LASA is the largest, most important, and most vibrant association of Latin American and Caribbean studies that the world has ever known, and it is my hope that it will remain a fundamental part of the professional identity of all our members. LASA possesses a mystique unusual for a professional association: our gatherings are major events that shape the study of the region. We can take pride in our ability to sustain conversations across disciplines and approaches. At a time when disciplinary research is often narrowly focused and increasingly specialized, we have the opportunity to debate big questions; what is more, we are a community of scholars deeply engaged, not only in the production of knowledge, but also in its impact on the public, on policy, on practices, and on pedagogy.
In this final report on the activities of our association during my presidential term (2025-2026), I return—not without trepidation—to my statement as a candidate in which I promised to serve LASA’s mission and contribute to its ethos, strengthen the governance of our organization, build connections with other academic communities, create opportunities for students and junior colleagues, raise funds to ensure the sustainability of our association, and make LASA as welcoming an intellectual home for as many of our members as possible. In no small measure thanks to the efforts of the Executive Committee and the Secretariat, we have made advances—mainly significant beginnings rather than faits accomplis—in most of these areas. As immediate Past President and EC member for 2026-2027, I will continue these efforts and hope to see some of them through. In the following report, I discuss the LASA2026 Congress and review the current state of our association.
LASA2026 in ParisLASA2026 featured well-attended panels, excellent presentations, and lively conversations in the conference corridors, receptions, and nearby cafés. For many participants, the gathering fostered a renewed sense of community. The film festival was a great success: 57 films were shown to an average of 222 spectators each day according to the Director of the LASA film festival Dr. Claudia Ferman. The book exhibition was modest, likely reflecting both the high cost of shipping books to Europe and the growing tendency for readers to purchase books online. The Gran Baile was, as always, a social highlight of the congress; the energy and talent of the local salsa band kept folks on the dance floor throughout the evening. The Pre-Texts workshops led by Doris Sommer, followed by a tour of the Montparnasse Cemetery, were highly engaging activities. For a visual record of the congress, readers may watch this video. My thanks to Vanessa Chaves, the LASA communications team, and the local videographer for producing such an engaging visual record of the event.
As an indication of the congress’s reach, 6,328 individuals registered to participate. Of this number, the largest subsets were regular and life members (3,754), followed by students (1,606). The remainder was made up of adjunct faculty (383), independent scholars (248), retired (165), local students, scholars, and other non-members (87) and a few guests (85). The largest number of participants came from the United States (2,375), followed by Mexico (538), Brazil (483), Chile (350), the UK (316), France (299), Germany (233), Colombia (223), Peru (205), Spain (200), Canada (198), Argentina (177), Uruguay (78), Ecuador (67), Netherlands (65), Italy (57), Switzerland (50), Puerto Rico (44), Cuba (44), Belgium (41), Costa Rica (26), Japan (22), Norway (19), Sweden (16), Portugal (15), Ireland (14), Guatemala (14), Denmark (14), Austria (11), Poland (10), and the remaining 34 countries had less than 10 participants.
A total of 4,531 papers were presented. The largest number were in the track on literature and culture (323), followed by history and archeology (266), section sessions (239), feminism and gender studies (230), literature studies (20th and 21st centuries) (224), culture, power, and political subjectivities (209), democratization and political process (175), art, music and performance studies (172), environment, nature, and climate change (169), international relations/global studies (166), security and violence (138), human rights and memory (126), migration and refugees (125), education (124), economics and political economy (117), Indigenous people and Afro-descendants: epistemologies and knowledge (115), civil societies and social movements (114), political institutions (105), film studies (104), democracias violentas (97), law and justice (92), public and social policies (89), race and ethnicities (86), mass media and popular culture (84), urban studies (81), sexualities and LGBTI studies (78), labor studies (77), Latinx studies (68), archives, libraries and digital scholarship (63), otros saberes and alternative methods (60), literature studies: colonial/19th century (58), agrarian and food studies (57), religion politics and society (50), childhood and youth studies (43), republics under oligarchic and popular pressures (41), health and wellbeing (34), revolutionary legacies: culture and social protest in the digital age (26), biopolitics and biopower (22), constitutional aspirations and frustrations (22), invited sessions (20), Indigenous languages and literature (19), language and linguistics (17), presidential sessions (6).
LASA2026 formed part of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs’ Semaines de l’Amérique latine et des Caraïbes (SALC), an annual celebration of relations between France and Latin America and the Caribbean. It was a pleasure to have Anne Louyot, Deputy Director of the Directorate-General for Global Affairs, in our welcome ceremony, as well as Executive Vice President Gianpiero Leoncini of the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), which offered generous funding for our conference. LASA2026 created an opportunity to strengthen ties with the Consejo Europeo de Investigaciones Sociales de América Latina (CEISAL) and other European research centers, with numerous sponsored panels. We were delighted by the participation of participants from IDEA International and the United Nations Development Program.
As I said in my welcoming remarks, the program committee chose the theme of republic and revolution not out of nostalgia, nor to retreat from current problems, but to situate our present predicament in relation to the revolutionary transformations that began several centuries ago with the English, American, and French revolutions, and the struggles for republican independence in Latin America and the Caribbean. We chose this framing to suggest that we see these revolutionary transformations not as past events but as ongoing processes that require effort to sustain themselves. We can’t assume that once liberal and democratic republics have been formed, they will continue to function independently and without additional support. Mustering such support requires conviction—the lack of which can be as detrimental to their defense as any frontal attack.
Conviction is all the more important because the ideas at stake are far from self-evident. During LASA2026, we had the opportunity to explore the meaning and status of the critical principles of republican self-government, like citizenship, democracy, human rights, the rule of law, representation, and participation. Through our analyses of such issues as inequality, violence, precarity, patriarchy, oligarchy, the challenge of decolonizing our knowledge and institutions, and the need to overcome the prejudices and discriminatory practices that silence minorities—whether sexual, gendered, or racialized—we have explored the ways in which the societies in which we live have all too often failed to fully enact these principles.
Although it is important to be critical of the often deficient functioning of existing democracies, it is abundantly clear that every effort at revolutionary transformation that has abandoned the practices and institutions associated with republicanism, liberalism, and democracy has, without exception, failed to protect the rights and freedoms of individuals, minorities, and groups—and failed, moreover, to sustain the institutions and practices of self-government. The commitment to citizenship, constitutionalism, the separation of powers, the rule of law, and representative government remains the sine qua non of any aspiration to democratic self-rule. Recognizing that these ideas have revolutionary origins is a step toward a realistic discussion of how they may be renewed and advanced.
Reimagining the republic is not just a matter of academic curiosity and speculation but a condition of our collective existence. Everything we do and value as an association—our educational mission, our academic freedoms, our human rights, our freedom of speech, our very ability to associate—depends on preserving and deepening the achievements of republican revolutions. Our work is more relevant than ever. When we advocate for democracy, human rights, academic freedom, and social justice, we are not just defending the status quo: we are advancing these historic achievements, these ideals, these inalienable, indefeasible rights and freedoms, these practices of self-government. LASA must continue to be a strong, thoughtful, principled, yet plural voice—defending academic freedom, promoting diversity, fighting for justice, and linking research to public action. That is how we contribute to the republics of the future. And that is why we have assembled a dossier on the crisis of higher education in the Americas as part of this issue of LASA Forum. This dossier assembles the contributions of former presidents of LASA who participated in a panel on LASA at 60. I am grateful to Jo-Marie Burt, Eric Hershberg, Charlie Hale, and Aldo Panfichi for their contributions.
The State of Our Association
Like any large organization, it is crucial that those to whom the responsibility to direct LASA falls continuously reflect on our practices, policies, structures, and roles, making improvements wherever possible. Given the size and complexity of our association, one challenge is simply to avoid compromising the smooth functioning of our operations. Keeping our ship on an even keel demands a cautious approach to agenda-setting, impartial chairing of meetings, building trust and confidence in the procedures of collegial self-governance, positive and respectful relations between the elected leadership and the staff, a commitment to consultation and inclusion, transparent communications in public and private, and a judicious mix of prudence and principle in the work of advocacy.
At least eight challenges faced the association this year. We needed: (1) a site for LASA2027 and beyond; (2) an update of several of our policies and procedures; (3) to initiate a strategic planning process; (4) a process for the election of a representative of the Committee of Sections; (5) an advisory board for the Latin American Cultural Center (LACC); (6) a fundraising effort; (7) a decision concerning the Harvard’s ReVista magazine; and (8) to organize continental and regional conferences.
The Executive Council of 2025-2026 took up these challenges with diligence and energy. In accordance with our constitution, sub-committees were appointed and provided with written terms of reference by the Executive Council. Thanks to the work of the site selection committee, which included Gisela Zaremberg (Chair), Julieta Suárez-Cao, Cristián Opazo, Xochitl Bada, and which undertook several site visits, we have a site for LASA2027—the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico (UNAM)—and LASA2028 will be held in the Universidad Diego Portales in Santiago de Chile. In addition, we now have a bid book for hosting future congresses. The site selection committee will continue in future years as needed.
Maria Eugenia Ulfe (Chair), José Cal, and ex-presidents Gerardo Otero and Mara Viveros were appointed to a Governance Task Force that performed yeoman’s service for the association by reviewing policies on conflicts of Interest, confidentiality, whistleblowers, EC code of conduct, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) policies, records retention, social media, privacy, EC nomination & career path, job descriptions for the President, VP, Past President, Treasurer, and EC members. A new policy for self-assessment and assessment of members of the EC, including the president and the executive director, was adopted and is currently being implemented. Additional policy recommendations of the Task Force will be executed by the Secretariat, with the input of its members, and approval of the EC.
The Executive Committee appointed a subcommittee to start the strategic and participatory planning process. Gisela Zaremberg (Chair), Julieta Suárez-Cao, Cristián Opazo, Xochitl Bada, and ex-presidents Evelyne Huber and Gioconda Herrera, issued a request for proposals (RFP) to hire consultants to aid in the process. Forty-nine applications were received, and the committee awarded the contract to Síntese Eventos. They organized initial “participatory conversations” in LASA2026 and will soon be conducting a post-congress survey. This process is only just beginning, but it holds the promise of strengthening our collective mission and purpose.
For 2026-2027, there is, for the first time, an elected representative of the Sections on the Executive Council—Yamile Silva. We adopted a procedure for Section Chairs whereby they would provide recommendations to the Nominations Committee. Two names were put forward and were adopted by the Nominations Committee. Yamile Silva was elected by the membership at large to serve as a representative of the Sections after her name was one of two proposed by the Chairs of the Sections Committee. We hope that the presence of a Section’s Representative strengthens the linkages between the Section Chairs and the Executive Committee.
The Latin American Cultural Center, housed in LASA’s Pittsburgh headquarters, has been the focus of attention of the Executive Committee. Since 2022, LACC has emerged as a space for dialogue, exhibitions, and public educational activities. To date, it has operated under the aegis of LASA’s Executive Director, two senior advisors, and a local fundraising committee. Past President Javier Guerrero proposed the establishment of an advisory board to provide strategic vision, guidance, and foster community engagement. His proposal was approved by the Executive Council in May.
LASA’s 60th anniversary provided a propitious focal point for our fundraising efforts. A fundraising cocktail reception held at the historic Maison de l’Amérique latine on the evening of May 25th was a great success. Executive Director Milagros Pereyra and Gil Joseph were crucial to our fundraising efforts, and I was sorry Gil could not join us in Paris. Past presidents, life members, and others who generously donated to LASA over the past year helped us raise over $300,000 toward LASA’s endowment. Thanks, again, to Charles R. Hale, Jane Jaquette, Cynthia McClintock, Javier Guerrero, Lynn Stephen, and Aldo Panfichi, as well as Florence Babb, Ron Chilcote, Peter Cleaves, Carmen Diana Deere, Todd Eisenstadt, William LeoGrande, Abraham Lowenthal, Enrique Mu, Aníbal Pérez-Liñán, Kenneth Roberts, Francisco Sagasti, Verónica Schild, Eduardo Silva, Gabriela Soto-Laveaga, Maria Herminia Tavares de Almeida, Thomas Trebat, Roxana Yichoy, Bill DeWalt, and Sylvia Keller. We are especially indebted to the Ford Foundation and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) for their generous support.
In May, the Executive Council finalized its approval of the incorporation of the Harvard ReVista under the rubric of a rebranded LASA Forum. With a broader mission and structure, LASA Forum will incorporate the content associated with ReVista, under the new title FORUM: The LASA ReVista. This will create a broader multilingual editorial platform. Whereas the LASA Forum has been mainly an outlet for dossiers edited by presidents, the new magazine will bring additional content, including thematic features, student views, book reviews, cultural content, and other public-facing material.
In a previous letter, I noted that a successful Continental LASA was held in Australia last November. During 2025-2026, a regional symposium in Central America was proposed and approved by the Executive Council. Under the title “Centroamérica en la encrucijada: Resistir en tiempos de asedio,” this meeting will be held in San José, Costa Rica, on August 4-7, 2026. The program committee chair is Jo-Marie Burt, and her committee includes EC member José Cal, Paula Cuellar, Juliet Hooker, Ana Silia Monzón, Jose Peñalonzo, Suyapa Portillo, and Monserrat Sagot. I wish them every success.
We may look forward to LASA’s return to Latin America in 2027, with its International Congress at UNAM in Mexico City, under the leadership of President Gisela Zaremberg and her Program Committee. The conference theme is “Navegar el colapso: reinventar la política, cuidar lo común” (“Navigating Collapse: Reinventing Politics, Caring for the Commons”). I am pleased to say that LASA is in the capable hands of a president with a great spirit of innovation and commitment to participation.
Final Note of Thanks
LASA2026 could not have happened—and certainly would not have been run so smoothly—were it not for the professionalism and dedication of the LASA Secretariat. I have learned much from the patient guidance, institutional memory, problem-solving skills, and strategic foresight of Milagros Pereyra, the Executive Director. The staff at LASA are outstanding. Our association would not be what it is without Manuel Román-Lacayo, Ghisselle Blanco, Anna Ruscalleda, Deborah Cancel-Román, Erin Gray, Julieta Mortati, Laura Portilla Rojas, Vanessa Chaves, Margaret Manges, Jason Dancisin, Lazaro Amantidis, John Meyer, Mirna Kolbowski Sharon Moose, Sandra Budd, Mildred Cabrera Felix Aguilar, Pilar Rodríguez, and Melissa Raslevich.
I have also enjoyed and learned from working with my academic colleagues Gisela Zaremberg, Javier Guerrero, Mónica Espinoza, Constanza Tabbush, Jo-Marie Burt, Camelia Nicoleta Tigau, Maria Eugenia Ulfe, José Edgardo Cal Montoya, Cristián Opazo, Julieta Suarez-Cao, Xochitl Bada, Verónica Valencia , Carmen Martínez Novo, Beatriz Padilla, Marcial Garcia Suarez, Natalia Majluf, and Francisco Valdés Ugalde. The colleagues who worked on prizes and awards committees, or track committees, and adjudicated panel and paper proposals are too many to name here. Their names were listed in this program booklet, and it was great to see many of them at the Recognition Dinner on May 30th. Our celebration on that occasion was mirrored by euphoria in the streets as Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League.
As this is my final report, I hope readers will indulge me as I end on a personal note. I am grateful for the support of my own institution, the University of British Columbia, for contributions to our fundraising efforts, and to the Department of Political Science and the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs for teaching release. Above all, I would not have undertaken this work had I not been able to count on the continuing moral support of my wife, Fabiola Bazo, throughout the past two years. I have been fortunate to be accompanied by her, as well as other family and friends, throughout this process. To them all I am truly grateful.