Adriana SanchezPillot Humanities and Social Science
Chiapas and The National Crusade Against Hunger
The federal program Cruzada Nacional Contra el Hambre was launched by the new Mexican president Enrique Pea Nieto at the beginning of this year. In a very symbolic act, the program was inaugurated in the community of Las Margaritas, Chiapas, an area near the home of the Zapatistas and a milestone in the history of their struggle. Mostly based in the community of San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, my research will evaluate, analyze and compare the discourse deployed by government officials and members of the local community to describe the problem of hunger and its possible solutions, as well as the actual practice of organizing around it. Thus, I ask whether or not the design of this program is an effective public policy that attends to the needs of communities with a history of struggles for self-sufficiency, autonomy and cultural difference.
Message To Sponsor
I am grateful to the SURF L&S donors for encouraging undergraduates like myself to conduct their own research projects. Pursuing a research question that will lead to my honors thesis has allowed me to apply what I have studied in my time at Berkeley and to truly experience, through practice and exploration, a different way of learning. I am looking forward to a summer and a year that will strengthen my pursuits as an anthropology student.