Political Science

This article analyses the politics and aesthetics of the depiction of the encounter between the West and the non-West in Ciro Guerra's film El abrazo de la serpiente, examining how the film deconstructs colonialist imagery and discourses, and engages with the notion and cinematic representation of indigeneity. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the article identifies and discusses the strategies employed in the film to decolonise the category of the 'Indian': challenging the colonial linguistic of domination and undermining the tropes of imperialist representations; staging and re-enacting colonial encounters; and subverting the power relations embedded in colonialist ethnography. The article argues that El abrazo de la serpiente acts as an instrument of political and cultural inquiry into the past and the present, and that it both proposes and enacts interculturalidad and intercultural dialogue as a cinematic approach to native culture. While the notion of indigeneity at play is not unproblematic, the film succeeds in foregrounding Indigenous points of view and 'points of hearing', challenging a Eurocentric politics of recognition and evolutionary epistemology in favour of a 'coevalness' of the native.

A shaman who's the sole survivor of his tribe takes two explorers on different quests, 40 years apart, in search of a sacred healing plant in the Colombian Amazon.

Water is life. It is crucial to survival, a successful civilization, and the ability to make energy in our modern era. These two fundamental components are interconnected in society and when one is in short supply the other will be vulnerable. Adapted from Dr. Michael E. Webber's book of the same name, THIRST FOR POWER explores our dependence on water for energy as well as the huge vulnerabilities in our current systems, exacerbated by climate change.

rom the Amazon rainforest to artificial intelligence, every week on The Sweaty Penguin, get to know one climate change issue in-depth and hear from an expert in the field to gain a deeper perspective on society’s most pressing climate concerns. The goal? To make environmental issues more fun and less politicized so people of any political ideology or interest level can learn, engage, and find common ground.

Climate change. We know. It can feel too overwhelming. But what if there was a show about climate change that left you feeling... energized? One so filled with possibility that you actually wanted to listen? Join us, journalist Alex Blumberg and a crew of climate nerds, as we bring you smart, inspiring stories about the mess we're in and how we can get ourselves out of it.