CLALS Begins New Project, "Catalyzing a New Generation of Researchers in Cuba"

As part of its ongoing Cuba Initiative, the Center has been awarded a substantial grant to launch a new project, led by CLALS Research Fellow Ricardo Torres, that will catalyze a network of researchers analyzing Cuba’s economy and society. The effort will devote particular attention to three thematic clusters: markets and state, enterprise reform; family, aging, and the care economy; and migration, human capital, and engagement of the diaspora.

CLALS Announced Recipients of 2020-21 William M. LeoGrande Award and Prize 

Juliana Martínez, Associate Professor of the Department of World Languages and Cultures, is the recipient of the Award for best book or peer-reviewed article in Latin American or Latino Studies published by a member of the American University community for her extraordinary book, "Haunting Without Ghosts: Spectral Realism in Colombian Literature, Film, and Art." (University of Texas Press 2020).

Vanessa Walker, Gordon Levin Associate Professor of History at Amherst College, is the recipient of the Prize for best international scholarly work on U.S.-Latin American relations for her deeply researched book, “Principles of Power: Latin America and the Politics of U.S. Human Rights Diplomacy.” (Cornell University Press 2020).

The Center Published Two Working Papers under Research Projects

"Latin America-China Relations: A Review of Recent Literature (2010-2020)" is a comprehensive review of the previous decade's literature on the state of relations between China and Latin America and the Caribbean. Written by Andrés Serbin, President of the Coordinadora Regional de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales (CRIES), this paper considers the different approaches taken by academic communities from China, Latin America, and the United States when analyzing Chinese-Latin American relations, and is the product of a Center project sponsored by the Institute for War & Peace Reporting and the U.S. Department of State to assess China's efforts to shape perceptions of its role in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In "Criminal Networks in the Americas" a joint research team of scholars from American University and InSight Crime develop a multidimensional typology for criminal organizations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Drawing upon analyses of nineteen criminal networks across the Americas, this report provides an in-depth analysis and typology distinguishing such networks by the type of capital they prioritize: political, social, or economic. This collaborative research is part of a CLALS project sponsored by the U.S. Department of State to analyze the diverse criminal networks of Latin America and the Caribbean.

CLALS Launched "The Road Ahead: Cuba After the July 11 Protests" Online Symposium

As part of its ongoing Cuba Initiative, CLALS launched "The Road Ahead: Cuba After the July 11 Protests." This online symposium brings together the views of more than a dozen respected scholars and analysts, including voices from both inside and outside the island, to analyze the protests that swept Cuba on July 11, 2021. These original essays, in both English and Spanish, examine the political, economic, social, and cultural conditions that led up to July 11, and the significance of these events for Cuba’s future.

In addition to the original contributions, the symposium includes a section of Additional Analyses with links to commentary and analysis published elsewhere that will be of interest to a broad audience, and a longer section of Further Readings for those who want to explore the subject in greater depth.

CLALS Published Report on Latino-Owned Businesses

The Center launched its latest report, “Pandemic Relief for Latino-Owned Businesses: Lessons from the Washington DC Metropolitan Area.” Building on a prior report assessing the pandemic’s impact on Latino-owned businesses, CLALS Professors Rob Albro and Eric Hershberg co-authored a comprehensive study addressing access to pandemic relief resources for Latino-owned enterprises in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The study compares how area jurisdictions have handled federal, state, and local aid for businesses, development and promotion of relief programs, institutional mechanisms for delivering aid, and customized efforts to reach Latino business owners. The study also offers policy recommendations to limit future vulnerability and forge capable institutions to assist Latino businesses.

Part of the CLALS Working Paper Series, this report is the product of an ongoing CLALS project analyzing Latino entrepreneurship in the Washington, DC metro region, as well as collaboration between the Center, the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and AU’s Kogod School of Business. Read media coverage of the report.

CLALS Announced the Publication of Understanding Climate Change through Religious Lifeworlds

CLALS announced the publication of Understanding Climate Change through Religious Lifeworlds (Indiana University Press). Edited by David Haberman, Professor of Religious Studies at IU, this is the first of two volumes, both to appear this year as complementary outcomes of the Center's project, Religion & Climate Change in Cross-Regional Perspective, carried out with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation. This volume presents a geographically wide ranging collection of ethnographically informed case studies exploring how the effects of anthropogenic climate change are actively reshaping religious ideas and practices, even as communities endeavor to make sense of mounting climate challenges using their own traditional and religious worldviews. 

CLALS Announced Recipients of LeoGrande Award 

The Center and the School of Public Affairs announced the co-recipients of the William M. LeoGrande Award for the best scholarly book or article on Latin American or Latino Studies published by a member of the American University community, for 2019–2020.

Matthew Taylor, Associate Professor, School of International Service, Decadent Developmentalism (Cambridge University Press, 2020)

Luciana Gandini, CLALS Research Fellow and Senior Researcher, Institute of Legal Studies, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Caravanas (UNAM, 2020)

Read the media announcement for more information on the 2020 recipients and their work.

CLALS Released Working Paper 30 - The Rise of the PCC: How South America’s Most Powerful Prison Gang is Spreading in Brazil and Beyond

The Center released The Rise of the PCC: How South America’s Most Powerful Prison Gang is Spreading in Brazil and Beyond, co-authored by Insight Crime and CLALS. Over the past thirty years, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) has emerged as one of the most powerful criminal organizations in South America. Drawing on research undertaken as part of a CLALS project, “Transnational Criminal Organizations in Brazil & the Southern Cone,” the report describes the PCC’s origin as a Brazilian prison gang, its unique model of organization, and its ability to regulate criminal markets in the areas it controls. The report analyzes the forces that have facilitated the PCC’s rise and expansion within and beyond Brazil, as well as possible constraints to its further spread.

CLALS Launched New AU Brazil Research Initiative

The Center launched the AU Brazil Research Initiative, an effort to catalyze and advance work undertaken by faculty from schools and colleges across American University, as well as research conducted in partnership with numerous Brazilian institutions with which the Center has collaborated previously. The AU Brazil Research Initiative includes a blog dedicated to the discussion of exciting new social science research on Brazil, complementing the commentary from our faculty and fellows on contemporary issues in Brazil on the AULABLOG. Visit the new Brazil Research Initiative webpage and blog.

CLALS Released Working Paper No. 29

The Center released Legal Protections for Environmental Migrants: Expanding Possibilities and Redefining Success, authored by Jayesh Rathod, Professor in AU’s Washington College of Law. With a focus on Latin America and the Caribbean, this working paper describes international and domestic efforts to enact legal protections for environmental migrants, examines why efforts to craft a comprehensive international instrument to address this phenomenon have yet to succeed, and details the multiple factors contributing to this impasse. It goes on to emphasize the need for a broader range of local, national and international normative approaches, the benefits of treating migrants as adaptive agents rather than passive victims, and the urgency of greater participation by migrants in processes of decision-making about their future.

This report is a product of CLALS’ multi-year project on Religion and Environmentally-Induced Displacement in Latin America and the Caribbean, supported by the Henry Luce Foundation’s Initiative on Religion in International Affairs.

CLALS Released New Publications

The CLALS-prepared report, "In Children's Best Interests: Charting A Child-Sensitive Approach to U.S. Immigration Policy," provides a detailed assessment of the impact of the current administration’s policies on children and on the integrity of the immigration process, as well as offers a comprehensive roadmap for analysts and advocates interested in exploring how the best interests principle can inform immigration policy and practice. Authored by CLALS Assistant Director for Research Dennis Stinchcomb, the report synthesizes and builds upon presentations from leading scholars, practitioners, and advocated at a two day symposium convened by the Center in February 2020, organized in collaboration with the American University Washington College of Law and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

The Center has released its latest Working Paper, "Fleeting Success: The Legacy of Honduras’ International Anti-Corruption Mission," authored by Charles Call, Associate Professor at AU’s School of International Service. The report examines the work and impact of the Mission in Support of the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH) including analysis of its legacy and lessons for future anti-corruption commissions. This report is part of an ongoing CLALS project to understand the legacies and lessons of hybrid anti-impunity missions in Central America, with support from the Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and Seattle International Foundation. The full text is available in English and Spanish.

Regarding the impacts of COVID-19, the Center released a report, "Assessing Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Latino-Owned Businesses in the DC-Metro Region," on the findings of its survey of area Latino businesses, conducted in collaboration with AU's Kogod School of Business and the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. This report offers a snapshot of the diverse and extraordinary impacts facing Latino businesses owners, which include substantial losses of revenue and customers, and major disruptions such as closures and layoffs. It intends to help community assistance organizations and decision-makers identify specific policies and programs to support Latino-owned businesses during and after the pandemic. Read additional coverage on the report and survey.

CLALS Responded to COVID-19 with New Initiatives

The Center responded to the pandemic with a variety of initiatives and projects, as well as curating analyses on the COVID-19’s impacts for Latin America and Latinos in the US, including work by faculty affiliates and partner organizations. Visit our COVID-19 page to see our full collection of analyses, projects, and infographics.

CLALS conducted a survey of university leaders across Latin America to gauge the pandemic’s implications for higher education in the region. The results reveal that COVID-19 has disrupted public and private institutions across the region, with respondents demonstrating unease regarding future prospects. Read the full report in English or Spanish. Coverage can also be found on the AULABLOG.

The Center released a new working paper, “Racial Disparities of Daily Living in the DC Area: Findings from the 2018 DC Area Survey,” authored by Michael Bader, Associate Professor of Sociology at AU’s College of Arts and Sciences. The paper presents the findings of the 2018 DC Area Survey, revealing racial disparities across the DC-metro area that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Read the full report and explore more titles in the CLALS Working Paper series.

Extending prior CLALS-sponsored research on Latino entrepreneurship in the DC-metro region, the Center developed a survey of local Latino owned businesses, in collaboration with AU’s Kogod School of Business and the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The survey was designed to gauge the effects of the pandemic and accompanying economic crisis upon Latino businesses across the region, their primary needs and concerns, and responses to the crisis. Read our report on the survey results.

CLALS Announced 2019 Winners of LeoGrande Prize & Award

The School of Public Affairs and Center for Latin American & Latino Studies announced the recipients of the 2018-2019 William M. LeoGrande Prize for the best book on U.S.— Latin American relations, and the William M. LeoGrande Award for the best scholarly book or article on Latin American or Latino Studies published by a member of the American University community. More information on these annual awards, the 2019 recipients and their work can be found in the official media announcement.

The William M. Leogrande Prize & Award Winners

Marixa Lasso, Associate Professor, Latin American History, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Erased: The Untold Story of the Panama Canal (Harvard University Press, 2019)

Ernesto Castañeda-Tinoco, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences, A Place to Call Home: Immigrant Exclusion and Urban Belonging in New York, Paris, and Barcelona (Stanford University Press, 2018)

CLALS Released Working Paper No. 24

CLALS released a new working paper, "Too Much Success? The Legacy and Lessons of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala," authored by Charles Call, Associate Professor at AU’s School of International Service, and Jeffrey Hallock, a doctoral candidate at SIS. This report examines the work and impact of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) including analysis of its legacy and lessons for future anti-corruption commissions. The report was launched at an event co-hosted by the Instituto Centroamericano de Estudios Fiscales (ICEFI) on January 9, 2020 in Guatemala City.

This report is part of an ongoing CLALS project to understand the impact, legacies, and lessons of hybrid anti-impunity missions in Central America, with support from the Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and Seattle International Foundation. The full text of this report is available in English and Spanish.

CLALS Released Working Paper No. 23

CLALS released a new working paper, "Central America and the Bitter Fruit of U.S. Policy," authored by Bill Gentile, Senior Professorial Lecturer and Journalist in Residence at AU’s School of Communication. Gentile was a young freelance reporter and photographer in Central America throughout the 1980s, covering the Sandinista Revolution and ensuing Contra War in Nicaragua and its effects throughout the region. Forty years after the Revolution, he returned to Nicaragua, where the current political situation caused him to reflect on his experiences there. This Working Paper is a collection of Gentile's stories and observations on power, war, and journalism, from his initial arrival in Managua in 1979 to the present.

CLALS Released Working Paper No. 21

CLALS released a new working paper, "International Anti-Impunity Missions in Guatemala and Honduras: What Lessons for El Salvador?," which provides sound, detailed analysis of lessons that anti-impunity efforts elsewhere in Central America may hold for El Salvador, as part of an Open Society Foundations-sponsored project. The report, authored by Prof. Charles Call, is informed by previous CLALS-sponsored studies, most notably an analysis of the Mission against Impunity and Corruption in Honduras (MACCIH).

The report was launched in San Salvador, El Salvador, at a public event held at the Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas, on June 20, 2019. The report is available for download in English and Spanish.

CLALS Announced 2018 Winners of LeoGrande Award & Prize

CLALS and the School of Public Affairs announced the recipients of the William M. LeoGrande Prize for the best book on U.S.- Latin American relations, and the William M. LeoGrande Award for the best scholarly book or article on Latin American or Latino Studies published by a member of the American University community, for 2017-2018:

• Lars Schoultz, William Rand Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, In Their Own Best Interest: A History of the U.S. Effort to Improve Latin Americans (Harvard University Press, 2018)
• Anthony Fontes, Assistant Professor, School of International Service, Mortal Doubt: Transnational Gangs and Social Order in Guatemala City (University of California Press, 2018)

Read more about the LeoGrande competition and the work of these two scholars.

Christianity, Gender, Sexuality and the Law in Latin America 

As a part of the Center's project on Religion and Democratic Contestation in Latin America, funded by the Luce Foundation, a special issue of the journal Religion and Gender was released in November 2018. "Christianity, Gender, Sexuality and the Law in Latin America" features six articles on women's reproductive rights and LGBTQ rights in Latin America, authored by project participants including Washington College of Law Professor and CLALS Affiliate Macarena Saez. The full issue is available for download.

Working Paper No. 19: Newcomer Central American Immigrants' Access to Legal Services

CLALS released Working Paper No. 19 in late September 2018: "Newcomer Central American Immigrants' Access to Legal Services." To better understand local variations in the provision of legal assistance and barriers faced by Central American migrants in accessing existing services, researchers from the Center and the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston conducted interviews with service providers, local government officials, and other stakeholders across three major immigrant receiving communities: the Washington, DC and Houston metropolitan areas, and North and South Carolina. Drawing on project interviews and publicly available data, this report documents legal service gaps, catalogs the principal challenges confronting community-based legal service providers, and highlights strategies for enhancing service provider capacity and overcoming access barriers. The report is available for download.

Church, Cosmovision and the Environment: New Edited Volume

As part of a Center project on Religion and Democratic Contestation in Latin America, a new edited volume was released in July 2018 by Routledge Press. Church, Cosmovision and the Environment: Religion and Social Conflict in Contemporary Latin America describes and analyses multiple types of religious engagement with environmental concerns and conflicts seen in modern Latin American democracies. The volume was edited by CLALS Research Associate Professor Robert Albro and former CLALS Affiliate Associate Professor Evan Berry.

CLALS Released Working Paper No. 18

CLALS released a new working paper, "From Steady Progress to Severely Wounded: A Two-Year Report on the Performance of the OAS Mission in Support of the Fight Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH)" that examines MACCIH's progress and challenges in the two years since its inception. Halfway through its four-year mandate, MACCIH has scored some important successes but confronts growing sabotage from segments of Honduras’s political elite determined to undermine the Mission’s work. The report was launched in Tegucigalpa, Honduras in front of an audience of nearly 200 people. The report is available for download in English and Spanish on the CLALS Working Paper page.

CLALS Announced 2017 Winners of LeoGrande Award & Prize

CLALS and the School of Public Affairs announced the recipients of the William M. LeoGrande Prize for the best book on U.S.- Latin American relations, and the William M. LeoGrande Award for the best scholarly book or article on Latin American or Latino Studies published by a member of the American University community, for 2016-2017:

• Tore C. Olsson, Assistant Professor, Department of History, The University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Agrarian Crossings: Reformers and the Remaking of the US and Mexican Countryside (Princeton University Press, 2017)
• Michael Bader, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences, (with Siri Warkentien) "The Fragmented Evolution of Racial Integration since the Civil Rights Movement" ( Sociological Science, 2016)

Click here for more information on the LeoGrande competition and the work of these two scholars.

CLALS and InSight Crime Released Multi-Year Investigative Report on MS13

As a part of a multi-year initiative evaluating the transnational criminal capacity of the MS13 gang, CLALS and InSight Crime released a report on "MS13 in the Americas: How the World's Most Notorious Gang Defies Logic, Resists Destruction." With funding from the National Institute of Justice, the report synthesizes findings from three years of investigative field work and interviews in El Salvador, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and Long Island. Download the full report.

NSF Workshop Report: Country Conditions in Central America and Asylum Decision-Making

The latest installment in the CLALS Working Paper Series is the result of a January 2017 workshop convened in collaboration with the Washington College of Law to discuss how social science research can better inform judicial decision-making with respect to the growing number of asylum applications submitted by Central Americans. The report summarizes recommendations for more effective cross-disciplinary collaboration on asylum claims; highlights trends in security and socioeconomic conditions in Central America and charts an agenda for future research on those and related topics; and reflects on ongoing challenges to efficient and equitable adjudication of claims in the U.S. The full report is available for download.

CLALS Publishes Spanish-Language Edited Volume Sexo, Delitos y Pecados

As part of the Religion and Democratic Contestation Initiative, generously funded by the Henry R. Luce Foundation, CLALS published a Spanish-language Ebook. Available for free download, Sexo, Delitos y Pecados: Intersecciones entre religión, género, sexualidad y el derecho en América Latina brings together the insights of academics and advocates, many of whom are currently at the forefront of impact litigation across Latin America concerned with the rights of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans) people and women's reproductive rights. Chapters in the edited volume highlight the role played by religion in the region, in both promoting and limiting such rights. Coming to us from the front lines of these struggles in Latin America, this book offers timely clarity about how the law and particular rights with respect to gender and sexual identity are being interpreted, contested, and sometimes, transformed, by social justice and religious parties to such conflicts.

CLALS and SIS Launched the Robert A. Pastor North America Research Initiative

American University's School of International Service (SIS) and CLALS launched an initiative to promote and disseminate cutting edge social science research focused on processes of North American integration. Starting in Fall 2016, AU convened a select group of early career scholars who explored North American progress toward the ideal of integration championed by the late SIS Professor Robert A. Pastor. By supporting the production, exchange, and dissemination of innovative social science devoted to the region and its potential, the Robert A. Pastor North America Research Initiative (NARI) places AU at the forefront of a long term research agenda that informs future policy on North America.

Palgrave Released CLALS-Sponsored Volume on Emergent Challenges for Latin American Economies

Most countries in Latin America are struggling to escape what economists label "the middle income trap." While much if not all of the region has emerged from low income status, neither growth nor productivity has increased sufficiently to enable Latin America to narrow the gap separating it from the world's most developed economies. The volume Innovation and Inclusion in Latin America, edited by Barbara Stallings and Alejandro Foxley, identifies lessons that can be learned and adapted from experiences within the region and in East Asia, where the middle income trap has largely been avoided.

This book is the result of a collaborative project undertaken by CLALS and the Corporation for Latin American Studies (CIEPLAN) in Chile, with financial support from the Inter-American Development Bank's Office of Strategic Planning and Development Effectiveness.

CLALS Received National Science Foundation Workshop Grant

With asylum applications from Central American children and families on the rise, CLALS was awarded a National Science Foundation grant to convene a workshop to discuss how social science research can inform judicial decision-making on these complex cases. The January 2017 workshop brought together leading social scientists with expertise on the conditions driving migration and on the psycho-social impacts of the migration experience, with legal scholars who specialize in refugee and asylum law. The objective was to share insights across disciplinary perspectives in order to enhance scholarship and better inform lawyers and other practitioners working with Central American migrants. The initiative was led by CLALS Director Eric Hershberg and Washington College of Law Professor Jayesh Rathod. Learn more about the workshop.

Working Paper #13: "The Role of the Latino Vote in the 2016 Elections"

A record 27.3 million Latinos were eligible to vote in the 2016 U.S. elections. In the latest addition to our Working Paper Series, Aaron Bell recapped a series of panel discussions at American University's 2nd Annual Latino Public Affairs Forum on the potential impact of the Latino vote. Panelists identified several factors that may shape electoral outcomes, including the diverse makeup and interests of the Latino community, immigration's role as a wedge issue, and partisan and non-partisan effort to engage with, register, and turn out voters.

Working Paper #12: "A Critical Look at Labor Legislation in Cuba"

In the thirteenth addition to our Working Paper Series, Gabriela Radfar offers an analysis of changes in Cuba's labor laws following the "Special Period in Time of Peace." The new labor legislation was marked by reforms to Social Security, legal recognition and expansion of "self-employment," and the creation of new cooperatives. These measures and the new Labor Code enacted in 2014 are part of Cuba's "Updating the Economic Model." The full paper is available in Spanish, and is part of our ongoing Cuba Initiative, funded by the Christopher Reynolds Foundation.

Working Paper #11: "What Pope Francis Brings to Latin America"

Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has embodied an approach centered on personal simplicity with a stance that is open and welcoming to all, above all to the marginalized and vulnerable. The eleventh installment of the CLALS Working Paper Series examines the resonance and possible impact of the Pope's public stance on five issues: peacemaking and violence; ecology; migration and migrants (internal and international); inequality; and gender and sexuality. Each of these issues has a long history in Latin America (as elsewhere) of public debates, campaigns for changes in law (and resistance to those changes), and mobilization and lobbying by individuals and social movements. The report is a product of the Center's Luce Foundation-funded project on Religion and Democratic Contestation in Latin America.

Former Governor of Puerto Rico Discussed Florida's Growing Puerto Rican Voter Bloc

In an exclusive interview with former CLALS graduate assistant Maria Carrasquillo, former governor of Puerto Rico Luis Fortuño opines that Florida's Puerto Rican electorate was "up for grabs" in the 2016 presidential election--and could have very well decided who won the important swing state. Read the full article.

On Monday, February 29, Gov. Fortuño was one of nine expert panelists who debated the role of the Latino vote in the 2016 election at the 2nd Annual Latino Public Affairs Forum.

CLALS and Kogod Released a Report on Latino Entrepreneurship in the DC-Metro Region

Drawing on an unprecedented original survey of 200 Latino entrepreneurs in the DC metropolitan area, the Center's working paper begins to fill a critical knowledge gap about Latino-owned businesses in the region. Authored by Kogod School of Business Professor Barbara Bird and CLALS Research Fellow Michael Danielson, the report concludes a second phase of research on Latino entrepreneurship in the DC-metro region carried out in collaboration with area partners, the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GWHCC) and the Arlington-based small business training company BizLaunch.

CLALS Releases Report on the Catholic Church's Role in Keeping Gold Mining out of El Salvador

El Salvador's refusal to allow industrial gold mining within its borders sets it apart from most other Latin American countries. Since 2007, three successive presidents from opposing parties have maintained a de facto moratorium that prevents all mining firms from accessing El Salvador's gold deposits. Yet opposition to industrial gold mining was not always the majority position in El Salvador. The ninth installment in the CLALS Working Paper Series explored the Church's influence on the Salvadoran government's decision to suspend all metals mining, examining the theological and practical motivations for the Church's stance on mining. The report is a product of the Center's Luce Foundation-funded project on Religion and Democratic Contestation in Latin America.

Notre Dame Published a CLALS-Sponsored Volume on Religious Responses to Violence in Latin America

During the past half century, Latin America has evolved from a region of political instability and frequent dictatorships into one of elected governments--yet high levels of violence remain a persistent problem. The CLALS-sponsored publication, Religious Responses to Violence: Human Rights in Latin America Past and Present (Notre Dame, 2015, edited by Alexander Wilde), analyzed how religion has contended with different forms of violence, from the political and state violence of the 1970s and 1980s to the drug traffickers and youth gangs of today. The book synthesized findings from a previous Henry Luce Foundation-sponsored project on Religion and Violence in Latin America and is also available in Spanish.

Bill Gentile Produced Documentary Short "When the Forest Weeps"

As part of the Luce Foundation-funded initiative on Religion and Democratic Contestation in Latin America, the Center released the new documentary short "When the Forest Weeps," which was shot by SOC Journalist in Residence Bill Gentile on assignment in Ecuador. The piece highlights the spiritual relationship between the Kichwa indigenous people and the Ecuadoran Amazon rain forest. The Spanish-language version of the video was also featured in an article by Univisión.

CLALS and FLACSO Released Working Paper on Violence and Community Capabilities in Central America

CLALS released the eighth installment in its Working Paper Series, titled "Violence and Community Capabilities: Insights for Building Safe and Inclusive Cities in Latin America" and authored in collaboration with FLACSO-Costa Rica and FLACSO-El Salvador. The paper is part of an IDRC-supported initiative to inform policymakers and practitioners on the dynamics of urban violence in two countries that have evolved very differently historically: Costa Rica and El Salvador. In five distinct communities, the researchers analyzed neighborhood dynamics as well as community assessments of anti-violence interventions. Read the full-text paper.

CLALS and the Pulitzer Center Hosted a Forum on Religion, the Environment, and Social Justice

Following the papal visit to the United States, CLALS and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting brought together journalists and academic experts to discuss reporting on the role of religion in public discussion, debate, and activism on climate change. The event was part of a Luce Foundation-funded CLALS project on Democratic Contestation in Latin America, dedicated to exploring the relationship of religion to the environment across the region. Videos and a report of the event are available via the Pulitzer Center.

CLALS Curated Online Photo Exhibit: "Exploring Cuba"

As part of its ongoing Cuba Initiative, CLALS launched an online, curated exhibition of photographs from Cuba, in partnership with American University's Bender Library. The collection is available to the public for free downloading and circulation, and is intended to be a resource for authors, educators, students, web designers and others engaged in analyses of contemporary Cuban affairs. If you would like to contribute photographs to the collection, please email us at clals@american.edu.

CLALS Convenes Meeting with IAF

On July 13, 2015 CLALS and the Inter-American Foundation jointly convened a workshop to explore the possible linkages between diaspora organizations in the U.S., their sending communities in Latin America and the Caribbean, and interested philanthropic and programmatic partners on both sides of the borders. This effort builds on many years of applied IAF and AU experience with these diaspora communities, Home Town Associations (HTAs), community foundations, and other partners, and takes advantage of the momentum created in recent months with the founding of a transnational Ad Hoc Working Group on Building Broader Communities.

Palgrave Published Project-Sponsored Volume on Brazil

A series of wide-ranging essays on Brazil's changing international role have been published in a CLALS-sponsored volume entitled Brazil on the Global Stage: Power, Ideas, and the International Order(Palgrave Macmillan, 2015). The book is co-edited by Professors Matthew Taylor (School of International Service, AU) and Oliver Stuenkel (Fundação Getulio Vargas) and is a product of CLALS' initiative on Brazil and the Global Liberal Order. The volume explores Brazil's postures on specific aspects of foreign relations, including trade, foreign and environmental policy, humanitarian intervention, nuclear proliferation, and South-American relations, among other topics.

SIS Professor and CLALS Affiliate Robin Broad Released Paper on Corporate Bias in the World Bank Group

In this paper, Broad focuses on the main venue for investor-state dispute settlement: the World Bank Group's International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), beginning with a brief history of ICSID, from its birth fifty years ago to the present moment. The paper provides a detailed case study of what transpired after El Salvador's government did not approve a mining concession for a Canadian mining company and subsequently implemented an environmentally inspired de-facto moratorium on metals mining in postwar Puerto Rico. Read the full paper.

CLALS Announced Recipients of the 2014 William M. LeoGrande Prize and Award

On April 1, 2015 CLALS and SPA announced the 2014 recipients of the William M. LeoGrande Prize for the best book on U.S.-Latin American relations and the William M. LeoGrande Award for the best scholarly book or article on Latin American or Latino Studies published by a member of the AU community for 2013-2014.

2014 William M. LeoGrande Prize Recipient:
Alan McPherson, ConocoPhillips Petroleum Chair of Latin American Studies, University of Oklahoma, The Invaded: How Latin Americans and Their Allies Fought and Ended U.S. Occupations (Oxford University Press, 2014)

2014 William M. LeoGrande Award Recipient:
Eileen J. Suárez Findlay, Associate Professor, Department of History, AU College of Arts and Sciences, We are Left without a Father Here: Masculinity, Domesticity, and Migration in Postwar Puerto Rico (Duke University Press, 2014)

CLALS and ICEFI Published Project-Sponsored Book on Central American Elites and Fiscal Policy

Studies resulting from a joint project carried out by CLALS and Instituto Centroamericano de Estudios Fiscales (ICEFI) have been published in a volume entitled Política fiscal: expresión del poder de las élites centroamericanas. The book analyzes how elites influence fiscal policymaking in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, shedding light on the complex relations between the state, economy and society in these countries. Electronic and print versions of the book are available for purchase via F&G Editores.

CLALS Launched Project-Sponsored Book on Latin American Economies

Studies resulting from a joint project carried out by CLALS and the Corporación para Estudios de Latinoamérica (CIEPLAN) were published in a volume edited by CIEPLAN President Alejandro Foxley and former CLALS Research Fellow Barbara Stallings. The book, titled Economías latinoamericanas: Cómo avanzar más allá del ingreso medio, outlined emerging challenges faced by Latin American economies and identified lessons from experiences within the region and East Asia to address issues of technology and innovation as well as social inclusion. Download an electronic version of the book or read about the book launch, which took place at the Universidad de Talca in Chile.

CLALS Released Report on Unaccompanied Children from Central America

CLALS released the seventh installment of its Working Paper Series, titled "Unaccompanied Migrant Children from Central America: Context, Causes, and Responses" and authored by CLALS staff Dennis Stinchcomb and Eric Hershberg. The paper was part of a Ford Foundation-supported initiative to inform advocates and practitioners working with new arrivals about factors affecting the recent unprecedented surge in child and family migration from Central America. The paper presented findings around the country conditions ("push factors"), migration expansion in the context of long-term trends, and the new arrivals' prospects for remaining in the U.S. in light of current deportation and policy responses. Download the full text.

Working Paper #5: "Emergent Challenges for Latin American Economies"

CLALS released the fifth report in its Working Paper Series, entitled "Groundwork for Inclusive Development: Responses to Emergent Challenges for Latin American and Caribbean Economies." Authored by Alejandro Foxley of the Chile-based think tank CIEPLAN, the working paper was one of several publications resulting from a joint CLALS-CIEPLAN initiative aimed at better understanding opportunities and challenges for the region's development agenda. Download the full text.

Hemisphere in Flux Project Publications Available

CLALS released two special journal issues resulting from its Hemisphere in Flux project, a multi-year initiative that sought to better understand the emerging multi-polar order and new regional organizations in the Americas. In December 2013, Lua Nova: Revista de Cultura e Política published a special edition entitled Hemisfério em Transformação with articles by project participants, including CLALS Director Eric Hershberg and former Faculty Affiliates Philip Brenner of SIS and Carlos Portales, among others. In June 2014, a special edition of the trilingual journal Pensamiento Propio, entitled El hemisferio en transformación: Regionalismo, multilateralismo y políticas exteriores en un entorno cambiante, was released in Buenos Aires. Full-text articles are available for download at the links above.

CLALS Announced Recipients of the 2014 Tinker Field Research Grants

In April, CLALS announced the 2014 Tinker Field Research Grant recipients:

Erik Alda (PhD student in Justice, Law and Criminology, SPA)
Maya Barak (PhD student in Justice, Law and Criminology, SPA)
Amberly A. Ellis (MFA student in Film and Media Arts, SOC)
Leah A. Germer (MA student in Global Environmental Politics, SIS)
Olivia Gilmore (MA student in Global Environmental Politics, SIS)
Laura S. Jung (PhD student in Anthropology, CAS)
Carlos Martínez Ruiz (PhD student in History, CAS)
Katie Sizemore (MA student in International Peace and Conflict Resolution, SIS)
Laura Daniela Stevens León (PhD student in Government, SPA)

CLALS Announced Recipients of the 2013 William M. LeoGrande Prize and Award

CLALS and SPA congratulated the 2013 recipients of the William M. LeoGrande Prize for the best book on U.S.-Latin American relations, and the William M. LeoGrande Award for the best scholarly book or article on Latin American or Latino Studies published by a member of the AU community, for 2012-2013.

2013 William M. LeoGrande Prize Recipient:
Kathleen C. Schwartzman, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Arizona

2013 William M. LeoGrande Award Recipients:
Agustina Giraudy, Assistant Professor, AU School of International Service

T. Garrett Graddy, Assistant Professor, AU School of International Service

CLALS Launched the U.S.-Cuba Archive

As part of the Cuba Initiative, CLALS launched a digital archive on U.S.-Cuban relations. This unique resource offers scholars, researchers, policymakers, and journalists interested in U.S.-Cuban relations a single point of easy access to relevant articles, laws, and reports on the full range of U.S.-Cuban issues. From human rights to migration to environmental protection, this archive includes the best and most current resource materials available-over 160 documents in all-and is regularly updated.

CLALS Releases First Working Paper on Salvadoran Gang Truce

CLALS released its first white paper, one in a series produced for the multi-year project of research and structured dialogue on religion and violence in Latin America.

Authored by Steven Dudley, co-director of InSight Crime with reporting by Oscar Martínez of El Faro, the paper examines the role of the Catholic Church in the March 2012 truce brokered between rival gangs in El Salvador. Download the full text.

See the May 12, 2013 public statement in Spanish by the Catholic Conference of Bishops questioning the truce, and InSight Crime's ongoing analysis.

Cuba Initiative Activities

With support of the Center's Cuba Initiative, funded by the Christopher Reynolds Foundation, AU Kogod School of Business professor Sonya Grier spent one month (January-February 2013) in Havana, Cuba, conducting research on the development of social marketing initiatives around health promotion objectives. Learn more about Grier's visit and other activities sponsored by our Cuba Initiative.

CLALS Released First Project-Sponsored Book Publication

Scholarly articles resulting from a multi-year project co-organized by CLALS and the University of British Columbia's Andean Democracy Research Network were combined in a volume and edited by Maxwell Cameron of UBC, CLALS Director Eric Hershberg, and Ken Sharpe of Swarthmore College. The book was published by Palgrave Macmillan in English, New Institutions of Participatory Democracy: Voice and Consequence, and by FLACSO-Mexico in Spanish, Nuevas instituciones de democracia participativa en América Latina: la voz y sus consecuencias. Both are available for purchase online.

2012 Tinker Field Research Grants

CLALS announced the recipients of the 2012 Tinker Field Research Grants: Brian D'Haeseleer, Ph.D candidate,CAS/History - El Salvador; Adam Fenner, Ph.D candidate, CAS/History - Honduras; Milagros Haro, MA candidate, SIS/ID - Guatemala; Douglas Keillor, JD/MA, WCL - Mexico; Lindsey Murphy, MA candidate, CAS/LFS - Chile; Jennifer Yelle, Ph.D candidate, SPA/Government - Mexico; Sonia Saini, MA candidate, SIS/GEP - Cuba; Paula Silveira Orlando, Ph.D candidate, SOC - Brazil; Justine Strom, MA candidate, CAS/LFS - El Salvador; Marcela Torres, Ph.D candidate, SPA/Government - Peru & Bolivia; Tatiana Ware, Ph.D candidate , SIS/IR - Cuba & Brazil; Lydia White, MA candidate, SIS/CRS-Mexico

Latin Pulse Listeners Expanded Exponentially

The Latin Pulse podcast distributed by Link TV and iTunes continues growing with the support of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies (CLALS) and its affiliates. The program now reaches more than 8,500 listeners weekly around the world (not just in the U.S. and Latin America, but also in Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa including China, India, Russia and Turkey, and more than 60 other countries). Since the program debuted in September, it has featured interviews with 11 affiliates of the Center and highlighted experts and other programs connected to CLALS.

Report Release: Latino/a Development Beyond the School Day

In October 2011, CLALS and SETH's Collaborative for Urban Education, Research and Development released the report: Supporting Latino/a Youth Development beyond the School Day: A process evaluation of Studio R.O.C.K.S.

Scholarships to the Inter-American Human Rights Moot Court Competition

CLALS provided funding to the winners of the AU Washington College of Law, 16th Inter-American Human Rights Moot Court Competition held from May 22-27, 2011.

Hemisphere in Flux

The Center's Hemisphere in Flux initiative was the focus of a March 25, 2011 panel discussion organized by the Embassy of Canada, with presentations by Andres Serbin and CLALS Director, Eric Hershberg.

CLALS Established Partnership with CentroNía

CLALS partnered with CentroNía in examining the ways in which after-school programs impact Latino youth and families.

CLALS Released Three Reports on Cuba

With support from the Christopher Reynolds Foundation, CLALS released three studies of basic needs provision in Cuba in February 2011.

CLALS Represented in Argentina and Cuba

In December 2010, CLALS Director Eric Hershberg participated in two panel discussions: the first, at Centro Argentino de Relaciones Internacionales, analyzing the impact of the 2010 mid-term elections on U.S.-Latin America policy, and the second at the Universidad Nacional de San Martin in Buenos Aires on the study of politics and development in Latin America. He also delivered a keynote address at the Universidad de la Habana conference on Cuba and the Caribbean.

CLALS Inaugural Reception

AU faculty, staff and students, as well as guests from other academic institutions, policymaking bodies, community organizations, and NGOs, attended the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies launch reception on Tuesday, March 16 at the Katzen Center for the Arts.