This workshop is organised by Professor Gabriela Arguedas-Ramírez of the University of Costa Rica, who also serves as a Co-Investigator on the Moving Beyond Solidarity Rhetoric in Global Health project. It will bring together academics, researchers, healthcare professionals, disability rights activists, reproductive justice advocates, environmental protectors, social scientists, philosophers, journalists, NGOs, and intergovernmental organisations. The two-day event will take place at the Calderón Guardia Museum, which honours Costa Rica’s history of public healthcare.
The workshop aims to explore diverse understandings and practices of solidarity in Central America and Mexico while engaging South American countries such as Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia in dialogue. Ahead of the event, Professor Arguedas-Ramírez, has highlighted the importance of understanding how political, economic, and cultural contexts shape—or undermine—solidarity. For instance, while some U.S. states criminalise aiding migrants, groups like Las Patronas in Mexico risk their own livelihoods to provide food to migrants on perilous journeys. Furthermore, despite Costa Rica’s near-universal healthcare coverage, Professor Arguedas-Ramírez warns that this achievement is under threat from privatisation efforts.
These contrasts will drive discussions on the role of solidarity in global health, and the event promises to deepen critical conversations about solidarity in these challenging times.
Venue: San Jose, Costa Rica.
Date: 27th, 28th February 2025