Center for the Study of the Peoples of the Americas

Mission

The Center for the Study of the Peoples of the Americas (CESPA) is devoted to the principle that education is the basis for solutions to societal tensions. To this end a primary concern of the Center is the issues stemming from the lived experiences of our students. The purpose of (CESPA) is to promote interest in and knowledge of peoples descendent of Latin American communities, whether of Latino/a, Asian, European, African or indigenous origins, within the US and south of the border through service learning, student and faculty research. CESPA also promotes faculty and public intellectual workshops, symposia, conferences, and lectures. Multimedia forums are utilized to distribute Center programs and research.

The peoples of the Americas have their roots in African, European, Asian, and indigenous cultures. The Center for the Study of the Peoples of the Americas (CESPA), is committed to a deeper understanding of the creation and movements across borders, and the development of border cultures, identities and economies. A primary concern is the lived experiences of our students. The California State University system has among the largest concentration of students of Mexican and Central American extraction of any four-year university system in the country, as well as substantial populations of Asian American and African American students.

To this end CESPA will bring together a group of scholars, researchers, and creative artists from a wide range of disciplines to more effectively provide accessible information to all students and communities about the experiences and the cultures of the more than 50 million Americans of Latin-American extraction and the more than 600 million people living to the south of the United States.

Upcoming Events:

The Palm Oil Industry and Its Violent Impact on Maya Women’s Lives

Monday, April 18, 2022 - 4:00pm to 5:15pm

Lourdes Gómez Willis is a Maya-Q'eqchi'- Afro-descendant legal researcher and member of the Amaq’ Institute. She has conducted research on extractive industries, rural women's land rights, collective intellectual rights, genetic resources, and food sovereignty.

In this public webinar, Gómez Willis will speak about the ways in which the palm oil industry, which includes national and international capital, affects the lives of Maya communities through land dispossession, forced displacement, criminalization, and the destruction of the environment. In addition, Gómez-Willis will address the ways in which Maya women have organized in defense of their ancestral territories and the environment.

Monday, April 4, 2022 - 4:00pm to 5:15pm

Ubaldino García Canan is the principal spokesperson for the Consejo de Autoridades Indígenas Maya Ch’orti’/ Council of Indigenous Authorities, one of the most important organizations of Indigenous elders and authorities in Guatemala.

In this public webinar, García Canan will talk about the ways in which transnational extractive projects in the “Dry Corridor,” where water and vegetation are scarce, have increased land dispossession, extreme poverty, environmental destruction, and the forced displacement of the Ch’orti’ peoples. He will also discuss the various ways in which Ch’orti’ communities have organized in defense of their territories and the environment.

College of Humanities