The recent third UCLA International Institute Graduate Student Conference gave students an opportunity to present interdisciplinary graduate research on global issues.
by Samantha Fletcher (UCLA 2016)
with contributions by Erica Anjum, Chelsea Dimm, Natalie Dickson and Kurt Klein
UCLA International Institute, May 11, 2016 — The third annual UCLA International Institute Graduate Student Conference, “Going Global,” proved to be a massive success thanks to the efforts and support of the UCLA Graduate Division, UCLA History Department, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
With graduate students from a wide array of disciplines attending, the conference was split into various panels led by fellow graduate students pursuing M.A. degrees in African Studies and East Asian Studies. The goal of the conference was to provide UCLA and a few non-UCLA students an opportunity to present interdisciplinary graduate research on global issues. Among the topics addressed were: “Music, Dance and Migration,” “Democracy as a Chronotype,” “Gender and Health,” “Globalized Education,” “Migration and Cultural Identity,” “Decentralization and Institutional Reform,” “Global Infrastructure and Urban Planning,” and lastly “Challenging Eurocentrism.”
The conference opened with a presentation by UCLA Associate Professor of History Robin Derby, a specialist on the Caribbean and Latin America, who spoke on the changing nature of global politics. "We live in strange times, times when things do no always appear as they seem," she said. Derby surveyed recent changes in U.S.-Cuban relations, the rise of U.S. populist politicians in the Latin American mold and the disappearance of the once neat divide between Latin America and the United States in terms of both domestic politics and precarious economic survival.
“This is... a moment when we really need astute and critical observers to ask hard questions, identify contradictions, and seek clarity about transnational phenomena, new forms of subjugation, new ways of keeping democratic processes in check and emerging forms of resistance,” she said to conference participants.
A glimpse of the discussions
Several moderators graciously provided summaries of their respective individual panels, which may serve to better illustrate the proceedings of the day.
Panel #1: Music, Dance, and Migration. The four presenters on this panel, all from the Department of World Arts and Cultures, used creative methodologies to reconstruct unwritten histories and present realities. The methodologies of dance and music are not simply important for the arts, but also for healing, identity formation, multicultural interaction and political geography. Elyan Hill's presentation concerned Ewe dance festivals in Ghana and Togo. She traveled to both areas and learned many dances, with a particular interest in the representations of Mami Wata, and the multireferential altars built for her. Alejandro Garcia addressed the Orquesta Tipica, a band that played a variety of music before mariachi bands began to tour the United States. Mexican-Americans resonated with this music, which touched on themes of diasporic relationships and identity. Hill later received a best paper commendation.
Mehrenegar Rostami focused on The Silk Road Project, viewing the band as a location for working together in a multicultural way without falling into stereotypes of other cultures. Pallavi Siriram's presentation addressed 18th-century Coromandel dances of southern India that were performed in an elite chamber of the ruler. Many important people came together to watch these dances, including merchants, political leaders and dignitaries — the dance was important to building relationships. The layout of the room allowed observers to watch the dance, but also be aware of those across from them and their enjoyment of the dance as well.
Panel # 3. Gender and Health. The gender and health panel provided a diverse array of current research in the field, from HIV treatment in Malawi, to female representation in Kenyan politics, to domestic violence and women’s empowerment in Nepal. Certainly this panel played to the conference’s interdisciplinary focus, with presenters hailing from graduate programs in sociology, African Studies, and economics.
One panelist traveled from New Mexico to present her research and won a best paper award. Each speaker captured the audience with their presentations, with the ensuing discussions touching on questions of justice, sexism, masculinity and health paradigms. Audience members were left to wonder what health topics had not yet been explored in the gender arena. Conversations sparked by the presentations continued through lunch, breaks, and the reception (when audience members could finally catch a minute with their favorite panelists).
Panel #5: Movement, Migration and Cultural Identity. This panel consisted of four presenters from various disciplines. Jin Aeng Choi, a first-year Ph.D student in the Asian Languages and Cultures department, spoke on “Onibus 174: The Violence Around Us and the Violation in Us.” Her research drew inspiration from an eponymous Brazilian documentary that explores acts of crime by questioning not only the actions of perpetrators, but also the society that creates them. Christian Reyes, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Education, tackled the issue of internet and information and communication technology (ICT) usage by immigrant communities, focusing on the Somali diaspora in the United States. Christian questioned the different responses to ICT usage, evaluating the effect of shutting down networks (a government method of combatting terrorism) and of more holistic approaches that focus on educating and employing transplants. Interestingly, the latter model was inspired by public health programs.
Andrea Suh, also from the education department, spoke about migrant children within Mexico. Her research found that children of migrant agricultural workers, especially those from indigenous backgrounds, face difficulties with respect to access to and the quality of education. They are also often disillusioned about staying in school due to their bleak prospects for success upon graduation. Jia Feng of the history department explored the issue of corruption among English traders and the ruling regime in 18th-century China. While her presentation focused on a singular event in what seems to be a different era, the existence of corruption and the negotiations by elites to work around — rather than address — that corruption closely resemble practices that continue to be the norm in both developed and developing countries today.
Round up
The conference concluded with a lovely reception in which all graduate student presenters, moderators and respective faculty came together to socialize and await the award for the best paper. After a quick period of mingling, Graduate Division Associate Dean Joseph Watson spoke briefly about the excellent research presented at the conference and its remarkable work in bringing multiple disciplines together.
The long day of sharing academic work came to a close with the award for the best paper given to Alyssa Goodstein of the Latin American Studies M.A. Program for “Politics, Race, Sex and Danger: Conservative Nationalism, the Femme Fatale and Social Thought in Manuel Galvez’s Historia de Arrabal.” In addition to recognizing Alyssa’s accomplishment, several awards for excellent achievement were conferred on Eyan Hill (World Arts and Cultures), Mack Eason (Political Science), Hope McCoy (GSE&IS), Soumi Roy Chowdhury (Economics) and Alejandro Garcia (Musicology).
Congratulations to all participants, volunteers and faculty who aided in the smooth and compelling presentations of the day!
Published: Wednesday, May 11, 2016
