9724082 Chase-Dunn This Americas Program award will fund a seminar on Guatemalan development and democratization, focusing on proactive responses to globalization. Organizers are Dr. Christopher Chase-Dunn, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md., and Dr. Nelson Amaro, Universidad del Valle, Guatemala City, Guatemala. The seminar will bring together social scientists and policy experts from the United States and Guatemala, to present research and analyses of the trajectory of Guatemalan social change in its comparative regional and global context. The main purpose is to further policy-relevant social scientific research on the issues of Guatemalan economic development and democratization in the context of changing global constraints and opportunities. Researchers will evaluate a range of proactive responses to forces that should be considered by participants from all sectors of Guatemalan society, as well as by those abroad who are interested in facilitating Guatemalan democracy and development. Guatemala is the largest country in Central America, and the last to negotiate an end to civil war. The peace process has created an important moment in Guatemalan history. Formerly excluded groups are becoming participants in legal and institutional processes for formulating policies of development and democratization. While the process still has a long way to go before Guatemala can be considered a full-fledged member of the family of democratic nations, the direction of recent developments is clear. The prospect of a new multiethnic nation that recognizes the cultural, political and economic rights of its poorest and least powerful citizens is a real possibility for the first time in decades. The focus of the seminar will be on the most salient problems and their potential solutions during the next two decades. The dissemination of the results will help social scientists share perspectives and formulate research strategies that are relevant for policies that can contribute to resolving the emergent problems in post-war Guatemala. ***
