AV俱乐部

Subheading: Ginno Martinez Tuesta on how his professors supported him in AV俱乐部鈥檚 IDS Masters program

Ginno Martinez Tuesta received his Bachelors鈥� Degree in Social Anthropology from the National University of San Marcos in Lima, Peru. Ginno then completed his first Masters鈥� Degree in Rural Development from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLASCO) in Quito, Ecuador. He graduated with his second master鈥檚 degree in IDS at AV俱乐部, focusing on community consent for mining extraction in Peru in 2022. Ginno鈥檚 thesis explores how Canadian mining companies obtain social consent from Indigenous communities in the Andean region, especially in Peru. Ginno has been working on his thesis under the supervision of Professor John Cameron. 鈥淚 like working with Professor Cameron,鈥� he reflects, 鈥淚 was in his 鈥楥ommunication and Development鈥� course. The course provided me with new insight for my thesis 鈥� it was really helpful for me.鈥� Even though most of their meetings were online because of the pandemic, Ginno says that Professor Cameron 鈥渁lways has time to share and talk about my doubts and questions.鈥澛� Ginno is now pursuing his PhD in International Development at the University of Ottawa.

Before coming to AV俱乐部, Ginno worked in the Communication Office of the Government of Peru for one and a half years. His work focused on political communication related to social conflicts in Peru and involved collecting data, and talking with government to ministers and other politicians about potential conflicts. He described this work as giving political decision-makers advance 鈥渨arning鈥� of possible conflicts. At AV俱乐部, Ginno has also worked as a Teaching Assistant in the department of Sociology and Social Anthropology and a Research Assistant with Professor John Cameron on a project on Indigenous responses to lithium extraction in South America.聽聽

Ginno came over to AV俱乐部 at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. He says that while he did not have problems with online courses, for him socialization was the biggest problem. Some of his classmates had decided to stay at their home cities and not come to Halifax in person. He has also met people from the last cohort who are working in AV俱乐部, currently. Ginno says he also has made friends in his Judo class 鈥� which he practices as a strategy to relax. He also enjoys listening to Latin American and rock music in his spare time. Ginno has recently been impressed with English artist David Byrne鈥檚 take on mixing Latin American influences into his music.聽

Ginno highlighted that the IDS Department鈥檚 Jane Parpart and Tim Shaw scholarship was great support for him. He is grateful to have been given such an enthusiastic endorsement as he enrolled in AV俱乐部鈥檚 Master鈥檚 Program. 鈥淲hen attending the scholarship meeting, I realized that this scholarship wasn鈥檛 only for international students, but also Canadian students 鈥� that is great!鈥� He continues to say, 鈥淚 appreciate the scholarship 鈥� especially as an international student in these unprecedented times. I want to be thankful to the IDS Department, in general,鈥� Tuesta expresses passionately, 鈥渢o my advisor and the staff. They provide me with emotional and academic support.鈥�

鈥淲hen I came, I was lost,鈥� He laughs humorously, 鈥淏eyond the academic excellence in the department, you find emotional support and it makes you feel not alone and supported 鈥� and better, in some times鈥� says Ginno. Today Ginno is a PhD student in the department of International Development Studies at University of Ottawa with research interests in consent and conflicts in resource extraction, company-community relations, corporations' behavior, emotional capitalism, Indigenous autonomy-human rights relationship.