In this letter, I wish to provide an overview of the key issues and activities that have occupied the association’s leadership in recent months. In addition, I will describe activities within LASA concerning the defense of academic freedom, a major theme of this issue of LASA Forum.
Association News
As we begin 2026, planning for the International Congress in Paris to be held on May 26-30, 2026 (LASA2026) is well underway. Dozens of committee members—having completed the ranking of papers and panels—have now reviewed applications for travel grants, while others are considering prizes for meritorious work and achievements by members. The gratitude of the LASA elected leadership and the Secretariat goes out to all colleagues working for the association on a volunteer basis. LASA simply could not exist without your many contributions.
I would also like to thank the LASA staff for the immense effort they have made to accommodate as many papers and panels as possible. We originally anticipated a rejection rate of 10-12 percent, but were able to get that number much lower (under three percent) without compromising quality by finding additional space on the program. Sessions will run from 8:00 am to 8:30 pm over five days. As of November 25, over 1,600 sessions are scheduled, involving 6,200 participants. We have allocated over $188,000 in travel grant funds to help roughly 315 participants out of a total of 1,100 applications received. These funds are made possible by the LASA endowment.
We are thrilled to announce that the Ford Foundation will be supporting our fundraising reception at the Maison de l’Amérique latine. The Foundation’s generosity since the inception of LASA has been vital to its success, and we could not be more pleased that they will accompany us in celebrating LASA’s 60th anniversary in Paris. We are in conversation with several other potential institutional funders, including universities, all of whom will be recognized on the occasion. Professor Gil Joseph and Executive Director Milagros Pereyra have performed a great service to LASA with their fundraising efforts.
I understand that some of France’s Semaines de l’Amérique latine et des Caraïbes (SALC) activities will be organized with LASA in mind. They may be timed to follow LASA2026, so that people who travel to Paris for the Congress can also take advantage of these important events. Anyone wishing to avail themselves of opportunities to build bridges with European counterparts may consider extending their stay in Paris a few more days.
The LASA organization continues to be busy and productive. The committees that I mentioned in my last letter have been hard at work.
- The Site Selection Committee has recommended that LASA2027 be held at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in Mexico City, and we are now working closely with our counterparts at UNAM to make this a reality. LASA and UNAM are enthusiastic about the prospect of holding the Congress at one of Latin America’s more iconic and prestigious universities. I would like to congratulate Vice President Gisela Zaremberg and the Secretariat for their efforts in moving this process forward.
- The Executive Committee has agreed to make the Site Selection Committee a permanent committee to assist LASA in the selection of future sites.
- The LASA Nominations Committee has generated a slate of candidates for the Executive Committee and for Vice President and President-elect. The slate can be seen here: https://lasaweb.org/en/elections2026. I encourage all members to review these candidates and to read their biographies and statements as you consider for whom to vote. LASA is a democratic organization, and its vitality depends on the active engagement of its membership.
- A Strategic Planning Steering Committee, which was tasked with initiating the strategic planning process, developed a Request for Proposals (RFP), which will allow us to solicit the external support we need to begin this crucial process. The RPF has been published on the LASA website.
- The Task Force on Governance is reviewing our policies and procedures with an eye to recommendations to the Executive Council (EC). In some cases, the Task Force may recommend that we update existing policies or adopt new ones. The most recent meeting examined our policies around conflicts of interest, privacy, the ethical code of conduct, and equity, diversity, and inclusion.
I am grateful to all these committees for their work on behalf of LASA, which no doubt will strengthen our association.
I am also pleased to note that LASA/Oceania-Asia 2025, the first LASA Continental Congress in Oceania, was successfully held in Melbourne on November 18-21. Congratulations to LASA President (2022-2023) Margarita López Maya and her organizing committee, including Raúl Sánchez Urribarri from the host institution, La Trobe University, as well as Nobuaki Hamaguchi, Vladimir Rouvinski, Timothy Power, and Paz Milet. Lazaros Amanatidis, Anna Ruscalleda, and Manuel Román-Lacayo managed the on-site work while Mildred Cabrera, Melissa Raslevich, Lazaros, and John Meyers managed the entire event, including all preliminary work. Vanessa Chaves was responsible for much of the preparatory communications work for the Oceania meeting, including letters of acceptance, rejection, social media activity, and daily newsletters during the event.
We are delighted to announce that a LASA regional symposium will be held in Costa Rica in August 4-7, 2026, with the theme: “Centroamérica en la encrucijada: Resistir en tiempos de asedio”.
Academic Freedom at Risk
A major theme of this issue of LASA Forum is academic freedom. The essays on this topic are the culmination of a discussion within LASA’s Commission on Academic Freedom and Human Rights (AFHRC). Since at least the mid-1970s, LASA has had a committee or task force, now designated a commission, on academic freedom and human rights. This committee was active during the period of military rule in Latin America and has also advocated for the participation of Cuban scholars in LASA. On occasion, it has sent delegations to investigate particularly concerning situations, such as the uprising in Oaxaca in 2007.
I had the privilege of serving on the AFHRC for several years and the opportunity to chair it as Vice President last year. It is one of the most rewarding activities within LASA, not least because the work of the Commission allows us to study and learn about critical issues arising across the region. Our discussions are invariably substantive and consequential. Yet, some members may have doubts about the efficacy or wisdom of issuing public statements or pronouncements in the name of the association.
We have a process in place for issuing statements, and when members submit ideas, we ask that they review the guidelines carefully: proposals should fall within our remit, statements must be concise and well substantiated, and whatever is approved must be appropriate for LASA to issue as an advocate for our community. Once the AFHRC approves a statement, it goes to the Executive Council for further discussion and, eventually, approval or rejection. My view is that these statements offer a mechanism through which the association can give voice to the concerns of our membership.
At the same time, given the number and severity of crises unfolding simultaneously across so many countries, it is never easy to discern when we should speak out, about what, and to what end. For example, we issued a statement in March prior to the last Congress expressing concern about the situation in the United States; today, arguably, matters have deteriorated further. A related question is whether LASA should endorse statements made by other associations, and if so, whether we should sign all, some, or none. Above all, we must consider what to do when an issue divides our own membership. Venezuela is a case in point. As a plural and diverse association, we must prioritize fostering dialogue over adopting a position that presumes to speak for all members.
Our recent statement on Venezuela acknowledged the systematic violations of democracy and human rights that have occurred under the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro, but we emphasized our principled objection to foreign intervention and to the idea that the United States can, without any basis in law, dominate the countries of the Western Hemisphere. The lack of interest in a democratic transition in Venezuela on the part of the United States government confirms the appropriateness of our position. Some may find our statement too mild, others may have wished for stronger condemnation of the Venezuelan regime. We cannot speak for everyone, but we hope at least to defend widely shared principles and values while creating a space for dialogue and debate.
In light of the many threats to academic freedom and human rights in the Americas today, the current members of the Commission have expressed a desire to be proactive. A decision taken at our last meeting during the Congress in San Francisco earlier this year was to devote part of an issue of LASA Forum to the theme of academic freedom. That is the dossier before you now. I am truly grateful to Professors Verónica Zubillaga and Maryhen Jiménez for their tireless work assembling this set of essays. LASA Forum provides a space that is plural and open—allowing us to explore issues in a way that a brief statement or pronunciamiento never could. Importantly, this dossier focuses on strategies of resistance developed by scholars and practitioners. It shows that collective, early action can succeed in confronting sitting autocrats. Only through collective organization and solidarity can freedom of speech and academic freedom be meaningfully defended.
I urge readers to engage deeply with these essays. I will not attempt to summarize them, but I do want to highlight the intimate connection between democratic backsliding and threats to academic freedom. This is far from a spurious correlation. Academic freedom is much more secure in democracies than in dictatorships—indeed, a measure of the strength of democracy is how well governments treat academics. The 2025 Academic Freedom Index, a publication of V-Dem, finds that “countries with anti-pluralist parties in government have lower levels of academic freedom than those where anti-pluralist parties have little-to-no political influence.” Violations of academic freedom are most severe in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, countries governed by entrenched authoritarian regimes.[1]
The primary dossier in this edition of LASA Forum, entitled “Constitutional Aspirations and Frustrations,” examines the problem of constitutionalism both in historical perspective and in relation to the current crisis of democracy. Another dossier presents a debate on political developments in Mexico. Since these topics are addressed in detail in the introduction I have co-authored with Natalia Sobrevilla Perea, I will say no more about them here.
In conclusion, LASA is in good shape thanks to the deep commitment of its members. We welcome your suggestions for how to strengthen and sustain our association. LASA2026 in Paris will provide a unique opportunity to provide such input, since it will coincide with the launching of our strategic planning process. We hope you will participate and share your views on what you would like the association to do and be in the coming years.