All students, upon acceptance into the BUILD Program, are required to formulate a research question which they will seek to answer through their research conducted in the Program location. This academic element of the BUILD Program is relatively new, having begun in 2008, with the Program's first trip to Guatemala. Before the trip, BUILD students submit 15-page research reviews which are expanded upon return. Thus far, topics have ranged from sexual health care in indigenous Guatemala to the political ideologies of the URNG guerrilla groups. Upon completion, student research is posted to this page. Please contact the BUILD Program coordinators with questions and/or requests for full text papers.
No Alcanza: Land, Rebellion, and Political Legitimacy in Post War Guatemala
Research Year: 2008
Author: Michael Niconchuk (LA '11)
Major: International Relations
Abstract: History is often viewed through a particular lens. In Guatemala, one concept has trumped all others as lying at the heart of the cycles of violence and corruption that have festered in recent history, and that concept is land. A discussion of Guatemalan history is best conducted through the lens of land and land reform. In this paper, I seek to address the sociocultural significance of land and agriculture from the time of the pre-Columbian Maya to the post-Peace Accords resettlement programs of the late 1990s. Additionally, I dedicate significant research to the politics and tactics of the guerrilla movements of the 1970s and 80s and their members' views on land ownership and agriculture.
Paper Excerpts: Coming Soon!
Full Text: For the full text of this article please contact the program coordinators.
Coffee as a Path to Justice: The Effectiveness of Fair Trade
Research Year: 2008
Author: Kathryn Taylor (LA'11)
Major: International Relations, Economics
Abstract: Coming Soon!
Paper Excerpts: Coming Soon!
Full Text: For the full text of this article please contact the program coordinators.
Social Ideologies of the Organización Revolucionaria del Pueblo en Armas
Research Year: 2009
Author: Sharon Cho (LA '11)
Major: International Relations
Abstract: Guatemala has long been marked by political instability, social and economic injustice, as well as a bloody civil war between its authoritarian government and the people. After enduring years of political corruption and successive military government regimes, the people of Guatemala in the 1960s rose up to fight back. These guerrilla fighters and the government engaged in their battle for thirty-six years, which resulted in the longest civil war in Latin American history. In this paper, I explore the ideological groundwork of the guerilla movement, specifically, of the Organizacion Revolucionaria del Pueblo en Armas (ORPA). The paper examines how the OPRA’s founder, Rodrigo Asturias’ personal background, beliefs, and experiences later shaped the guerrilla movement’s political and social doctrines. I implement the experiences of the members of Santa Anita as case studies in further analyzing ORPA ideologies. How have these histories influence the lives of the members of Santa Anita? What remains of the ORPA today?
Paper Excerpts: Coming Soon!
Full text: For the full text of this article please contact the program coordinators.