To save a life is an unquestionable good; to impose a presence is not. Ariel Dorfman’s genius lies in forcing us to recognise that the line between care and control is often perilously thin. read more about A Reflection on the Writings of Professor Emeritus Ariel Dorfman: The Thin Line Between Care and Control »
Presented by the UNC-CH and Duke Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and the UNC Charlotte Latin American Studies Program.An in-person conference hosted by The Duke University Center for Latin American Studies and Romance Studies. Durham, North Carolina, Duke University East Campus.Location: Richard White Auditorium. East Duke 108; East Duke 209; East Duke 204D; East Duke 204B. Duke East Campus, 712 Broad St, Durham; entry also via Main Street and North Buchanan Blvd, NC 27705. Parking is… read more about 2026 North Carolina Conference in Latin American and Caribbean Studies (NCCLAS) »
Seven Students Receive 2025 Mellon Undergraduate Awards for Summer Research on Latin America and the Caribbean The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) is happy to announce and celebrate the work of the 2025 Mellon Undergraduate Awards for Summer Research on Latin America and the Caribbean recipients! Congratulations to all for your fantastic projects! There were 7 awardees from across campus and disciplines. Their travels and research demonstrate the advanced… read more about Seven Students Receive 2025 Mellon Undergraduate Awards for Summer Research on Latin America and the Caribbean »
NCLAFF 2025: A Message from the EldersOct. 3 to 16. Various locations. Chapel Hill - Durham, NC. USA. The 2025 NCLAFF celebrates its 39th edition with the theme A MESSAGE FROM THE ELDERS.Nearly 80% of the terrestrial ecoregions are inhabited and protected by one or more Indigenous peoples. While often minorities in their countries, Indigenous peoples are the majority in Greenland and close to a majority in Bolivia and Guatemala. In recent decades, they have become more open to sharing their cosmovision and ways of life… read more about NCLAFF 2025: A Message from the Elders »
We are honored to announce the arrival of the Fall 2025 Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies Mellon Visiting Professor, Dr. Luz Rodríguez! Dr. Rodríguez is an assistant professor at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia where she teaches in the School of Environmental and Rural Studies. She previously completed her PhD at Duke, and her research topics include collective action and common goods management, environmental peace construction, ecological economy and environmental justice, farmer/peasant… read more about CLACS Welcomes Fall 2025 Mellon Visiting Professor, Dr. Luz Rodríguez! »
The Center for Latin and Caribbean Studies was proud to present one undergraduate and seven PhD students the Certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies on Thursday, May 8, 2025.Two students also received the Dennis Clements award for service to the university.Duke students can earn the certificate by taking specialized courses and undertaking research in Latin America and/or the Caribbean, and by demonstrating fluency in Spanish, French, Portuguese, or a less commonly taught language such as Quechua, K'iche' Maya,… read more about CLACS congratulates graduates who completed the Certificate in Latin American & Caribbean Studies »
The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies has the honor of hosting Isabella Cosse as its Mellon Visiting Professor at Duke this semester. As a scholar of Latin America, Cosse received her undergraduate degree in 1990s Uruguay, at the Universidad de la República, during what she calls a difficult time in the country. She recounts how Uruguay was “governed by brutal neoliberal governments” and experienced a regressive economic crisis. Cosse chose to leave Uruguay and continue her studies in Argentina, describing… read more about Mellon Visiting Professor examines Argentina’s past repressions through lens of family and domestic life »
The Duke Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies welcomes Gabriela Badillo to Duke in November as an artist in residence as part of our Linguistic Justice in the Americas series.Badillo will be in residence November 4-10 and will open the exhibit “68 voces, 68 corazones (68 Voices, 68 Hearts)” and give a talk on the series of short animated films she created with her production company Hola Combo.A reception and artist talk will be held at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 6 in the Spanish Language… read more about You can’t love what you don’t know: art exhibit brings indigenous languages into the light »
The 39th Annual North Carolina Latin American Film Festival (NCLAFF) returns to Durham and Chapel Hill on Oct. 7, 2024.All events run through Oct. 26 and are free and open to the public, presented by The Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University.NCLAFF explores the Western film genre this year as it celebrates the power and artistry of Latin America’s feature films, documentaries, short films, and animations. As in the United States, Europeans… read more about NC Latin American Film Festival explores the “western” frontiers of South America »
Duke University undergraduate Nathan Maldonado (‘26) spent an enriching summer at the Mayan Language Institute in Guatemala. Nathan traveled to Guatemala through Duke CLACS’s Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship (FLAS), where he studied K’iche’ and cultivated a deeper connection to his roots. Tulane University’s Center for Latin American Studies wrote an article highlighting his experiences and personal reasons for coming back to the language of his family.In addition to what can be found in this article, Nathan… read more about Duke student's family history fuels passion to study K'iche' Maya this summer »
Kichwa scholar Dr. Armando Muyolema recently visited Duke University and participated in the Summer Institute on Diversity and Equitable Teaching and Learning of Languages and Cultures: Pedagogy, Research, Curriculum, and Community Building, hosted and funded by the Duke Slavic and Eurasian Language Resource Center (SEELRC) and the Duke Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies (CSEEES), on July 12-14, 2024. Dr. Armando Muyolema visited Duke University during the July… read more about Kichwa scholar Dr. Armando Muyolema visits Duke for Summer Institute »
CLACS held its certificate in Latin American & Caribbean Studies ceremony for seven graduate students and one undergraduate student who graduate from Duke University this year. Left to right: Christian Menin, Patrick Semmler, Laura Vargas, Pamela Zabala, Martha Liliana Espinosa, Natalie Gasparowicz, Rachel Washart. 2024 graduates with the Certificate in Latin American & Caribbean Studies:Jorge Delgado Golusda, Masters of International Development PolicyMartha Espinosa, PhD in… read more about CLACS congratulates our 2024 Certificate in Latin America & Caribbean Studies recipients! »
In a whirlwind visit, the Brazilian rapper Dudu de Morro Agudo from the urban periphery Rio de Janeiro shared his liberatory RapLab model of Hip Hop Education with students in middle, high school, and university classrooms.A joint initiative of Duke and North Carolina Central University, the AY2023-24 Bass Connections project on “Hip Hop Pedagogies” got a chance to see in action the innovative approach to education honed by the community organization Instituto Enraizados (Institute of the Rooted), which he leads.Working… read more about Brazilian Hip Hop Occupies the Classroom! Durham, Asheville, and Athens, Georgia »
RelatedNovember 18, 2019NCLAFF celebrates the diversity of Latin American films in its 34th yearOctober 24, 2019Filmmaker and researcher Bicalho reflects on intercultural exchange through film, languageSeptember 21, 20172017 Latin American Film Festival focuses its lens on "Paths (Caminos)"This year’s North Carolina Latin American Film Festival will bring 20 films from 13 countries in the region, which focus on the paths/caminos Latin American peoples take to pursue their dreams, preserve their culture, and seek inclusion… read more about 'Ser Plantas': Film festival explores Latin American relationship with ecology »
The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies welcomes Liliana Paredes, Professor of the Practice in the Department of Romance Studies, as new faculty director, taking the place of Ambassador Patrick Duddy who recently stepped down after many years in the position. Liliana holds a PhD in Spanish Linguistics from the University of Southern California. Her interests range from second language teaching, inclusive and transformative pedagogies, trans-languaging practices… read more about CLACS welcomes Liliana Paredes as our new Faculty Director! »
The Duke Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies will present an engaging webinar, "Haiti Crisis: Prospects for Peace Building," at 4 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday, May 30, 2023.The virtual webinar, which is free and open to the public, will feature speakers Keith Mines, Director of the Latin America program at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Louis-Henri Mars, Executive Director of Lakou Lapè, and Ambassador Patrick Duddy, Director of the Duke University… read more about Haiti remains in crisis »
Patrick Cheney is the Senior Program Coordinator for the Duke Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies where he coordinates the undergraduate and graduate certificates. He received an MA in Latin American Studies from the University of Utah, and previously a BA in International Studies and Political Science. He has worked in Latin American Studies in higher education, beginning with the inaugural Utah Nahuatl Language and Culture Program, and also has experience working on migrant rights projects and refugee… read more about CLACS welcomes Patrick Cheney as our Senior Program Coordinator! »
RelatedOctober 5, 2017Many obstacles to human rights work in Latin America, says HRW directorFebruary 1, 2017CLACS Welcomes Indigenous Rights Activist to DukeThe Duke University Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies welcomes prominent indigenous rights activist Dr. Irma Alicia Velásquez Nimatuj to campus as its Spring 2017 Mellon Visiting Professor. read more about Amb. Patrick Duddy has an appreciation for President Carter's legacy on human rights »
“Things are never so bad that they can’t get worse,” is the kind of humorous fatalism William Neuman encountered in Venezuela while he was a New York Times bureau chief for the Andes region from 2012 to 2016.Neuman will talk about his experiences in Caracas at the Wednesdays at the Center event at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 14 in the Ahmadieh Family Conference Hall (Room 240) in the John Hope Franklin Center.His recent book, “Things are Never So Bad That They Can’t… read more about Former New York Times journalist chronicles the collapse of Venezuela in Sept. 14 talk »
RelatedFebruary 18, 2021Former IDB president says solving COVID-19 crisis in Latin America will require "all hands on deck" approachLuis Alberto Moreno gave a virtual talk on Feb. 4, 2021, for the Conversations with Leaders series, hosted by Duke Development, the Duke University Hispanic/Latino Alumni Association (DUHLAA), and the Duke Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies. read more about The United States Needs to Get Serious about Latin America »
Musicians from left to right: Joe Troop, Sophia Enríquez, and Larry Bellorín. Article by Jennifer Prather with text from the Raíces, Rutas y Ritmos website. Spanish translation by Miguel Rojas-Sotelo Larry Bellorín is a construction worker by day, but an accomplished musician in his home country Venezuela. During the opening of the exhibit, he had traded his hard hat for a llanero hat as his fingers delicately plucked the harp, played the upright bass, and… read more about Photography exhibit displays the roots, routes, and rhythms of Latin American music in North Carolina »
Five years after the historic peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) the U.S. State Department has finally removed the guerilla group from its list of terrorist organizations, but peace in Colombia is not guaranteed, according to research by two Duke PhD students. “What Comes Next in Colombia’s Peace Process?” was the question asked by political science PhD candidates Gabriella Levy and Mateo Villamizar-Chaparro at Wednesdays… read more about What comes next in the Colombian Peace Agreement depends on whether promises are kept »
How can you help someone who cannot forgive to move on?Memory and forgiveness can both coexist, said researcher Felipe De Brigard, the Fuchsberg-Levine Family Associate Professor of Philosophy and Neuroscience at Duke University. De Brigard spoke about his work in the U.S. and Colombia in his talk “Perdon: To Forgive is to Remember… Differently” on Wednesday, Feb. 23, as part of the series Colombia: Five Years of Peace? in collaboration with … read more about Forgiveness does not necessarily mean forgetting, says Duke philosopher and neuroscientist »
World-renowned medical anthropologist Dr. Paul Farmer believes some of the starkest global health inequities can be remedied when tackled by top-notch researchers and innovators in partnership with local communities. Dr. Farmer, Duke alum (Trinity ’82) and parent, has confronted epidemics from Ebola, AIDS, and tuberculosis to COVID-19 in some of the world’s poorest places. Partners In Health, the global health organization he co-founded, is actively involved in 11 countries… read more about Duke researchers look to innovation and collaboration to find cures for health inequities in Latin America »
World-renowned medical anthropologist Dr. Paul Farmer believes some of the starkest global health inequities can be remedied when tackled by top-notch researchers and innovators in partnership with local communities. Dr. Farmer, Duke alum (Trinity ’82) and parent, has confronted epidemics from Ebola, AIDS, and tuberculosis to COVID-19 in some of the world’s poorest places. Partners In Health, the global health organization he co-founded, is actively involved in 11 countries across four continents,… read more about Duke researchers look to innovation and collaboration to find cures for health inequities in Latin America »
The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) congratulates Duke Desarrolla for being awarded the 2020-2021 International Award for Student Group of the Year! This is the second annual program of awards given by International House to celebrate the achievements and contributions of students and student groups who benefit the international community at Duke and to honor the legacy of the International House and internationalism at Duke. The Student Group of the Year is… read more about Duke Desarrolla receives 2020-2021 International Award for Student Group »
Latin America has suffered greatly during the pandemic with the highest mortality rates of any region in the entire world, said the director of the Latin America program at the Wilson Center Dr. Cynthia Arnson. Dr. Arnson was invited by the Center for Latin America and Caribbean Studies, the Duke University Center for International and Global Studies and the UNC-Duke Consortium in Latin America and Caribbean Studies to talk about “Latin American Politics in the Time of COVID… read more about COVID-19 takes a devastating toll on the Americas, Wilson Center director of Latin America says »
Independent journalists Nadja Drost and Bruno Federico followed the journey of dozens of migrants crossing the Colombian-Panamanian border through the dangerous jungle of the Darien Gap.RelatedMarch 31, 2022What comes next in the Colombian Peace Agreement depends on whether promises are keptMarch 1, 2022Forgiveness does not necessarily mean forgetting, says Duke philosopher and neuroscientistNovember 16, 2020When we design a city, we create a way of life, says former mayor of BogotáThe way we make our cities will be… read more about These Journalists Traveled Through Panama's Jungle With U.S.-bound Migrants »
Luis Alberto Moreno Former president of the Inter-American Development Bank, Luis Alberto Moreno, described the many issues facing Latin America and the Caribbean in the wake of the pandemic as pre-existing conditions that call for visionary leadership from governments, the private sector, and society as a whole in order to heal the region. Moreno gave a virtual talk on Feb. 4, 2021, for the Conversations with Leaders series, hosted by Duke Development, the Duke… read more about Former IDB president says solving COVID-19 crisis in Latin America will require "all hands on deck" approach »