This presentation examines Milestones of Latin American Democracy, a graphic novel by Pedro X. Molina, as an innovative and accessible medium for narrating the historical struggles and achievements of democracy across the region. Developed as part of a broader initiative to engage public audiences—particularly younger generations—the work reimagines traditional political analysis through visual storytelling, combining historical milestones with compelling illustrations and concise narrative text.

Pedro X. Molina is an internationally acclaimed editorial cartoonist who has won a host of prestigious awards for his work, including the Vaclav Havel Award for Creative Dissent (International), the Gabo Award for Excellence in Journalism (Latin America), the Maria Moors Cabot Prize from Columbia University (USA), The Courage in Cartooning award from Cartoonists Rights Network (International), and the Excellence in Journalism Award granted by the Inter-American Press Association. His work appears in many prestigious newspapers and news websites throughout Latin America, the United States, and Europe.

How can we identify and interpret xenophobia in online spaces? What can digital data tell us about real world enforcement and lived experiences of migrants, and where are its limits? And how can we use computational tools to study and respond to objectionable speech online?

This hands-on workshop introduces digital methods for studying xenophobia, combining legal and social context with practical tools. We will hear from Professor Beth Lyon on xenophobia and timely case examples (including recent ICE related hotspots), Alfonso Indurain on machine learning approaches to detecting xenophobic speech and supporting moderation, Dr. Han Li on interpreting large scale online hate speech data, and Inhwan Bae on designing online experiments to strengthen causal inference. We will close by discussing applications, ethics, and key limitations of digital data and tools in this area.

Speakers

Beth Lyon, Associate Dean for Experiential Education, Clinical Professor of Law, and Clinical Program Director, Cornell UniversityAlfonso Indurain, PhD candidate, Department of Statistics, Computer Science and Mathematics, Public University of NavarreHan Li, Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Communication, Cornell UniversityInhwan Bae, PhD candidate, Department of Communication, Cornell University

This event is hosted by the Migrations Program's graduate fellows, part of the Einaudi Center for International Studies. For questions, please contact Yichen Wang (yw2674@cornell.edu).