Careers with Latin American Politics

When: Wednesday, February 7, 2024, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Where: GC201, Graduate Centre, Mile End

At this event, the Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CRoLAC) and the Mile End Institute will showcase the work of our alumni, embedded within the Coalition of Latin Americans in the United Kingdom. 

Each year the Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CRoLAC) at Queen Mary organises a student-centred careers event which showcases some of the career pathways available to students of Latin American politics and cognate subject areas, including comparative politics, geography, political economy, international relations and political sociology.

This year, CRoLAC have teamed up with the Mile End Institute (MEI) to showcase the work of our alumni, embedded within the Coalition of Latin Americans in the United Kingdom (CLAUK). This talk by the Democracy and Participation team from CLAUK focuses on a project funded by the Greater London Authority (GLA), which aims to impartially raise awareness of voting rights in underrepresented communities, including those from Latin America. Latin Americans have arrived in the UK in higher volumes since the 1970s, following political and civil unrest in many of the countries of the region. As community organisations consolidating a collective voice on behalf of the Latin American population in the UK, CLAUK has taken steps to promote civic engagement among this growing community throughout the last decade.

Over half of Latin Americans residing in London are eligible to vote, but many are not aware of this or are disenfranchised due to barriers to participation, including language, socioeconomic deprivation and other forms of discrimination. Through voter registration drives, hustings and political debates, CLAUK has sought to instil an ethic of active citizenship among Latin Americans because they believe that voting is not only a right, but also a means of participating in civil society, mobilising support for policies that promote communities’ interests and amplifying underrepresented voices.

During the talk, the CLAUK team discuss the importance of participation for those who feel disempowered, and the challenges that arise in the process of their outreach work. They will also reflect on their own pathways from studying global and comparative politics at QMUL to working in the field of community action and campaigning.

This event will take place in GC201 in the Graduate Centre which is number 18 on this map of Queen Mary's Mile End campus. This event will start at 6.30pm sharp.