In what constitutes an expansion of her research on postwar El Salvador, Professor Irina “Lotti” Silber — an expert on the study of postwar societies, historical memory, and a leader in promoting inclusive knowledge production and pedagogies — presented her forthcoming book Chalatenango: luz y sombra. Fotografías de Ralph Sprenkels y memorias de las comunidades repobladas, coauthored by Dr. Adriana Alas López from Western University in Ontario, Canada.
The book is part of Professor Silber’s Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador project. “[This] collaborative research initiative is an international partnership of survivors, scholars, architects, artists, lawyers, museums, community organizers, local leaders, civil society organizations and mental health professionals who are committed to documenting the history of the Salvadoran Civil War (1980-1992) and preventing future violence.” Readers can learn more about Surviving Memory here.
The community authored book was presented virtually for a webinar entitled “Del ADN a las fotos: memoria material en El Salvador y Argentina” (“From DNA to photos: material memory in El Salvador and Argentina”). The event was hosted by the Specialization in Genetics, Human Rights and Society at the Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
More recently, Professor Silber also presented a dynamic virtual session on “Reimagining Knowledge Production” for the Colin Powell School’s partner institution, the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC). In all of these efforts, Professor Silber enacts her commitment to forwarding anthropology’s public-facing work and placing Powell School on the global stage.
