The Land Speaks: How Argentina Shifted My Understanding of Identity
PGS: People of the Land– Indigeneity and Politics in Argentina and Chile
Hillary, one of the Penn Global Seminar Correspondents, shares her experience abroad during the Spring 2025 PGS. Follow along with the group of correspondents on our blog and look out for their images on the @pennabroad Instagram feed.
Before traveling to Argentina for my Penn Global Seminar, I expected to learn about history, politics, and social movements– but what surprised me most was how deeply the people I met connected their identity to the land. In the U.S., especially in academic spaces, we often talk about identity as a combination of race, class, gender, or language. But in Argentina, I encountered a more holistic understanding: identity that breathes with the earth. Locals spoke of the land not just as property or resource, but as a living part of themselves. “We breathe the same air the land breathes,” someone said. That stuck with me. The water we drink, the food we grow, the animals and plants we coexist with– it’s all part of one shared ecosystem. If we don’t take care of the land, we’re not taking care of ourselves.
This mindset deeply shifted my perspective. It made me reflect on my own relationship with place, nature, and cultural heritage. I began to see how identity isn’t shaped by one thing– it could be your language, your family’s traditions, the neighborhood you grew up in, or the land that raised you. For me, it’s a blend of all of those. And in Argentina, I realized that identity is always evolving– it’s something we build through experience, connection, and reflection. If I could do anything differently, I would have engaged even more with locals– asked more questions, spent more time listening to their stories, and explored beyond our academic itinerary. Every conversation, even the casual ones, revealed something profound.
For future Penn Global Seminar students, my biggest advice is to go in with curiosity, but also with humility. The most transformative parts of the trip will come when you step outside of your comfort zone and really open yourself up to the people and places around you. Take notes, take photos, but also take time to just be– to sit with what you’re learning and let it change you. Above all, don’t rush through the experience. Let it sink in. Because studying abroad isn’t just about going somewhere new– it’s about returning home with a new way of seeing. What I brought back from Argentina wasn’t just knowledge– it was a shift in how I carry myself in the world, how I listen, and how I care. And that kind of learning, I’ve found, stays with you long after the trip ends.
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