Co-hosted with: Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (SSE)
Speakers: Francisco Javier Montaño (Wealth & Space Project, KIT), Mathilda Lorkin (Queen Mary School of Law, QMUL), and Isadora Cruxên (Queen Mary Business School, QMUL)
This student-led workshop provides an open, supportive space for PhD candidates and Early Career Researchers to explore the intersections of Land, Labour and Local Communities. Co-hosted by CLaSP at Queen Mary Business School and CRoLAC at the School of Society and the Environment, the event brings researchers together alongside guest speakers and advanced doctoral scholars to openly discuss theories and interdisciplinary methods of doing research with communities at the grassroots level.
The event will kick off with lunch from 12:00 to 13:00 (catered by Queen Mary catering), providing an informal opportunity to connect with peers before the presentations begin.
Our speakers will share the theoretical frameworks, concepts, and practical methods guiding their work on land struggles, labour dynamics, and local communities. Together, we will look at how these dynamics unfold across diverse settings—from Indigenous territories and peasant farming communities to urban-regional populations responding to privatization and financialization.
Each guest will give a short, 20-minute talk focusing on how theory shapes their actual research practice and fieldwork decisions. Following the presentations, facilitators will host an interactive workshop where participants can share their own research ideas, ask questions, test new concepts, and reflect on applying these methods to their own projects at any stage.
Workshop spots are limited to 15 participants. In order to participate, please register below.
Speakers’ bios:
Francisco Javier Montaño is a research assistant and PhD student in the Wealth & Space project at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. His research focuses on socio-ecological conflicts from the perspective of labor, peasant agriculture, and community alternatives to capitalism in Mexico. Grounded in an ethics of care, epistemic plurality, and decolonizing approaches, he investigates conflict management in Zapatista communities, resistance against mega-projects, and the impacts of intellectual property on seed sovereignty.
Mathilda Lorkin is a PhD candidate in Law at QMUL researching the intersection of international law, carbon markets, and territorial rights. Her work investigates international land-grabbing practices driven by carbon offsetting in Less Developed Countries (LDCs), with a focus on state sovereignty, human rights, and the protection of Indigenous and local communities from unconsented land appropriation.
Dr. Isadora Cruxên is a Senior Lecturer in Business Politics and Development at QMUL holding a PhD from MIT. Her interdisciplinary research examines the political economy of sustainable development, state-market power, financialization, and public infrastructure governance (such as water and sanitation) in Latin America and Brazil. She also co-leads Data Against Feminicide, an award-winning project focused on participatory research, digital tools, and data activism.