Sociedad y Economía

Popular Markets as Environments for the Development of Sociocultural Processes in the American Continent

Rafael Ángel-Bravo — 2024-12-18

Introduction

Popular or central markets across the continent, particularly in the Latin American context, serve as spaces for the commercial exchange of goods and services. Moreover, they act as repositories for the preservation and transmission of traditional and folkloric knowledge and practices, hosting diverse expressions of cultural heritage.

Objective

This research-creation exercise aims to recognize the cultural value of these spaces by analyzing the various categories of products and expressions present within them. The study considers the influence of social, geographical, and human factors intrinsic to their cultural nature.

Methodology

This research-creation project is developed through direct experience, photographic exploration, literature review, and a taxonomic approach to the products and practices found in these spaces. Photography is employed as a tool for gathering information and creating visual narratives.

Results

Through a series of phases or stages, it has been possible to identify unifying and differentiating factors among markets in the northern, central, and southern regions of the Americas. A taxonomy of the products and practices present in these markets has been established, highlighting a range of social, multicultural, and intercultural processes, which are materialized through the various elements these spaces encompass.

Conclusions

The observation, recording, and classification of products and practices present in the popular market allow for the identification of a series of multicultural and intercultural processes, thus recognizing the value of these spaces as places of memory and the preservation of knowledge.

The student movement of 1971 from the Division of Social and Economic Sciences of the Universidad del Valle

Andrés Vélez Quintero — 2024-09-30

The article describes events that took place in the Division of Social and Economic Sciences of the Universidad del Valle between 1970 and 1971, which are documented thanks to texts found in the Historical Archive of the Universidad del Valle, produced by the protagonists of the events: director and students of the academic unit. These events are connected to the student mobilization of the time, which is recognized as one of the most relevant in the history of the student movement in Colombia due to its political impact and use of violence by the State. The article contributes to the recovery of the local and academic component within the student unrest referred to the poor institutional and intellectual development in the academic unit, allowing us to confront the political reading that was imposed at the national level.

Exploratory Analysis of Unemployment Heterogeneity in the Department of Antioquia, Colombia

William Álvarez-Valle — 2024-12-12

Introduction

The labor market in Antioquia exhibits significant disparities across its municipalities, related to income, education, infrastructure, and unemployment. This study examines these inequalities through a center-periphery perspective, highlighting the Aburrá Valley Metropolitan Area as the privileged center compared to other subregions.

Objective

To explore the heterogeneity of unemployment in Antioquia and understand labor market disparities using advanced statistical techniques.

Methodology

Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA) and cluster analysis were employed. The MFA synthesized 2019 data on demographics, education, wages, and labor market characteristics across the department’s 125 municipalities, while the cluster analysis grouped municipalities based on similar attributes.

Results

The factor analysis revealed three principal dimensions:

1. Human capital (47.73% of variance): Dominated by variables related to education, internet access, and wages, with municipalities like Medellín and Envigado standing out for their high educational and economic indicators.

2. Demographic configuration (11.41%): Linked to factors such as population distribution and Afro-descendant population, associated with high unemployment rates.

3. Intradepartmental migration and social vulnerability jointly explain an additional 11.63%, reflecting migration toward economic centers and labor challenges in peripheral regions.

The cluster analysis identified four groups of municipalities, highlighting pronounced regional inequalities.

Conclusions

The study reflects a development model concentrated in the department’s central region, perpetuating inequalities in peripheral areas. Factors such as mismatched labor supply and demand and limited access to essential services call for inclusive strategies prioritizing infrastructure, education, and employment in the most vulnerable regions.

Marriages and socioeconomic alliances between german migrants and the elite of Bucaramanga (1857-1886)

Álvaro Acevedo Tarazona — 2024-10-24

The article analyzes how the German community established in Bucaramanga in the second half of the 19th century resorted to marriage to cement socioeconomic ties with local elites and secure commercial and political interests. This procedure was mediated by the dispensations of disparity of cults, taking into account the Protestant affiliations of the Germans living in Bucaramanga. Parish sources and official sources were used, especially from the Claims Fund of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the prosopographic method was used to make inferences about the data and construct a historical representation from a microhistorical perspective. Marriage became a mechanism to unite social groups in which political and economic interests prevailed, both on the part of Germans and local families who sought a way to become related to foreigners to strengthen their businesses.