Religious Institutions and Conservation Efforts in Africa

Photo from PUP Global Heritage Consortium With the epidemic of HIV/AIDS ongoing in the continent of Africa for the past century, many initiatives have been made in effort to combat this dire health concern. Backing many of these efforts have been religious institutions, in which they have played a pivotal and successful role in establishing … Continue reading Religious Institutions and Conservation Efforts in Africa

Mali: Conflict, Political Instability and Future Conflict

The Republic of Mali, home to more than 20 million people, is a landlocked country in West Africa. Since the outbreak of the Mali War in 2012, the country has been embroiled in military and political conflict, including two coups d’état in the past two years. Conflict began in the country following the Tuareg Rebellion … Continue reading Mali: Conflict, Political Instability and Future Conflict

China versus the U.S. – Two superpowers and the fight for influence in Latin America and the Caribbean

Photo by Damir Sagolj The United States has long been considered the hegemonic power of the world yet China’s increase in military expenditure, global integration, and global financial lending means that China is now threatening their position. Recent years have seen the increase in tensions between the two sides with China rapidly expanding its influence … Continue reading China versus the U.S. – Two superpowers and the fight for influence in Latin America and the Caribbean

James Griffiths: Minority Languages

If development is to mean more than economic growth, then language should be on top of our agendas. The preservation of minority languages and the building of lingua franca is crucial for the cultural, social and civil well-being of societies. Development which values culture is inseparable from policies which preserve and languages.  In this conversation … Continue reading James Griffiths: Minority Languages

Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian: Venezuelan Migrants — Tragedy, Resilience and Hope

Since 2017, Venezuela has been in a social, political and economic crisis. Under the Nicolas Maduro regime, the country has experienced extreme hyperinflation and abuses on civilian human rights. The desperate situation has led to food shortages, a lack of health services and a lack of electricity and other basic services across the country. This … Continue reading Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian: Venezuelan Migrants — Tragedy, Resilience and Hope

“Can Development Policies Help Conserve Both Biological and Cultural Diversity?” with Prof. Laura Rival

In what sense can it be said that indigenous people are ecologists and poor people environmentalists? How are continuities and discontinuities between humans, living kinds and other objects in the world established? How have people from different cultures perceived and acted upon the material properties of the biophysical world, and how do different social groups … Continue reading “Can Development Policies Help Conserve Both Biological and Cultural Diversity?” with Prof. Laura Rival

Voluntourism: Gaining More Than You Give

https://youtu.be/fILJNeswgOE Volunteering tourism - "voluntourism" - might be a popular choice among some gap year students, but could it be doing more harm than good?  Based on an interview with Jasper Friedrich, MSc Political Theory student at the University of Oxford, South America Events Officer Jasmine Alexander walks us through the origins and issues of … Continue reading Voluntourism: Gaining More Than You Give

Developed and Developing: A Critique of the Way We See the World

Photo by Ivan Bandura Growing up in a western European country, it is hard to avoid the terms ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ as a framework for viewing the entire world. A brief online search reveals dozens of articles from the Financial Times, the Guardian, the Economist and other news sources using this language, and here at Oxford … Continue reading Developed and Developing: A Critique of the Way We See the World

María-Noel Vaeza: Violence Against Women

Latin America has been one of the worst-hit regions in the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 14 million diagnosed cases. Media images of cardboard coffins and bodies being left in the streets of Guayaquil, Ecuador spread throughout the world. However, the UN has declared there is another pandemic in the region lingering in the shadows – … Continue reading María-Noel Vaeza: Violence Against Women