Mount Allison University Highlights El Salvador Field School and Community-Based Learning
An article published in Mount Allison University's Summer 2026 Record, by Melissa Lombard, titled “Connecting with culture and community,” highlights the university's inaugural El Salvador Field School and its connections to the Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador research partnership. Led by Dr. Morgan Poteet, Associate Professor of Sociology at Mount Allison University and a longtime collaborator with the Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador project, the field school offered students from different academic disciplines an opportunity to learn directly from Salvadoran communities.
Modelled after a field school developed at Western University, the course included an eight-day visit to El Salvador, where students engaged with community leaders working toward environmental and social justice. Through conversations with residents and community groups, students explored connections between historical memory, environmental challenges, migration, and contemporary social movements. The experience also encouraged students to reflect on their learning through daily journals and creative projects.
Read the full article: “Connecting with culture and community” — Mount Allison University, by Melissa Lombard.
The Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador research initiative is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Western University, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Ontario Research Fund.
Surviving Memory Named Finalist for 2026 SSHRC Impact Awards
The Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador project has been named one of nine finalists for the 2026 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Impact Awards. The project is a finalist in the Partnership Award category, which recognizes research partnerships that demonstrate mutual cooperation, shared intellectual leadership and resources, and meaningful impact within and beyond academic communities.
This recognition reflects more than a decade of collective work by an international, interdisciplinary, and cross-sector partnership of Salvadoran civil war survivors, community leaders, scholars, students, artists, architects, and activists. Through initiatives focused on community documentation, commemoration, testimony, economic reconstruction, environmental reparation, and healing, Surviving Memory has worked alongside communities affected by the Salvadoran Civil War (1980–1992). The partnership's work includes documenting survivors' testimonies, preserving historical archives, co-creating memorials, and supporting youth arts initiatives. Central to these efforts is a shared commitment to trust, solidarity, and collaborative decision-making, with research guided by the priorities and aspirations of the communities involved.
Being named a finalist recognizes the important contributions of all members of the Surviving Memory partnership, whose collective efforts have shaped the project's work over the past decade. The partnership brings together hundreds of researchers, trainees, and community collaborators who work across national, cultural, and disciplinary boundaries. Through collective discussion, consultation with survivors, and shared decision-making, the project continues to support community-led efforts to document and commemorate experiences of the civil war. With SSHRC set to announce the award recipients in December 2026, this recognition provides an opportunity to acknowledge the dedication and contributions of the many individuals and communities who have sustained Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador.
Read more:
SSHRC Announces Finalists for the 2026 Impact Awards
Surviving Memory Project Named Finalist for SSHRC Impact Awards — Western University FIMS
The Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador research initiative is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Western University, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Ontario Research Fund.
“Sanando el río” [Healing the River]: In-Person Talk, Thursday, October 22, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Western University UC 1405
The research initiative Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador invites you to “Healing the River,” a gathering with Francisco Mejía, a member of the RAÍCES [Roots] collective and a supporter of MEMORIA VIVA [Live Memory], which will take place on October 22, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., in UC 1405 at Western University.
Space is limited. To register, email garcialapaz@gmail.com with your name.
The Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador research initiative is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Western University, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Ontario Research Fund.
Mapping & Memory Conference 2026: Final Program
Members of the Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador massacre mapping team from — Amanda Grzyb, Reynaldo Hernández, María Laura Flores Barba, and Zack MacDonald — will present a featured talk on Wed Sept 23 during the Mapping and Memory conference at Western University. The conference runs from Sept 23-25 and includes papers and roundtable participation by many members of the Surviving Memory team. The Mapping and Memory conference is supported in part by a SSHRC Connections Grant.
The Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador research initiative is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Western University, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Ontario Research Fund.
New Publication on Community Archives in El Salvador
Four members of the Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador project have published the article “Toward Healing and Justice: Building Equitable Relationships with Community Archives in El Salvador” in the Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies.
The article draws on the partnership's ongoing collaboration with Centro Arte para la Paz [Center Art for Peace, CAP] in Suchitoto, Cuscatlán, as the authors reflect on what it means to build archival projects based on trust, reciprocity, and long-term relationships. Focusing on the experience of co-creating the Mediateca of CAP, the publication brings together the perspectives of several members of the Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador team. Giada Ferrucci, Postdoctoral Associate at Western University, Amanda Oliver, Head of Archives and Special Collections at Wilfrid Laurier University, Tom Belton, Head of Archives and Special Collections at Western Libraries, and Fernando Chacón, a graduate student researcher with the project.
The article emerged from conversations and collaborations with members of CAP developed through the partnership since 2021. It highlights the importance of recognizing community members not simply as participants in research, but as custodians of knowledge whose experiences and priorities should shape how archives are created, managed, and shared. As the project continues to work alongside survivors, community organizations, and memory initiatives across El Salvador, this publication offers one example of how collaborative archival work can help preserve histories that might otherwise be lost while supporting communities in telling their own stories on their own terms.
The Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador research initiative is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Western University, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Ontario Research Fund.
Summer Research Task Force: Surviving Memory Team Prepares Project Content for the New Academic Year
Summer remains a busy time for the Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador team. A research task force composed of postdoctoral fellows, research assistants, local team members in El Salvador, and project leaders is working to review, update, and finalize project content before the new academic year begins in September. Many members of the team are working in Surviving Memory’s Oral History and Documentation Lab, which was established with funding from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the Ontario Research Fund (ORF), Western’s Faculty of Information and Media Studies, and Western Research.
The team’s current goals include completing video editing and uploading materials to the massacre map, advancing the transcription and translation of interviews and testimonies, and updating news, events, publications, and project information on the website. A small team led by Dr. Giada Ferrucci is also overseeing research assistants who continue to digitize a large collection of material about El Salvador from York University’s Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean.
This task force requires careful coordination. The team is managing hundreds of documents and sensitive files while also ensuring the quality and consistency of content in English, Spanish, and French. Members meet every Wednesday to review progress, address ongoing challenges, and coordinate the next steps.
According to Dr. Amanda Grzyb, project director, , “It’s awe-inspiring to see how seamlessly this large team works together on complex tasks like transcription, translation, digitization, data analysis, and video editing. I am so grateful to our project coordinator, Dr. Adriana Alas, who is coordinating the work along with postdocs, Dr. Giada Ferrucci and Dr. María Laura Flores Barba, and long-time lead research assistant, Yarubi Díaz Colmenares. Their dedication to the Surviving Memory initiative and to disseminating the memory of the Salvadoran Civil War is evident in everything they do.”
The Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador research initiative is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Western University, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Ontario Research Fund.
"Intergenerational Memory Research in Postwar El Salvador and Liberia": online panel by Surviving Memory team on June 23
Members of the Surviving Memory in Postwar el Salvador team will participate in the online panel “Bridging Generations and Methodologies: Intergenerational Memory Research in Postwar El Salvador and Liberia”, on June 23, from 12:00 - 1:30pm (EST). This panel is part of the Digital Memory Studies Association speaker series (dMSA).
The discussion explores intergenerational memory in postwar contexts, focusing on El Salvador and Liberia. It highlights how younger generations act as co-researchers and creative agents, using participatory methods such as crowdsourcing, photovoice, music and songwriting, and guided nature walks to document, interpret, and transmit collective memory.
By engaging survivors and youth as co-creators, the session emphasizes inclusivity, ethical reflection, and embodied practices, fostering resilience, social recognition, and community cohesion. Participants will discuss the integration of digital tools, arts-based methods, and experiential learning in memory studies and social justice work.
Dr. Amanda Grzyb, Surviving Memory project director will convey the panel, with the participation of Dr. Maria Laura Flores Barba (Western Postdoctoral Fellow, Western University), Dr. Adriana Alas (project coordinator), Dr. Joel Martínez-Lorenzana (Research Associate), and Dr. Giada Ferrucci (Western Postdoctoral Fellow, Western University).
Use this link to register. For more information, visit the MSA website.
The Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador research initiative is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Western University, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Ontario Research Fund.
In the News: Surviving Memory Research Assistant Amaan Thawer and his sister celebrate convocation at Western University
A trajectory of fight for Health Equity after a severe family illness strengthens the bond of siblings Amman and Jahaan Thawer. They celebrated their convocation together at Western University this spring. Access here the full Western News story highlighting their path of resilience and activism leading to graduation.
Amaan was a Research Assistant for Surviving Memory for two years, after joining project coordinator Amanda Grzyb’s field course in El Salvador in 2023. In the project, he examined the continuing effects of the Salvadoran Civil War on health and the environment by engaging with communities affected by metallic mining and agricultural chemicals in their land and water.
Amaan is graduated from the B.Sc. in Geology, while Jahaan graduated in Health Sciences and works on health equity, women’s health advocacy, Black men’s prostate cancer awareness, social justice, and the social determinants of health.
The Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador research initiative is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Western University, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Ontario Research Fund.
In the News: Surviving Memory Co-Founder Dr. Amanda Grzyb Appointed to the Order of Ontario
On June 1, 2026, Dr. Amanda Grzyb, project director and co-founder of Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador, attended the investiture ceremony for her 2025 appointment to the Order of Ontario. The ceremony was officiated by the Honourable Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.
Professor Grzyb was recognized for decades of collaboration with survivors of genocide and state violence, her commitment to community-based research and historical memory, and her efforts to address contemporary social injustice.
Western News highlights that Professor Grzyb has led Surviving Memory into “an award-winning collaborative research partnership that includes artists, scholars, community organizers and local leaders working with Salvadoran communities to commemorate sites and stories.”
In an interview with CBC, Professor Grzyb spoke about the relevance of historical memory and transitional justice in today’s society:
“If anyone listens to the news, they know that we're living in an era of rising authoritarianism, white supremacist thinking and ideology, residential school denial. We are surrounded by the implications of state violence, the legacies of state violence. And unfortunately, it's not going away. So I would say that every survivor I've worked with, from Holocaust survivors to Rwandan genocide survivors, to survivors of the Salvadorian Civil War, their number one concern is to prevent this from happening to anybody else.”
The Order of Ontario is the highest civilian honour in the province. Learn more about the 30 recipients appointed in 2025 here.
The Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador research initiative is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Western University, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Ontario Research Fund.
Surviving Memory team participates in the “Mass Atrocities, Environmental Degradation, and Communities Rights” conference in Dundee
Three members of the Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador team attended the “Mass Atrocities, Environmental Degradation, and Communities Rights” conference in Dundee, Scotland from May 17-21, 2026. Hosted by the University of Dundee, the University of Stirling, and the Congress of Nations and States, the conference included a mix of scholars, activists, and community leaders focused on cases of state violence across the world.
Dr. María Laura Flores Barba (Western Postdoctoral Fellow) presented a paper about Surviving Memory’s massacre mapping initiative and Dr. Amanda Grzyb (Professor of Information and Media Studies at Western) and Reynaldo Hernández (Surviving Memory co-founder and civil war survivor) co-presented a paper about Surviving Memory’s community-based research methods.
The Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador research initiative is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Western University, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Ontario Research Fund.