St. Paul, Minn. – Senior sociology major Emily Christie, of Indianapolis, Ind. has been selected for Honorable Mention by the Law and Society Association in the Association’s 2011 Undergraduate Student Prize Competition for her paper “Declaraciones de Deseo y Declaraciones de Realidad: State-Indigenous Relations and Intercultural-Bilingual Education in Peru and Guatemala.” Teaching members of the Law and Society Association from institutions around the world make the nominations. Typically, the Association awards only a single prize; however, on occasion, the Association selects a second paper of distinction for recognition with honorable mention.

Christie’s paper considers the important question of how states come to provide formal recognition of newly codified international rights but fail to implement these rights. In her comparative analysis of intercultural-bilingual education policies in Peru and Guatemala, Christie reveals the diverse origins of policy changes in the two countries but the similar failures in implementation. This analysis leads one to question why different pathways to reform might lead to the same gaps in implementation. Christie’s paper points to the nature of the legal state as a key explanatory mechanism. The project draws on both interview data that Christie collected in both countries and comparative-historical evidence from a diverse set of sources.

Christie’s project originated with a semester-long analysis of the Quechua movement that she completed in the Macalester course “Indigenous Peoples’ Movements in Global Context.” She conducted research in Peru while participating in a study abroad program there. Finally, she completed interviews in Guatemala during a Student-Faculty Summer Research project in collaboration with Sociology Prof. Erik Larson funded by the Mellon Curricular Pathways Grant.

The Law and Society Association is an international, interdisciplinary group of scholars who study the place of law in social, political, economic and cultural life. The Association’s annual meeting will be held in June in San Francisco. Christie will be recognized during the Association’s annual luncheon and awards program. 

Macalester College, founded in 1874, is a national liberal arts college with a full-time enrollment of 1,958 students. Macalester is nationally recognized for its long-standing commitment to academic excellence, internationalism, multiculturalism and civic engagement.  Learn more at macalester.edu

April 13 2011

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