Past Events

“Thinking locally while acting globally: community forest conservation in Mexico’s Yucatán”

Jack Zhang, University of Kansas, is the founder and director of the Trade War Lab, a social science lab dedicated to dual mission of understanding

International and Global Studies’ Global Migration and Diaspora Program presents “Democratic Drain: Global Migration and the Struggle for Democracy” with Justin Gest.

The Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs program on Global Trends in Autocracy and Democracy present “Empowering Young Citizens through the Practice of Accountability: An Experiment in Bangladesh” with Akshay Dixit.

Once best known for its cows and coal mines, the Spanish region of Asturias has become a cultural capital in recent years. Rural pueblos are at the epicenter of this renaissance, challenging urban-centric ideas of cultural production. Musicians, writers, and other artists look to the region’s agrarian and industrial past to imagine new futures. They incorporate folklore and ways of knowing inspired by older generations, constructing alternative notions of rurality grounded in queerness, inclusivity, and sustainability.

This public event will welcome a delegation of Maori and Pasifika colleagues visiting Middlebury College from Aotearoa/New Zealand. Panel members will discuss the role of purakau (storytelling), waiata (song), and whakatauki (proverbs) in Indigenous Maori and Polynesian practices of wellbeing and planetary stewardship. Through the teachings of the kuaka, a shorebird known for its remarkable migration from Aotearoa to North America, this event invites attendees to explore the idea that journeys are collective and community futures can soar in spaces of mutual learning, responsibility, and relationship.

Are you interested in learning more about the Rohatyn Global Scholars Program? Join us for one of our Information Sessions to find out more. 

Choose one of the following Info Sessions:
     Wednesday, September 16th from 4:00 pm - 4:45 pm (snacks provided)
     Tuesday, September 22nd from 12:30 pm -  1:15 pm (with pizza)
     Tuesday, September 22nd from 4:00 pm - 4:45 pm (snacks provided)

Are you interested in learning more about the Rohatyn Global Scholars Program? Join us for one of our Information Sessions to find out more. 

Choose one of the following Info Sessions:
     Wednesday, September 16th from 4:00 pm - 4:45 pm (snacks provided)
     Tuesday, September 22nd from 12:30 pm -  1:15 pm (with pizza)
     Tuesday, September 22nd from 4:00 pm - 4:45 pm (snacks provided)

How has geography become the central infrastructure of political authority in Putin’s Russia? Dr. Sofia Gavrilova (Fung Global Fellow, Princeton and Senior Researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography), argues that that propaganda in Russia operates less through persuasion than through participation — by enrolling ordinary people in the everyday work of imperial reproduction. At the heart of the project is the concept of the “Volunteer Empire”: an empire reproduced through organized presence, care, and curated experience.

Did you study abroad in 2025-26? Come meet up with other Middlebury students who did too at our returnee reception. IGST faculty and study abroad staff will be on hand to welcome you back, raise a glass, and listen to your stories. [Bring your government ID for 21+ libations.]

Are you interested in learning more about the Rohatyn Global Scholars Program? Join us for one of our Information Sessions to find out more. 

Choose one of the following Info Sessions:
     Wednesday, September 16th from 4:00 pm - 4:45 pm (snacks provided)
     Tuesday, September 22nd from 12:30 pm -  1:15 pm (with pizza)
     Tuesday, September 22nd from 4:00 pm - 4:45 pm (snacks provided)

The Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs program on Global and International History presents “Slavery, Abolition, and the Antebellum Origins of Modern Business Ethics” with Seth Rockman, the George L. Littlefield Professor of American History and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Brown University.

 The Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs presents “How ‘America First’ Changed US Foreign Policy” with Elizabeth Shackelford.

The Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs presents “Globalizing Traditional Medicine and Knowledge into the Future” with Sena Voncujovi ‘17.

On the second day of the symposium, Mexican director Michelle Garza Cervera will answer questions (in English) about her acclaimed debut film Huesera: The Bone Woman (2022). This will be followed by a conversation in Spanish between Michelle and Rita Segato, offering a broader dialogue on gender-based abuse and violence against women in Latin America. The conversation between Michelle and Rita will be translated into English for the audience.

Cookies and drinks will be provided.