Childhoods and Youth: Hegemonies, Violence and Cultural Practices

The seminar begins by acknowledging the Latin American and Caribbean context, in which multiple forms of violence have historically been normalized. These forms of violence have created significant disparities between children and young people, with children often stigmatized and viewed as incapable of agency, while young people are more frequently criminalized and become victims of youthicide and a gradual, incremental form of genocide. Political, cultural, and media hegemonies, and the multiple forms of violence stemming from them, have undermined the dignity of children and young people, exacerbated their discrimination and exclusion, and manifested in diverse ways across Latin America and the Caribbean. The seminar aims to make these realities visible, emphasizing hegemonies, forms of violence, and political and cultural practices of resistance and re-existence, such as children's own narratives, memory exercises, aesthetic and affective expressions, inclusive citizenship practices, political socialization, and peacebuilding.