The Latin American Studies Association (LASA) is the largest association for scholars of

Latin American studies Latin American studies (LAS) is an academic and research field associated with the study of Latin America. The interdisciplinary study is a subfield of area studies, and can be composed of numerous disciplines such as economics, sociology, history ...

. Founded in 1966, it has over 12,000 members, 45 percent of whom reside outside the United States (36 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean), LASA brings together experts on Latin America from all disciplines and diverse occupational endeavors, across the globe.LASA
About LASA
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History

LASA was founded in 1966 following a meeting sponsored by the Joint Committee on Latin American Studies (composed of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) and the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), held at the Hispanic Foundation (now the Hispanic Division) of the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

, May 7, 1966. LASA's constitution and bylaws were drafted and on May 12, 1966 it was incorporated in Washington, DC as a legal, tax exempt organization, "non-profit professional body created by scholarly area specialists to meet their particular and growing needs." The incorporation of the LASA was the culmination of a long process to create such an organization after the failure of a previous attempt. In April 1958,

Howard F. Cline Howard F. Cline (June 12, 1915 – June 1, 1971) was an American government official and historian, specialising in Latin America. Cline served as Director of the Hispanic Foundation at the Library of Congress from 1952 until his death in June 19 ...

, Director of the Hispanic Foundation of the Library of Congress (1952–71) and the ACLS organized a conference to explore the creation of a coordinating body for Latin American area studies. In 1959, the ACLS and the SSRC formed the Joint Committee on Latin American Studies, which ultimately led to the founding of LASA as an organization. The Constitution and Bylaws of the Latin American Studies Association were published in the '' Latin American Research Review'' in 1966. LASA's first President after its 1966 incorporation was political scientist Kalman Silvert, who published extensively on Latin American political systems and conflict. LASA honors Silvert's memory with a major prize.

Mission

LASA's mission is "to foster intellectual discussion, research, and teaching on Latin America, the Caribbean, and its people throughout the Americas, promote the interests of its diverse membership, and encourage civic engagement through network building and public debate."

LASA Congresses

Every year, specialists on Latin America gather at the LASA International Congress. Featuring over 900 sessions, including plenary sessions and informal meetings, the Congress is the world's premier forum for expert discussion on Latin America and the Caribbean. The theme of the 2019 Boston LASA Congress is “Justice and Inclusion"

Regional Subgroups

At the 1992 LASA Congress in Los Angeles, scholars specializing in Brazil founded the Brazilian Studies Association (BRASA). BRASA now holds independent biennial meetings.

LASA Presidents

* Gerardo Otero (Simon Fraser University), 2021-2022 * Gioconda Herrera (Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) Ecuador), 2020-2021 * Mara Viveros-Vigoya (Universidad Nacional de Colombia), 2019-2020 * Lynn M. Stephen (University of Oregon), 2018-2019
Aldo Panfichi
(Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú) 2017-2018 * Joanne Rappaport Georgetown University 2016-2017 * Gilbert Joseph (Yale University) 2015-2016 * Debra Castillo (Cornell University) 2014-2015 * Merilee Grindle (Harvard University), 2013-2014 * Evelyne Huber (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill), 2012-2013 * Maria Hermínia Tavares de Almeida (Universidade de São Paulo), 2010-2012 *

John Coatsworth John Henry Coatsworth (born September 27, 1940) is an American historian of Latin America and the former provost of Columbia University. From 2012 until June 30, 2019, Coatsworth served as Columbia provost. From 2007 until February 2012 Coatswor ...

(Columbia University), (historian) 2009-2010 * Eric Hershberg (American University), 2007-2009 * Charles R. Hale (University of Texas, Austin), 2006-2007 * Sonia E. Alvarez (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), 2004-2006 * Marysa Navarro (Dartmouth College), 2003-2004 * Arturo Arias (University of Redlands), 2001-2003 *

Thomas Holloway : Thomas Holloway (22 September 180026 December 1883) was an English patent medicine vendor and philanthropist. Early life Holloway was born in Devonport, Plymouth, Devon, the eldest son of Thomas and Mary Holloway (née Chellew), who at the t ...

(University of California, Davis), 2000-2001 *

Franklin W. Knight Franklin W. Knight (born 1942, Jamaica) is a historian of Latin America and the Caribbean. He is an emeritus professor at Johns Hopkins University, where he was the Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Professor of History from 1993 to 2014 and director of ...

(Johns Hopkins University), (historian) 1998-2000 * Susan Eckstein (Boston University), 1997-1998 * Jane Jaquette (Occidental College), 1995-1997 *

Cynthia McClintock Cynthia McClintock is a professor at George Washington University and an author.Cynthia McClintock
George W ...

(George Washington University), (political scientist) 1994-1995 *

Carmen Diana Deere Carmen Diana Deere (born August 1, 1945) is an American feminist economist who is an expert on land policy and agrarian reform, rural social movements, and gender in Latin American development. She has conducted extensive research on access to ...

(University of Massachusetts, Amherst), 1992-1994 * Lars Schoultz (University of North Carolina), 1991-1992 *

Jean Franco Jean Franco (March 31, 1924 – December 14, 2022) was a British-born American academic and literary critic known for her pioneering work on Latin American literature.Risen, Clay"Jean Franco, 98, Pioneering Scholar of Latin American Literature, Die ...

(Columbia University), 1989-1991 * Paul Drake (University of California, San Diego), 1988-1989 * Cole Blasier (University of Pittsburgh), 1986-1988 * Wayne Cornelius (University of California, San Diego), (political scientist) 1985-1986 * Helen M. Safa (University of Florida), 1983-1985 * Jorge I. Domínguez (Harvard University), (political scientist) 1982-1983. Stripped of his LASA membership January 2020. *

Peter H. Smith Peter Hopkinson Smith (born January 17, 1940) is a scholar of Latin American history, politics, economics, and diplomacy. He is a distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science and the Simon Bolivar Professor of Latin American Studies at ...

(University of California, San Diego), 1981-1982 * Carmelo Mesa-Lago (University of Pittsburgh), 1980-1981 * William P. Glade 1979-1980 * Riordan Roett 1978-1979 * Evelyn P. Stevens 1976-1978 * Richard R. Fagen 1975-1976 * Paul L. Doughty 1974-1975 * Henry A. Landsberger 1973-1974 * Thomas Skidmore 1972-1973 * Federico G. Gil 1971-1972 * John J. Johnson 1970-1971 * John P. Augelli 1969-1970 *

Richard Newbold Adams Richard Newbold Adams (August 4, 1924 – September 11, 2018) was an American anthropologist. His parents were Randolph Greenfield Adams and Helen Spiller Adams. He grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Adams served in the United States military durin ...

1968-1969 *

Kalman H. Silvert Kalman H. Silvert, (born 10 March 1921, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, died 15 June 1976, New York, New York) was an author of works on democracy in Latin America, the first president of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA), and professor of po ...

(political scientist) 1967-1968

Awards

* LASA/OXFAM Martin Diskin Dissertation Award * Bryce Wood Book Award * LASA/Oxfam America Martin Diskin Memorial Lectureship * Premio Iberoamericano Book Award * LASA Media Award *

Award - named for the first president of LASA * Luciano Tomassini Award *

Charles A. Hale Charles Adam Hale (June 5, 1930 – September 29, 2008) was a distinguished historian of Mexico, who published major works on nineteenth and early twentieth-century Liberalism in Mexico. Life Hale was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Lloyd and ...

Fellowship for Mexican History - named for University of Iowa historian of Mexican liberalism *

Guillermo O'Donnell Guillermo Alberto O'Donnell Ure (February 24, 1936 – November 29, 2011) was a prominent Argentine political scientist, specializing in comparative politics, who spent most of his career working in Argentina and the United States, and who ...

Democracy Award and Lectureship *

Book Prize in Mexican History, named for a founder of LASA

Publishing

LASA publishes an interdisciplinary scholarly journal, the '' Latin American Research Review'' (LARR) founded in 1965 by a consortium of U.S. universities. ''LARR'' is an interdisciplinary journal that publishes original research and surveys of current research on Latin America and the Caribbean. LASA has established a publishing house, the Latin American Research Commons, that publishes ''LARR'' and other books and journals.

References

External links

LASA website
{{Authority control Latin American studies Learned societies of the United States Organizations established in 1966 1966 establishments in Washington, D.C.