Personal Reflections On Resistance / Reflexiones Personales Sobre La Resistencia
Chair/Moderador: Douglas Carranza, Central American Studies, CSU Northridge
- Ana María Méndez Dardon, Law, Canada
“Historia personal: Creciendo en la resistencia”
(“Personal story: Growing up in resistance”)
- Heather A. Vrana, History, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven
“H.I.J.O.S.: A New Politics of Memory beyond Reconciliation”
(“H.I.J.O.S.: Una nueva memoria política más allá de la reconciliación”)
- Miguel Zamora-Mills, International Relations, Guatemala
“Resisting Impunity, Preserving Truth: Victim participation, the querrellante adhesivo, and the Rios Montt trial”
(“Resistiendo la impunidad, preservando la verdad: participacíon de las victimas, el querrellante adhesivo y el juicio de Ríos Montt”)
Douglas Carranza Mena received his Ph.D. in Social-Cultural Anthropology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has taught at California State University Northridge since 2001. Prof. Carranza is interested in cultural and political issues, particularly in the rigors and conflicts of colonialism in the Central American region. His research agenda is to explore from an interdisciplinary perspective the concepts of space, citizenship, civil society, sovereignty and modes of governing to address Indigenous movements and transnational communities in Central America and in the United States. He has taught a variety of courses that address the Central American diaspora and migration, the contemporary revolutionary processes, modern historiography and identity formation, development, environment and its human impact.
Miguel Zamora has worked for the past few years with the International Platform against Impunity in Guatemala on issues related to the protection of human rights defenders, strengthening of the justice system and the impact of businesses on indigenous rights. Previously, he accompanied genocide survivors in the Ixil region during the preparatory phase of the genocide case. Currently, Miguel is studying law at Columbia Law School where he focuses on international human rights and constitutional law.
Heather Vrana, assistant professor of history at Southern Connecticut State University, researches youth, social movements, urban histories, and class formation in modern Central America, with particular interest in how political culture and violence shape class formation. At the conference at USC Shoah Foundation, Vrana will share her research on transitional justice and her ongoing collaboration with Guatemala’s branch of H.I.J.O.S. (in English, Sons and Daughters for Identity and Justice against Oblivion and Silence). H.I.J.O.S. is an activist group that seeks trials and punishment for genocide perpetrators, participates in the defense of human rights and keeps alive the memories of the victims and those still fighting.
Ana Maria Mendez Dardon: Abogada, notaria y licenciada en Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales de la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala y posgrado en Mujeres y Derechos Humanos de la Universidad de Chile con distinción máxima. Con formación académica y experiencia profesional en derechos humanos, justicia penal y género, principalmente desde centros de investigación y organizaciones no gubernamentales como investigadora y docenta para operadores de justicia. Docenta sobre Género y Desarrollo Humano en el Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrolla. Así mimso funcionaria pública en instancias de administración de justicia penal (Ministerio Público con la Dra. Claudia Paz y Paz) y recientemente como experta analista en el sistema de justicia para casos de violencia contra las mujeres en la Comisión Nacional para el Seguimiento y Apoyo al Fortalecimiento de la Justicia. Voluntaria en Amenesty International Toronto en la Red de Mujeres y a partir de septiembre inicio maestría en Ciencia Política en la Universidad de Gueph, Canadá.