May 2023 Newsletter

Dear Latin Americanist Community,

The Latin American Institute has updated its website! The project has been many months in the making and we have finally completed and published the revamped site. The new portal is visually appealing, agile, and organizes information in a more effective way. At the top of the portal, you will find a rolling banner with information on current events and news. As you scroll down, you will see two columns: one for blog posts, which now also have a dedicated page, and another one for current events and link to the LAI calendar (also newly redesigned). The drop-down menus at the top of the website will let you explore and learn about the staff of the LAI, visiting scholars, affiliated faculty, and more; academics and research, our community engagement activities, the Hispanic American Periodical Index (HAPI), and opportunities to give to the LAI (very important!). Many thanks to the LAI staff for leading this effort, and to the staff of the IT department at the International Institute, who provided excellent technical support and advice. Revamping the website is also an opportunity to update information about the LAI projects and activities. We will continue to add content as new initiatives come to fruition. I invite you to explore the new website and learn about the wealth of resources and knowledge on Latin America generated by our affiliated faculty, visiting scholars, and graduate students.

We are almost at the end of the academic year and, naturally, we are all trying to pack as many activities as possible before final exams and graduations happen. May will be a busy month. We have several events about Cuba, including the connections between Cuban music and Africa in the context of 20th century decolonization movements; presentations on Mexican and Cuban cinema, and about South Asian indentured servants brought to the Caribbean in the 1800s. We will also have the last event of the Migrant Children Negotiating Educational Systems Series of the LAI Outreach Program with a presentation by Prof. Silvia Rodríguez Vega (UC Santa Barbara) on her book Drawing Deportation: Art and Resistance among Immigrant Children. Finally, we will also have a book presentation and discussion panel of Until the Storm Passes: Politicians, Democracy, and the Demise of Brazil’s Military Dictatorship, by our own Bryan Pitts, assistant director of the LAI (you can download a PDF of the book here). Learn details of these and other events by visiting the LAI calendar (it looks great!) 

  I close this message inviting you to give to the mission of the UCLA Latin American Institute and its centers, programs, and working groups. Your generous contributions support the lively intellectual life of the institute, student research, and our vibrant outreach activities. Thanks!

Rubén Hernández-León,
Director of the UCLA Latin American Institute