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March 2016 marked the launch of an international research project to study relations between two large regional blocs on either side of the Atlantic Ocean: the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). How do they differ? In which areas do they cooperate successfully? What can they learn from each other? An EU-funded project, “Giving Focus to the Cultural, Scientific and Social Dimension of EU - CELAC relations – EULAC Focus“ (2016–2019), has brought researchers from nineteen institutions in both regions together in search of answers. We talked to Dr. Barbara Göbel, Director of the Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut (Ibero-American Institute), about the main themes of the project, the political importance of the diffusion of knowledge, and why a project on bi-regional relations that involves a variety of partners always involves building relationships.

Dr. Göbel, could you summarize the objectives of the EULAC Focus Project for us?

Relations between Europe, on the one hand, and Latin America and the Caribbean, on the other hand, are multifarious and are characterized by stability and great historical depth. Although a variety of stable forums for dialog have been established since the Europe-Latin America Summit in 1999, a more strategic orientation is needed for the future course of bi-regional relations. Our EU project aims to contribute to this and to provide the European Commission's policy-makers with a better theoretical basis for developing new programs.

Why does the title of your project mention the “Cultural, Scientific and Social Dimension” in particular?

Up to now, researchers have always looked at these three important areas of bi-regional relations separately from each other. Both regions can learn from each other – not only in respect of politics and economics, but also society, culture, and science. Whereas we know quite a lot about academic exchange, this is not so much the case for social phenomena such as the migration of labor. Since 2008, for example, more EU citizens have emigrated to Latin America than the other way around.  We aim to examine how this affects bi-regional relations.

How do you approach such a large range of topics?

We evaluate existing research results, combine existing studies, undertake new surveys in some areas ourselves, and draw new conclusions from them, which we then systematize. Our work here has a strong focus on bi-regional relations. The core period covers about twenty years since 1999, when the first EU-Latin America summit meeting was held.

In total, you are working with eighteen project partners. What role does the IAI play?

In addition to the administrative components, the project consists of three thematic pillars: culture, social issues, and science. These are cross-linked by two interdisciplinary areas. One of the areas is devoted to developing a strategic vision for bi-regional relations. In the other area, we focus on our thematic pillars from four different viewpoints: mobility, inequality, diversity, and sustainability. The IAI is coordinating the latter interdisciplinary area in collaboration with the Universidade de São Paulo.

On August 29, a panel discussion among the project members, open to the public, will be held in the IAI. The subject is “Mobility and the Geopolitics of Knowledge: The Challenges of Scientific Exchange Between the EU and CELAC.” What are the main topics for discussion?

For science, mobility and diversity are very important factors. Historically speaking, science has also been characterized by inequalities, also in the context of relations between the two regions. So, for example, we are investigating the role of diversity – i.e. cultural, ethnic, gender, and age differences – in scientific exchange between the EU and CELAC. We are also considering various types of mobility – the movement of people as well as the diffusion of ideas and knowledge. We are interested in the extent to which mobility reduces or reinforces inequalities in trans-regional scientific relations.

Where do inequalities exist in scientific exchange between the two regions?

Various differences exist between the two regions, relating to the level of investment in research and development, the scale and thematic diversity of grant-funding programs, the number of post-doc researchers, and the existence of knowledge infrastructures. The EU is well organized in these respects. That is not so much the case in Latin America and the Caribbean. In terms of infrastructures in particular, the Ibero-American Institute is a good example. Unlike the nationally focused libraries in Latin America and the Caribbean, we have a great range and historical depth of material relating to every country of the region. This means that if you are a Brazilian researcher, for example, wanting to do comparative studies or relate materials such as books, magazines, maps, and photos to each other, then you have to come to the IAI in Berlin.

As an anthropologist, you are also a scientist – what does the project mean for the IAI and you?

It definitely gives us greater experience. As part of the EU's “Horizon 2020” grant program, our project is very application-oriented. Our task is to lay the groundwork for future political measures. At the same time, it is an interdisciplinary project involving a variety of institutional partners and different administrative structures, so it is also a great learning environment. It is often said that EU projects are extremely bureaucratic. Of course, they do require a lot of communication and coordination. But why see that as such a negative thing? These projects train all of the participants to integrate cultural diversity into their daily work and help them to build up tried and tested networks. This is a huge gain for the IAI. We are now establishing contacts with institutions that we had not previously collaborated with at this level: research funding agencies, think tanks, and governmental bodies such as the Argentine Ministry of Science. I am excited that we will not only be producing knowledge jointly, but also learning from each other in the different ways that we work.

The interview was conducted by Silvia Faulstich.

Links for Additional Information

• Press release "Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut: Wissenschaftler diskutieren über die Beziehungen zwischen Europa, Lateinamerika und der Karibik“ (in German)(09.08.2016) (PDF document, 58 KB, not barrier-free)
• Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut
• Project website "Giving focus to the Cultural, Scientific and Social Dimension of EU - CELAC relations – EULAC Focus"Science and Research at SPK