This Thursday and next, we are joined by two more scholars for our âAerospace Latin America: A Historyâ seminar series. Mark your calendars and join us online! Details about
the presentations and links are provided below.
Join Us this Thursday: âLooking Up and Looking North: Outer Space Imaginaries in Mexico,â a Presentation by Anne W. Johnson
âLooking Up and Looking North: Outer Space Imaginaries in Mexicoâ
Anne W. Johnson (Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City)
Thursday, August 14 at 2:00 pm EDT / 1:00 pm CDT / 11:00 am PDT
Porfirio DÃaz memorably lamented, 'Poor Mexico, so far from God, so close to the United States.' The ambivalence historically felt by many Mexicans toward its dominant northern
neighbor has also made itself felt in the context of the space race. In this talk, Anne W. Johnson reflects on the historical role of NASA in diverse Mexican narratives about the human exploration of outer space, showing how the agency has traditionally functioned both
aspirationally and critically as a symbolic condensation of power, technology, and the future.
Anne W. Johnson is a Professor in the Graduate Program in Social Anthropology at the Universidad
Iberoamericana in Mexico City. Her research interests include the social study of science and technology, the anthropology of the future, performance studies, historical memory, and material culture. Her current project, based on ethnographic research with
the Mexican Space Agency, a university space instrumentation laboratory, and a series of art collectives, revolves around Mexican imaginaries of outer space and the future.
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Next Thursday â Alejandro Martin Lopez Presents on Cultural Astronomy
âUnder an Entanglement of Skies: A Cultural Astronomy Approach to Our Relationship with the Cosmosâ
Alejandro Martin Lopez (Instituto de Ciencias Antropológicas, University of Buenos Aires)
Thursday, August 21 at 2:00 pm EDT / 1:00 pm CDT / 11:00 am PDT
As with all forms of human knowledge, our understanding of the sky is inherently situatedâthat is, it is produced and validated within specific spatial, temporal, social,
and cultural contexts. In this seminar, we will explore these themes based on 26 years of experience researching the astronomies of indigenous peoples in the Argentine Chaco and their interactions and conflicts with European-origin astronomies, the formal education
system, Christian missions, heritage management, academics and academic research facilities, and the art world. From this foundation, we aim to demonstrate how this interdisciplinary approach can offer fresh perspectives on the diversity of human relationships
with the sky, enabling us not only to deepen our understanding of the past and present but also to envision a more inclusive and thriving cosmic future.
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