Recevied fellowship: University of Deusto (PhD), 2017
Academic supervisor: Andrea Pino and Felipe Guerra
Current affiliation: Universidad Austral de Chile
SRA2017-1
FR: University of Deusto (Spain)
TO: University of Chile (Chile)
I have just finished my PhD studies in Human Rights at the University of Deusto, Spain. My dissertation on “Effects of the Mapuche Legal Mobilization before the Advancement of the Small Hydropower Frontier in the Araucania” has been awarded an Excellent Cum Laude by unanimity.
I have a broad knowledge in the field of human rights and the protection of indigenous peoples’ rights in ethnic and environmental conflicts. This expertise was gained through the participation in courses on the Effects of Lawfare, held at the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway; the European Master’s Degree in Human Rights and Democratization at the European Inter-University Centre, where my thesis was ranked at the top five among more than ninety international students
and published by the University of Vienna; and the fieldwork carried out in Chile and Colombia, where I implemented participatory research methods and conducted semi-structured, in depth interviews with many stakeholders involved in conflicts resulting from energy transition projects. Several of my works have been published by indexed journals and presented in international congresses.
I have worked as an Associate Researcher for the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Santiago (Chile) and Moscow (The Russian Federation), I have collaborated with the International Training Center of the International Labor Organization team in order to define the structure and content of the ILO course on Just Transitions and I have also given several lectures at the University of Girona on subjects related to human rights activism and constitutional management of diversity.
Summary of Support Program Activities:
To undertake the international fieldwork necessary for carrying out data collection and analysis of my postdoctoral research on ethnic and environmental conflicts motivated by the expansion of wind power projects in southern Chile. The fieldwork will be developed in the region of Los Rios in a four- onth frame and will be supervised by professors Pino-Piderit and Guerra-Schleef (The Universidad Austral de Chile). Data collection and analysis will be fulfilled through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with stakeholders, participatory action research with Mapuche communities and literature review at university libraries.
The research objectives are twofold: unveiling epistemic injustices that take place in the environmental impact assessment of wind power projects (ex ante approach) and monitoring the appropriateness of Environmental Qualification Resolutions and mitigation, compensation and reparation measures as ordered by environmental authorities and courts (ex post approach).
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sergi-vidal-7563b817/
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