Title: Latin America at a Crossroads: Moving Beyond Modernity?

Arturo was born in Manizales, Colombia. He is currently a Colombian national and a United States citizen. In 1969, he attended the Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. Here he got his Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering. From there he went to Universidad del Valle Medical School in 1975 and spent a year doing graduate work in the biochemistry field. In 1976, he spent two years at Cornell University, New York getting his Master's Degree in Food Science and International Nutrition.

From 1978 until 1987, a total of nine years, he spent teaching and getting his Ph.D. in the Philosophy, Policy and Planning of Development; his focus was on critical theory, political economy and anthropology.

Arturo has a lot of field work experience. He spent numerous summers in the Colombian Pacific Coast Rainforest learning about black movement and biodiversity. He also spent a few summers with the Colombian Department of National Planning helping out with the advancement of nutrition and food development.

Arturo has taught for over twenty years. His first teaching assignment was in 1978 at the University of California, Berkeley where he was a teaching assistant. He has instructed at many places including University of California, Santa Cruz and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is currently working at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill as the Kenan Distinguished Teaching Professor of Anthropology. He has over twenty published articles and has co-edited many books over his career. He also gives many presentations and lectures.

Arturo’s most current research is on the interactions of Colombians within there social movements in the rainforest. He also focuses on the state and capital relations and how they apply to these social movements. He is also studying the political and cultural struggles over the region’s resources. His most current work focuses on the regions that are affected by biodiversity and sustainability of the social involvement of black communities in political ecology.