The Human Relations Area Files (HRAF) at Yale University is pleased to feature one of our institutional winners of the HRAF Global Scholarship. Founded in 1943, the University of Caldas (Universidad de Caldas) is a nonprofit coeducational public higher education institution located in the city of Manizales in Caldas, Colombia. With a mission emphasizing the sustainable development of Central-Western Colombia, the university offers courses and programs leading to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in several areas of study including anthropology and sociology. Manizales, a city at the top of the Andes Mountains, is part of the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia and has recently been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Caldas is the oldest and most recognized university in the area, an institution which has greatly contributed to the academic, economic, cultural, and scientific development of the region.

The HRAF Global Scholarship, which is sponsored by donors, provides faculty, students, and researchers at the University of Caldas with free access to the world’s largest database of ethnography until June 2021. Access includes two research databases, eHRAF World Cultures and eHRAF Archaeology. The application for the scholarship was submitted by David Osorio García, a faculty member in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology.

Juan Manuel Castellanos and David Osorio Garcia

As announced on the university website, David Osorio García sees great potential for using the eHRAF databases in the interdisciplinary study of human diversity both within and beyond anthropology: “Through this tool you can also work in cross-cultural, comparative research on the human behavior of the non-western peoples of the world.”

Recently, the University of Caldas held an event which featured a presentation titled “Possibilities of Cross-Cultural Research: The Human Relations Area Files at Yale University”. Professors David Osorio García and Juan Manuel Castellanos shared the benefits and scope of the eHRAF World Cultures database and how it is being utilized for research by the Laboratory of Comparative Studies.

David Osorio García produced the following informative video which explains more about HRAF’s products, including eHRAF World Cultures and Archaeology, as well as our open access resources.

We are delighted to share this wonderful presentation of the central role of eHRAF in research conducted at the University of Caldas. HRAF is proud to support the impressive work of our global scholars and their institutions. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation in support of the HRAF Global Scholarship.