{"id":4536,"date":"2020-08-28T21:46:38","date_gmt":"2020-08-28T21:46:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.luksicscholars.org\/?post_type=ls-admin-announce&p=4536"},"modified":"2020-09-16T16:28:05","modified_gmt":"2020-09-16T16:28:05","slug":"education-dialogue-and-intercultural-understanding-are-pillars-to-building-a-better-society-read-more-from-this-months-featured-scholar-veronica-figueroa-huencho","status":"publish","type":"ls-admin-announce","link":"https:\/\/luksicscholars.org\/en\/admin-announcement\/education-dialogue-and-intercultural-understanding-are-pillars-to-building-a-better-society-read-more-from-this-months-featured-scholar-veronica-figueroa-huencho\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cEducation, dialogue, and intercultural understanding are pillars to building a better society…\u201d Read more from this month\u2019s Featured Scholar: Ver\u00f3nica Figueroa Huencho."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This month\u2019s Featured Scholar is Ver\u00f3nica Figueroa Huencho, Harvard DRCLAS Luksic Visiting Scholar of 2020<\/strong>. The Featured Scholar Series showcases fellow scholars, representing different programs, program years, nationalities, and industries. We\u2019re hoping this will allow you to better connect with scholars in the community, not only on a professional\/academic level but personally as well.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I would like to invite all the members of this network to collaborate, to generate joint projects, to read the writings and proposals of others, even if they are different from our own.”<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Name<\/strong>: Ver\u00f3nica Figueroa Huencho<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where are you from?<\/strong> Santiago, Chile.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did you study?<\/strong> I hold a Public Administration Degree from the University of Chile and a PhD in Management Sciences from ESADE-University of Ram\u00f3n Lull, Spain.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you do?<\/strong> I am an academic at the Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Chile. I have also been a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Latin American Studies at Stanford University.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where do you live? <\/strong>Santiago, Chile.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which Luksic Scholars program did you complete?<\/strong> Harvard DRCLAS Luksic Visiting Scholars, 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What would you say was the best part of your Luksic Scholars experience?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As a Mapuche woman, one of my greatest objectives is to make our culture more visible and disseminated throughout various spaces, and above all, to emphasize the rights of my people within public spaces. My main research areas are governance and public policies in which I identify the elements that have defined the creation of the State in Chile and those elements that should be modified in order to build a more intercultural society. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most important part of my Luksic Scholars experience has been being able to share with others in this network about the Mapuche people<\/strong>; about our history. This has contributed to building bridges between different fields and to promoting dialogue and more thoughtful thinking, which is necessary in today\u2019s times.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you believe has been the biggest impact of having attended a Luksic Scholars program?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I had the opportunity to attend Harvard University (DRCLAS) as a visiting scholar which is one of the most prestigious and important universities in the world. Although my stay didn\u2019t go exactly as planned due to the coronavirus epidemic, I was able to attend talks and seminars on the different problems that exist in our societies today and that require government attention.  I found that other indigenous people were also present in different university programs and through this, I had the opportunity to share my experience with professors interested in the topic but also with indigenous students from communities within the United States. It was interesting to see how there are shared problems, but that education, dialogue, and intercultural understanding are pillars to building a better society<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is your favorite aspect of the Luksic Scholar community?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

We are in a world in which networks are essential; to share ideas and be able to make them concrete.<\/strong> To achieve our goals we must generate alliances, share knowledge, and act collectively. Changes are achieved when we can reach agreements. The problems we face today are so complex that they exceed individual capacity and even that of local institutions. It is important to promote diversity in various spaces, and I think this community is moving in that direction. Diversity in all its expressions enriches the space for debate, and this community has not only allowed me to meet people <\/strong>but also to see the different dreams that are coming to life in these environments.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is there any advice you would give to other scholars?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I think that more than advice, I would like to invite all the members of this network to collaborate, to generate joint projects, to read the writings and proposals of others, even if they are different from our own<\/strong>. I would like solidarity and support to be important pillars in the development of this network so that we continue to be curious, to not remain comfortable, and to continue to test the boundaries of knowledge with the aim of improving the living conditions of our communities, of our territories, of our people. Our work must be socially-oriented.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

FUN FACTS:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n