Join us for the BISA/BFPG Undergraduate Network’s third event, and inaugural event in England, taking place at the University of Manchester!
This geographical area has been a flashpoint for international relations for centuries and with recent events in the headlines, from COP30 being held in Brazil to Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela, an understanding of Latin America is crucial to understanding international relations. This panel discussion will give undergraduates the chance to learn more about this fascinating region, which often goes understudied at an undergraduate level.
Speakers
Dr Ignacio Aguilo - Co-Director of Latin and Caribbean Studies
Senior Lecturer in Latin American Cultural Studies and the Co-Director of the Centre for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University of Manchester. His research focuses on intersections of racial capitalism and cultural production in contemporary Latin America, with a particular focus on the Southern Cone and the Andean region. Between 2020 and 2023, Aguilo served as Co-Investigator on Cultures of Anti-Racism in Latin America (CARLA) (£1million), an AHRC-funded project investigating how artists in Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia address racial diversity and challenge racism through their work. The project's outputs include an online exhibition, a documentary, and a co-edited book entitled Art and Anti-racism in Latin America.
Mariana Hernandez-Montilla
Mariana Hernández‑Montilla is a PhD researcher at the Global Development Institute, University of Manchester, studying forest restoration and Indigenous land rights in southern Mexico. Her work centres on the Mixteca Alta, a region that lost much of its forest cover but where Mixtec communities have been rebuilding it on their own terms. She focuses on who gets to define restoration and what true recovery looks like when local people lead the process. Originally from Venezuela, she has lived and worked across Latin America, Africa, and Europe, bringing that experience to questions at the intersection of ecology, governance, and justice. She co‑founded the Biciola Project, a pedal‑powered device that removes microplastics from water and has won multiple social innovation awards. She is now co‑producing an animated documentary with the Mexican communities she works with, believing they should help tell the story their knowledge shapes.
Claudio Navarro Gonzalez
Claudio A. Navarro Gonzalez holds a PhD in Development Policy & Management from The University of Manchester and serves as a Teaching Associate in the Department of Economics at The University of Manchester. His research explores the macroeconomic dynamics of labour markets in developing countries to support evidence-based public policy. Claudio is currently examining the Chilean economy through an advanced econometric lens, specifically analysing the nuances of Okun’s Law. This work details the asymmetrical relationship between economic growth and unemployment, while critically assessing gender gaps in labour outcomes.
Isaac Lopez Moreno Flores
Mexican economist and Ph.D. candidate in Development Economics & Policy Management at the University of Manchester.
His research focuses on economic development, labour markets, poverty reduction and gender issues. My research is largely centred on Mexico, but I have also worked as an international consultant in research projects related to Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
The panel will be moderated by Aliza Dufournet, a UGN Committee Member and a second-year Politics and International Relations student at the University of Manchester. The panel will take place from 4-5.30pm with a networking reception to follow from 5.30-6pm.
If you are a current BISA/BFPG Undergraduate Network member attendance, at this event is included with your membership - just complete the registration form so we know you are coming.
Non-members are also welcome to attend the event. Either join the Undergraduate Network for just £10.50 for a whole year - which gives you access to the whole UGN event programme for the duration of your membership - or register and pay a one-off £3.50 fee for this lecture.
Space is limited so please register and complete any payment needed as soon as possible to secure your attendance.