of environmental resources by using case studies from the American Midwest and Guatemala. There will also be a field trip in Guatemala next January where the UW-Madison students will have the opportunity to meet the students in the Guatemalan partner class and can compare agriculture and nature conservation practices in the Midwest to those in Guatemala. The trip will visit three regions in Guatemala; the highlands, the north, and the coast. The course will be available to both undergraduate and gradate students. The course aims to help students: 1) develop critical thinking skills at the interface of biology, policy, and culture; 2) learn specific content about crop production and conservation biology in the developing tropics; 3) appreciate the universal and culture-specific aspects of these topics; and 4) gain familiarity with the complex mixture of human cultures and natural and manmade landscapes in Latin America.