Valentina Cano

Papers

Historical Narratives of Denial of Racism and the Impact of Hugo Chávez on Racial Discourse in Venezuela

This paper aims to examine several narratives that have perpetuated the denial of racism throughout Venezuelan history, analyze the impact of President Hugo Chávez's discourse and policy implementation in regards to racial inequality, and emphasize the importance of addressing the topic of race in Venezuela. This research was conducted as my final Capstone project for the International Development Studies major at Brown.

Food Scarcity, Local Committees for Supply and Production (CLAP), and Political Clientelism in Venezuela during Nicolas Maduro’s presidency

Hunger levels in Venezuela have skyrocketed in recent years. With this crisis, the government has created systems to provide food to those in need. This paper analyzes the CLAP system, arguing that it is a form of political clientelism and manipulation between the Maduro government and the most vulnerable population of Venezuela.

Coping with Personhood through the Illustrations of Carolina Hicks: An Exploration of Latinidad, Identity, Trauma Healing, and Third World Feminism

This paper explores the ways in which Carolina Hick's illustrations and personal experiences fall into the project of Third World Feminism, through Gloria Anzaldúa's concept of nepantla, Audre Lorde's analysis of the erotic, and Juana María Rodríguez's notions of queer latinidad.

¿Qué dirán de mí si un día aparezco muerta?: Feminicide, Latinidad, and State Violence from the lens of Regina José Galindo

In this paper I examine the work of Guatemalan artist Regina José Galindo, in conversation with the definition of feminicide that Rosa Linda Fregoso and Cynthia Bejarano present in A Cartography of Feminicide in the Américas.

Good Governance, International Aid, and its Implications for Development

By exploring different points of view in regards to the question of international aid in developing countries, and using Chile as a case study, this paper argues that democratic accountability and good governance are essential for development; therefore, international aid should be focused on building state capacities.

Social Movements as a Response to the Weakening of Institutional Accountability in the Era of Globalization

Using the examples of the human rights and environmentalist movements, this paper explains how contemporary globalization has brought a weakening of institutional accountability which generates countermovements to express social and political inconformity.