Linda Baum
July 29th/ 2021
Presentation topic: Urban indigeneity and future making in Latin America
This panel discussion emerges in the context of the MA course Urban Diversity, Politics
and Society in Latin America, taught by Damián Omar Martínez for the MA in Sociology:
Diversity and Society, at the University of Tübingen’s Institute of Sociology. Chaired by
Martínez, the two speakers are two students of the MA course: Mirjam Brinkmann (student
of the M.A. program “Public Policy and Social Chance” at the university of Tübingen) and
Linda Baum (student of M.A. program “Human Geography – Global Studies” at the
university of Tübingen).
The aim of the Panel is to bring a key aspect of the current indigenous experience to this
“Month of indigenous consciousness”: looking at indigeneity not only from the past and
rurality, but also from the future and urbanity. In other words, while rural environments and
the temporalities of the past (traditions and customs) are undeniably important to understand
the current indigenous experiences, it seems to us very important also to highlight the current
urban condition of many indigenous peoples, and to look at the indigenous experience also
from future temporalities (aspirations, hopes, expectations).
We will focus on the experience of the Mapurbes in Santiago de Chile. We will start with
an introduction to the debate provided by Damián Omar Martínez, then Mirjam Brinkmann
will talk about “bringing the future to indigeneity” and “the future of the Mapurbes in
Santiago”. Finally, we will watch a music video of the Mapurbe rapper Cristopher Coñoman,
and Linda Baum will analyze Coñoman’s presence in the media. At the end, we will leave a
space for discussion and questions from the participants.
__________________________________________
Linda Baum tudied Geography in Tübingen and Guadalajara, Mexico. She is currently graduating from the M.A. Human Geography – Global Studies in Tübingen. Her main interests are about power relations that are expressed in space and how spatial processes can be designed in more socially oriented ways.