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Latin America is, without a doubt, one of the most exciting
and challenging fields of study in today’s academe.
While social inequalities, economic dependency and political
struggles are undeniable in the region, Latin American
countries persevere in the creative search for real emancipation
and in the defense of democratic institutions and national
sovereignty. At the same time, the vitality and diversity
of Latin American cultures give continuous evidence of
the rich social interactions that combine Afro-Hispanic,
Indigenous, and European traditions, in a unique heterogeneous
mixture. Washington University’s strong commitment
to international studies focuses on Latin America -as
well as on many other areas of the world- through the
work of an impressive group of scholars interested in
interdisciplinary analysis, field work, and innovative
theoretical perspectives. Graduate and undergraduate students
are increasingly drawn to the study of Latin America,
where the local and the global, the modern and the traditional
intersect. The Latin American Studies at Washington University
provides an exciting academic and intellectual platform
for the study of Latin American cultures, from pre-Hispanic
times to the present. Through interdisciplinary courses,
lectures, international conferences, film series, and
colloquia, the program offers a challenging and exciting
combination of historic, political, economic, anthropological,
and literary approaches to the study of national cultures
and societies in the region. The program also provides
multiple avenues for cultural exchange such as study abroad
programs, internships, and the like. The LAS at Washington
University constitutes, then, an organic attempt to contribute
to the understanding of Latin America’s important
role in a globalized world, and to the dissemination of
Latin America’s multicultural legacy across the
limits of conventional borders.
MABEL MORAÑA
William H. Gass Professor in Arts and Sciences
Latin American Studies
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