Socrates Medellín Seminar

Held in Partnership with the Aspen Institute Colombia, join the Aspen Institute Socrates Program for our Spanish-language seminar in Medellín, Colombia.

*Please note the seminar will be in Spanish*

Seminar tuition is $1,000 which includes meals and seminar participation. Accommodation and travel costs are not included in tuition. If you are interested in participating in the program, please reach out to us via email at [email protected].

Equidad en América Latina y en Colombia: ¿un sueño posible? 

Es posible afirmar que todos los seres humanos compartimos un sueño común: convivir en una sociedad equitativa, en donde las personas puedan realizar sus vidas sin preocupaciones económicas, sin discriminación y teniendo acceso a las mismas oportunidades. La forma de lograr este sueño es donde no necesariamente coincidimos de manera unánime. En este seminario exploraremos las causas históricas de la inequidad en América Latina, mientras intentamos responder de manera conjunta a la pregunta de cómo lograr una sociedad equitativa. ¿Cómo hemos llegado a este punto aquí y ahora? ¿Cuáles son algunas de nuestras preocupaciones comunes? ¿Qué modelos alternativos (económicos, políticos y sociales) podemos imaginar para el futuro?

Como todo seminario socrático de Aspen, esta es una invitación a reflexionar conjuntamente y a intercambiar puntos de vista desde el respeto y la diferencia. Para esto, seguiremos la metodología de los seminarios del Aspen Institute: tendremos una conversación con base en una selección previa de lecturas informativas, que a su vez plantean una serie de dilemas que nos confrontan como miembros de una sociedad. La discusión se estructura alrededor de una serie de lecturas comunes que nos sacan de nuestros ámbitos cotidianos del día a día y que nos invitan a explorar nuevas posibilidades y a compartirlas en un espacio dinámico y de confianza.

La conversación será moderada por un miembro del Aspen Institute, que busca abrir espacios para el diálogo y la reflexión entre personas con puntos de vista diversos. Dedicar una jornada completa a estos temas, con una preparación previa de las lecturas, es también una invitación a tomar una pausa y aprovechar ese tiempo al máximo, de una forma que no hacemos en medio de las ocupaciones y responsabilidades de nuestra vida cotidiana. El propósito es que, al terminar el seminario, volvamos a nuestra vida cotidiana con una nueva pregunta o perspectiva sobre algunos de estos temas y que pueda, en un mediano plazo, impactar sobre nuestras acciones como ciudadanos de la región.

Equity: A Possible Dream? Perspectives from Colombia and Latin America

This seminar offers a space for reflection and dialogue on the persistent inequality in Colombia and Latin America, a structural problem that affects development, social stability and individual opportunities. Beyond theoretical analysis, this event invites a personal reflection on the place each one occupies in this inequitable society. How do our individual experiences reflect or perpetuate these inequalities? What role can we play in building a more equitable society? Is it possible to imagine and build a more just and inclusive society? These questions will guide our conversation, with the purpose of moving from reflection to action, in the construction of a better society in Colombia and the region.

As with all Aspen Socrates Seminars, this is an invitation to reflect together and exchange points of view based on respect and difference. To do so, we will follow the methodology of the Aspen Institute seminars: we will have a conversation based on a previous selection of informative readings, which in turn pose a series of dilemmas that confront us as members of a society. The discussion is structured around a series of common readings that take us out of our daily spheres and invite us to explore new possibilities and share them in a dynamic and trusting space. The purpose is that, at the end of the seminar, we return to our daily lives with new and better questions or perspectives on some of these issues that can impact our actions as citizens of the region.

Moderators:

Patricia Zalamea: Associate Professor of the Department of Art History, she was dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities (2015-2021) and directed the Uniandino Basic Cycle at the Universidad de los Andes (2017-2019). Specialized in Renaissance art, she focuses on courtly visual culture and its use of ancient mythology, the globalization of the recorded image in early modernity, and the classical tradition in Latin America. Interested in interdisciplinary teaching in the humanities and related fields, with an approach that privileges the historical understanding of diverse cultural and artistic expressions. Committed to the development of fields such as Colombian cultural heritage and the construction of digital archives and funds, as well as to their strengthening through international academic links and agreements.

José Miguel Carreira: His professional purpose is framed in helping the companies he works for, or is involved in, to take the path to becoming extraordinary companies through the growth of the people in those organizations. He studied Economics at the Universidad de los Andes, and has an IMBA from IE and is currently certifying as a coach in Conscious Business (Fred Kofman). His professional development has been linked to leading companies, mostly industrial, in different sectors and countries. He believes in sustainable growth through cultures with solid values and strategic discipline within impeccable work environments. He is a fortunate husband and father of two wonderful daughters, an accomplished tennis player and passionate about business reading and the history of Rome.