March 2023 Newsletter

Dear Latin Americanist Community,

If you are based in Los Angeles and the Southern California region, how are you coping with the storms of the past few days? Lots of people have lost electricity and phone service; hopefully this very wet winter will help alleviate our perennial lack of rain the rest of the year. For now, enjoy the magnificent views of the snowed mountain ranges north and east of the city.

At UCLA, March is a month of transition between the last weeks of the winter quarter and the start of the spring quarter. But at the Latin American Institute, we are not resting on our laurels. We have a busy month ahead! We are rekindling our Pacific World Research Network, a collaboration with the Asia Pacific Center and the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, to showcase studies on historical and contemporary connections between Asia and Latin America. On Thursday, March 2nd, we welcome LAI visiting scholar Rubens Marcelo de Campos Pinto, who will present “A comparative study between Brazil and China: FDI, Urbanization and Infrastructure in the 21st century.” This is an online only event. Register via zoom here.

This week, the LAI, the Center for Mexican Studies, and the Spanish and Portuguese Department, and other partners, host two talks by Juan Villoro, a preeminent literary figure in contemporary Mexico. Villoro will present his book, El Vértigo Horizontal: Una ciudad llamada México, on Wednesday at the Lyden library in Rolffe Hall (in-person only event), and on Thursday, he will give a talk entitled “Understanding Current Mexico: The Grammar of Violence.” This is a hybrid event. Register via zoom here or attend in person in Bunche Hall. We have several other events organized by the Andean Working Group and co-sponsored events with the Center for the Study of International Migration. Check out the LAI calendar for details!

  As promised, we have launched our call for applications for the summer field research grant, which supports graduate students working on Latin American and the Caribbean. The deadline to receive applications is March 31st. Check out eligibility details, required materials and access the application here. Also, thanks to our Title VI grant, we just issued a call to faculty to apply for course development grants, which is intended to expanding offerings of courses taught entirely or partially in Spanish or Portuguese. The deadline is April 14th and you can check out eligibility details and apply here. 

We have teamed up with Labor and Workplace Studies and other units on campus to welcome California’s Labor Commissioner, Lilia García-Brower, who will present about career opportunities at the Labor Commissioner’s Office and the Department of Industrial Relations. This is an in-person event only and lunch will be provided but you have to RSVP here.      

Finally, we are pleased to support the Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA Law, which will host the 186th period of sessions of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) – the leading human rights body in the western hemisphere, and simultaneously the conference Reimagining Rights in the Americas. Learn about the multitude of events that will take place on campus and beyond from March 2-11 here.   

I cannot close this message without 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