CERN Latin American Regional Meeting

Maple Chile

On Thursday October 31 2019, the CERN Latin American Regional held a meeting to discuss the work of Alison Guzman, Ignacio Krell and Fernando Quilaqueo from MAPLE CHILE

This was a zoom-supported meeting in which people participated from Chiapas, México; Villarrica, Chile; Berlin,Germany; and Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

Two researchers from Uruguay were expected to join but last minute difficulties with technologies did not allow it. 

MAPLE CHILE works with low incomes communities co-designing community-managed financial services and establishing culturally respectful micro-businesses, and as well as Chile they have worked in Eastern Uganda and Oregon, USA.

Prior to the meeting, MAPLE CHILE shared two short videos in advance, which were used to raise issues for further discussion, such as:

  • What are the contextually situated practices by which different rural communities in different countries in Latin America go by, to support their living?
  • How are these diverse practices conceptualized by people practicing them, and in which ways can they be understood by using a DE and CE framework? 
  • In turn, what new issues come up "out of the practices as they are" that may be informing areas of work that can be re-conceptualized in light of the local languages and culturally specific ways of doing things? For example, in Chile, Mapuche People started out working with MAPLE CHILE towards creating a Bank that would be appropriate for financing their own way of understanding economy. However, along the years, the practices themselves forced the group to re-think the concept of BANK, BANKING, FINANCES and started using a different concept altogether, that of KELLUWUN, or mutual support. Other examples were discussed for Argentina and México as well.

After the exchange, the regional group also shared an agenda for future meetings to discuss other members´ work, and forthcoming meetings will focus on Adrián Beiling´s and Marcelo Vieta´s work. 

If you would like to participate in the LARegional meetings, please contact Ana Heras herasmonnersans2@gmail.com.