A Subject I Enjoy Studying

This semester my favorite subject is an elective called “Power, domination and democracy”. This isn’t an obligatory subject, is a theorical elective and is dictated by de professor Camilo Sembler. 

This subject is based in expository class sessions, and I have to say that all clases are very intensive because de theories and authors are very complicated, but I really like them. We also discuss about the different points of view of the authors that we study, and that is very interesting because they all are very controversial topics. The contents are related with political science and are divided in three modules. The first one was about classics conceptions about the power, then we studied normative theories about power and democracy and finally, the third module was about post-foundational conceptions about power and democracy.

I like this subject, first, because I think the contents are so interesting, I really enjoy every class and reading that we had done. Secondly, I like this subject because I think the professor is great. His classes are worth it, and he explain very complicated theories in very easy words, that is always something to be grateful.

An Expert On My Field

Today I want to talk about an expert on my field, sociology. Her name is Nancy Fraser. She was born in 1947 in Baltimore, EE.UU. She is a political philosopher, political scientist and feminist.

Her work is related with academic stuff. She had worked in different universities in Europe: Netherlands, France, Spain and Germany, but she has worked most of the time in USA. At the moment she teaches philosophy at The New School in New York. Also she writes quite a lot. My favorite book of Nancy Fraser is “Fortunes of feminism: from state-managed capitalism to neoliberal crisis”.

One of the things that I really like of her is that she has an explicit political point of view about the thing she writes and she is not de kind of intellectual that writes only for her.

Other reason about why I like her is related to the theories that she has developed. I’m not going to explain her theories, but I totally agree about the things she writes about social justice and feminism, and I really like the way she has put feminist subjects in theories that had been historically men centered.

3 Feet High and Rising, one of my favourite records

Today I'm going to talk about one of my favorite hip-hop records: 3 Feet High and Rising, from the De La Soul trio. It was published in 1989 and produced by Prince Paul.

 

It is an album that incorporates elements of jazz through sampling, introducing new ways of doing hip-hop. Also, the lyrics don't talk about the topics hip-hop used to talk about in the late 80s. In this sense, at the time the lyrics commonly revolved around gangster life, weapons and murders in the neighborhood. While those songs are legitimate and represent a reality for the black population in the United States, this album reflects that hip-hop can talk about anything. The main singles of the album are "Me Myself and I", "The Magic Number" and "Eye Know". However, I recommend listening to it in full and enjoying each of its moments.

A Photograph and its story

Hi! Today I will tell you about this photo that I really like. It is an analog photo and was taken by my girlfriend, Isabel, this summer. With her we decided to go to El Canelo, a beach that is located on the central coast. We wanted to relax, because we had a very intense year, especially after the social outbreak. We are both militants of political parties, so we had very intense months since October.

I like it because we really enjoyed that trip with my girlfriend. Also, this particular photo shows who we really are. In this photo, we are playing UNO and I am losing, because I have too many cards. With Isabel we always laugh that we opened a clandestine bookmaker in El Canelo. We are looking forward to going back next summer. I hope to win at UNO when that happens.

My Favourite Piece of Technology: Sampler Machines

My favorite technological object is the AKAI MPC 60 sampler machine. One of its main creators is Roger Linn, and it is a machine made up of 16 pads, in which each one has a sound assignable by the music producer. They are usually assigned drum sounds or small snippets of songs, which can then be mixed. It is a machine widely used by the hip-hop world, being an indispensable object in the studies of the main producers of the genre. Several classic hip-hop albums have been produced with this machine, such as DJ Shadow's "Endtroducing", one of my favorites.

AKAI MPC60

One of my dreams is to have this machine in my house. Because it is very expensive and scarce, at the moment I have only been able to buy an AKAI MPK MINI, which has the same functionality as the MPC60, only with a different sound. In this sense, the characteristic of the MPC60 is its classic and worn sound. Unmistakable.

AKAI MPK MINI

Why I Choose My Career

I study sociology at the University of Chile and I am in my fifth year. I chose sociology because since I was 14 years old I really like reading things about history. Over the years, I became very interested in philosophy, especially because it allowed me to study social reality. The first author who made me know sociology was Karl Marx, considered one of the classics of the discipline. Then I met Max Weber and so I became more interested in sociology. When I was in first medium, I decided that sociology was my thing. Then I discovered more things that interested me about the discipline, such as the multiple areas of intervention in which sociologists can work. Personally, the one that interested me most was Latin American studies and development. I am currently working on my thesis on this topic, particularly on regional integration in Latin America.

Who I am?