Freeman Fellowship Recipient

The Reppy Institute offers the Harrop and Ruth Freeman Fellowships to encourage Cornell undergraduates to pursue summer work related to peace studies and conflict resolution in an otherwise unpaid position with a not-for-profit organization. 

André Nascimento 

André Nascimento is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Romance Studies. His research examines the role of Zapatista fiction as a peacebuilding strategy and for the advancement of the Indigenous sovereignty in Chiapas.

Research Project

“Peacebuilding in Chiapas: Antiwar Efforts in Zapatista Fiction”

This research investigates antiwar efforts and discourses in Southeastern Mexico. Specifically, I examine how the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) promotes peacebuilding strategies through cultural productions amid the looming civil conflict. Post 2007, the growing presence of organized crime has been accompanied by a sharp increase in rates of kidnappings, executions, and territorial encroachment. 

Existing research maintains a divide between EZLN’s cultural and military texts, overlooking the interdependent nature of Zapatista publications. In contrast, I work to shift the current debate, demonstrating how Zapatista cultural texts are a key element in reconciliation protocols. 

Leveraging archival research, literary analysis, and participant observation in EZLN-aligned villages, my research proposes an interdisciplinary framework for peace stability in cases of post-guerrilla warfare across Latin America.