OVER 360 LATIN AMERICA EXPERTS CALL ON OBAMA TO IMPROVE U.S. - LATIN AMERICAN RELATIONS

WASHINGTON - October 28 - Anticipating a democratic victory in the November 4 presidential elections, 368 academics specializing in Latin America recently sent a letter urging Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama to become a partner, rather than an adversary, concerning changes already under way in Latin America.

Above all, the signers are asking Senator Obama to understand the current impetus for progressive change in many of the region's countries: the rejection of the failed "free-market" model of economic growth that has been imposed in most countries since the early 1980s - a period which has seen the worst economic growth failure in the region, in terms of per capita GDP, in over a century -- and the adoption of more socially just and environmentally sustainable development styles.

The signers expressed their hope that an Obama administration will embrace the opportunity to inaugurate a new period of hemispheric understanding and collaboration for the welfare of the entire Hemisphere.

Most of those signing are members of the Latin American Studies Association (http://lasa.international.pitt.edu/eng/index.asp), the largest and most influential professional association of its kind in the world. Signers include Eric Hershberg, President of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) and twelve LASA Past Presidents, along with over 350 other academics and Latin America experts.

The letter follows:



October 20, 2008

Dear Senator Obama:

We write to offer our congratulations on your campaign and to express our hope that as the next president of the United States you will take advantage of an historic opportunity to improve relations with Latin America. As scholars of the region, we also wish to convey our analysis regarding the process of change now underway in Latin America.

Just as the people of the United States have begun to debate basic questions regarding the sort of society they want-- thanks in part to your own candidacy but also owing to the magnitude of the current financial crisis-- so too have the people of Latin America. In fact, the debate about a just and fair society has been going on in Latin America for more than a decade, and the majority are opting, like you and so many of us in the United States, for hope and change. As academics personally and professionally committed to development and democracy in Latin America, we are hopeful that during your presidency the United States can become a partner rather than an adversary to the positive changes already under way in the hemisphere.

The current impetus for change in Latin America is a rejection of the model of economic growth that has been imposed in most countries since the early 1980s, a model that has concentrated wealth, relied unsuccessfully on unrestricted market forces to solve deep social problems and undermined human welfare. The current rejection of this model is broad-based and democratic. In fact, contemporary movements for change in Latin America reveal significantly increased participation by workers and peasants, women, Afro-descendants and indigenous peoples-- in a word, the grassroots. Such movements are coming to power in country after country. They are neither puppets, nor blinded by fanaticism and ideology, as caricatured by some mainstream pundits. To the contrary, these movements deserve our respect, friendship and support.

Latin Americans have often viewed the United States not as a friend but as an oppressor, the guarantor of an international economic system that works against them, rather than for them-- the very antithesis of hope and change. The Bush Administration has made matters much worse, and U.S. prestige in the region is now at a historic low. Washington's tendency to fight against hope and change has been especially prominent in recent U.S. responses to the democratically elected governments of Venezuela and Bolivia. While anti-American feelings run deep, history demonstrates that these feelings can change. In the 1930s, after two decades of conflict with the region, the United States swore off intervention and adopted a Good Neighbor Policy. Not coincidentally, it was the most harmonious time in the history of U.S.-Latin American relations. In the 1940s, nearly every country in the region became our ally in World War Two. It can happen again.

There are many other challenges, too. Colombia, the main focus of the Bush Administration's policy, is currently the scene of the second largest humanitarian crisis in the world, with four million internally displaced people. Its government, which criminalizes even peaceful protest, seeks an extension of the free trade policies that much of the hemisphere is already reacting against. Cuba has begun a process of transition that should be supported in positive ways, such as through the dialogue you advocate. Mexicans and Central Americans migrate by the tens of thousands to seek work in the United States, where their labor power is much needed but their presence is denigrated by a public that has, since the development of opinion polling in the 1930s, always opposed immigration from anywhere. The way to manage immigration is not by building a giant wall, but rather, the United States should support more equitable economic development in Mexico and Central America and, indeed, throughout the region. In addition, the U.S. must reconsider drug control policies that have simply not worked and have been part of the problem of political violence, especially in Mexico, Colombia and Peru. And the U.S. must renew its active support for human rights throughout the region. Unfortunately, in the eyes of many Latin Americans, the United States has come to stand for the support of inequitable regimes.

Finally, we implore you to commit your administration to the firm support of constitutional rights, including academic and intellectual freedom. Most of us are members of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA), the largest professional association of experts on the region, and we have experienced first-hand how the Bush administration's attempt to restrict academic exchange with Cuba is counter-productive and self-defeating. We hope for an early opportunity to discuss this and other issues regarding Latin America with your administration.

Our hope is that you will embrace the opportunity to inaugurate a new period of hemispheric understanding and collaboration for the common welfare. We ask for change and not only in the United States.

Sincerely,

SIGNED:
 Eric Hershberg, LASA President 2007-09, Professor of Politics and Director of Latin American Studies, Simon Fraser University
 Charles R. Hale, LASA Past President (2006-2007), Professor of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin
 Sonia E. Alvarez, LASA Past President (2004-2006), Leonard J. Horwitz Professor of Politics, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
 Marysa Navarro Aranguran, LASA Past President (2003-2004), Charles Collis Professor of History, Dartmouth College
 Arturo Arias, LASA Past President, (2001-2003), Professor of Spanish and Portuguese University of Texas, Austin
 Thomas Holloway, LASA Past President (2000-2001), Professor Of History, University of California, Davis
 Susan Eckstein, LASA Past President (1997-98), Professor of Sociology & International Relations, Boston University
 Cynthia McClintock, LASA Past President (1994-95), Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University
 Carmen Diana Deere, LASA Past President (1992-94), Professor of Food and Resource Economics and Director, Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida
 Lars Schoultz, LASA Past President (1991-92), William Rand Kenan, Jr., Professor of Political Science, UNC, Chapel Hill
 Jean Franco, LASA Past President (1989-91), Emeritus Professor, Columbia University
 Helen I. Safa, LASA Past President (1983-85), Emeritus Professor of Anthropology and Latin American Studies, University of Florida
 Paul L. Doughty, LASA Past President (1974-75), Distinguished Service Professor, Emeritus of Anthropology and Latin American Studies, University of Florida
 María Rosa Olivera-Williams, LASA Past Congress Chair (2001-2003), Associate Professor of Latin American Literature, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
 __________________________________________
 Thomas Abercrombie, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, NYU
 Holly Ackerman, Ph.D. Librarian for Latin America and Iberia, Duke University
 Judith Adler Hellman, Professor of Social and Political Science, York University, Toronto
 Norma Alarcon, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley
Alfonso Alvarez, Social Worker, Boston College Graduate School
 Wayne F. Anderson, Professor of History and Latin American Studies, Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, NC
 Robert Andolina, Assistant Professor of International Studies, Seattle University
 Frances R. Aparicio, Professor, Latin American and Latino Studies Program, University of Illinois at Chicago
 Kirsten Appendini, El Colegio de México, Mexico
 Juan Manuel Arbona, Associate Professor, Growth and Structure of Cities Program, Bryn Mawr College
 Benjamin Arditi, Professor, Centro de Estudios Politicos, UNAM, Mexico, DF
 Mauricio Arenas - CUPW Local 626
 Andres Avellaneda, Emeritus Professor, Spanish and Latin American Studies, U. of Florida
 William Avilés, Asociate Professor of Political Science, University of Nebraska, Kearney
 Dra. Emperatriz Arreaza-Camero, Investigadora adscrita al Cine Club Universitario de Maracaibo, Universidad de Zulia
 Florence E. Babb, Vada Allan Yeomans Professor of Women's Studies, University of Florida
 Xóchitl Bada, Assistant Professor, Latin American and Latino Studies Program. University of Illinois at Chicago
 Gianpaolo Baiocchi, Director of Development Studies, Associate Professor of Sociology and International Studies, Brown University
 Sharada Balachandran-Orihuela. Doctoral Student. English department, University of California, Davis
 Deborah Barndt, Professor, Faculty of Environmental Studies and Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean, York University, Toronto, Canada
 Magdalena Barros Nock, Professor/Researcher, CIESAS México
 Leslie Bary, Associate Professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
 Emilio Bejel, Distinguished Professor of Latin American Studies, University of California at Davis
 Lourdes Benería, Professor of City and Regional Planning, Cornell University
 Carollee Bengelsdorf, Professor of Politics, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA
 Rina Benmayor, Professor, Humanities and Communication, California State University Monterey Bay
 Vivienne Bennett, Professor, Liberal Studies Department, California State University, San Marcos
 Charles Bergquist, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Washington
 Michelle Bigenho, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Hampshire College
 O'Neill Blacker-Hanson, Assistant Professor of Latin American History, Valparaiso University, Indiana
 Mario Blaser, Assistant Professor of International Development, York University, Toronto
 David Block, Curator of Latin American Collections, Cornell University
 Laura Bonilla-Merchav, Department of Art History, Graduate Center, City University of New York
 Stephen R. Boucher, Associate Professor, Agricultural and Resocurce Economics, UC Davis
 Kirk Bowman, Associate Professor, Sam Nunn School International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology
 Kalina Brabeck, Psychologist, Assistant Professor of Counseling, Rhode Island College
 Rosalind Bresnahan, Ph.D., Collective of Coordinating Editors, Latin American Perspectives
 M. Brinton Lykes, Ph.D., Associate Director, Center for Human Rights & International Justice, Professor, Community-Cultural Psychology, Boston College
 Janet Brody Esser, Emeritus Professor and Past Associate Director, Center for Latin American Studies, San Diego State University
 Alejandra Bronfman, Associate Professor, Department of History University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
 Dr. Ronda Brulotte, Lecturer III, Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico
 Monica Bucio, PhD Candidate, University of Warwick, United Kingdom
Stephanie Buechler, Research Associate, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
 Amy J. Buono, Assistant Professor of Art History, Southern Methodist University
 María Cristina Burgueño, Associate Professor of Spanish, Marshall University
 Kathryn Burns, Associate Professor of History, UNC Chapel Hill
 Marisol de la Cadena, Associate Professor of Anthropology, UC Davis
 Kia Lilly Caldwell, Assistant Professor, Department of African and Afro-American Studies University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
 Maxwell A. Cameron, Department of Political Science, University of British Columbia
 Ginetta E.B. Candelario, Director Latin American & Latina/o Studies and Associate Professor, Sociology Department, Smith College, Northampton, MA
 Gloria Cañez, Investigadora del Departamento de Estudios Sociales del Sistema Alimentario CIAD AC, Sonora, México
 M. Carmen Carrero de Salazar, Course Director, Faculty of Education, York University
 Jennifer J. Casolo, PhD Candidate in Geography, University of California at Berkeley
 J. Celso Castro Alves, Assistant Professor of Black Studies and History, Amherst College
 Emma Cervone, Department of Anthropology, Johns Hopkins University
 John C. Chasteen, Distinguished Professor of History, UNC Chapel Hill
 Ronald H. Chilcote, Professor of Economics and Political Science, University of California, Riverside
 Donna Chollett, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Minnesota-Morris
 Aviva Chomsky, Professor of History, Salem State College, Massachusetts
 Clemency Coggins, Professor of Archaeology and of Art History, Boston University
 Jorge Coronado, Associate Professor of Spanish & Portuguese, Northwestern University
 Fernando Coronil, Presidential Professor, Graduate Center, City University of New York
 Dominic Corva, Ph. C., University of Washington Department of Geography
 Jennifer N. Costanza, PhD student, Sociology, Brown University
 Liliana Cotto-Morales, Professor, University of Puerto Rico
 Raymond Craib, Department of History, Cornell University
 Altha Cravey, Associate Professor of Geography, UNC Chapel Hill
 Marta G. Cruz-Concepción, Teaching Fellow, 2008-10 University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
 Marco Cupolo, Assistant Professor of Spanish, University of Hartford
 Edward D'Angelo, Professor of Philosophy, Quinnipiac University
 Juanita Darling, Department of International Relations, San Francisco State University
 Karen Davis, Faculty Lecturer, California State University Monterey Bay
 Don Deere, PhD Student, Philosophy, DePaul University
 William D. DeGrush, St. Michael's College, Colchester, VT
 Guillermo Delgado, Lecturer in Latin American Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz
 Jonathan Dettman, M.A.T. Associate Instructor, Department of Spanish, University of California, Davis
 Dr. Rosalina Diaz, Associate Professor, Education Department, Medgar Evers College, City University of New York
 Ariel Dorfman, Walter Hines Page Professor of Literature and Latin American Studies, Duke University
 Lindsay DuBois, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
 Christopher Dunn, Associate Professor and Chair Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Tulane University
 Luis Duno-Gottberg, Associate Prof. Rice University
 Christine E. Eber, Associate Professor of Anthropology, New Mexico State University
 Marc Edelman, Professor of Anthropology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York
 David Egilman MD MPH, Clinical Associate Professor, Dept of Community Health, Brown University
 Lynn England, Lecturer, Utah Valley University
 Cecilia Enjuto Rangel, Assistant Professor of Spanish, Romance Languages, University of Oregon
 Edward Epstein, Professor of Political Science, University of Utah
 Arturo Escobar, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, UNC, Chapel Hill
 Francisco Escobedo, Assistant Professor, School of Forest Resources & Conservation, University of Florida
 Diego Escolar, Profesor Adjunto de Antropología, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo
 Mónica Espinosa-Arango, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogota
 Alicia Ivonne Estrada, Assistant Professor, Central American Studies Program, California State University, Northridge
 Judith Ewell, Newton Professor of History Emerita, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA
 Reverend Marc Fallon, csc, Catholic Social Services, New Bedford, MA
 Claire Farago, Professor, Department of Art and Art History, University of Colorado at Boulder
 Linda Farthing, independent scholar and author
 Paja Faudree, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Brown University
 Karen Ann Faulk, PhD, Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan
 Sandra Fernández Castillo, Associate professor of Philosophy, University of Chile
 Sujatha Fernandes, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Queens College, CUNY
 Virginia M. Fields, Ph.D., Senior Curator, Art of the Ancient Americas, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
 Luis Figueroa, Associate Professor of History, Latin American, Caribbean, Latina\o Studies Coordinator, Trinity College, Hartford, CT
 Eileen J. Findlay, Department of History, American University
 Liz Fitting, Assistant Professor Sociology & Social Anthropology, Dalhousie University, Halifax
 Sara María Lara Flores, Investigador, Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México DF
 Yvette G. Flores, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Chicana/o Studies Faculty Director Quarter Abroad Program Education Abroad Center U.C. Davis
 Alcira Forero-Pena, Assistant Visiting Professor of Anthropology, UCD, Denver
 Jonathan Fox, Professor, Latin American and Latino Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz
 Erich Fox Tree, Visiting Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, Wellesley College
 Elisabeth Jay Friedman, Associate Professor of Politics and Chair of Latin American Studies, University of San Francisco
 Max Paul Friedman, Associate Professor of History, American University
 Monica Frölander-Ulf, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown
 Carmenza Gallo, Associate Professor of Sociology, Queens College, New York
 Alyshia Gálvez, Assistant Professor, Latin American and Puerto Rican Studies, Lehman College/City University of New York
 Forrest Gander, Writer, Professor of English & Comparative Literature, Brown University
 Angela Garcia, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, UC Irvine
 Spike Gildea, Associate Professor of Linguistics, University of Oregon
 Andrea Giunta, Professor of Latin American Art, The University of Texas at Austin
 Helen Sabrina Gledhill, Scholar at the Centro de Memória da Bahia, Fundação Pedro Calmon, Brazil
 John Gledhill, Max Gluckman Professor of Social Anthropology & Co-Director, Centre for Latin American Cultural Studies, The University of Manchester, UK
 Tanya Golash-Boza, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Department of Sociology, University of Kansas
 W. L. Goldfrank, Prof of Sociololgy and Latin American & Latino Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz
 Roberta E. Goldman, Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine, Brown University
 William W. Goldsmith, Professor and Director, International Studies in Planning, Cornell University
 Judith Goode, Professor of Anthropology and Urban Studies, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
 Gail Gonzalez, Associate Professor and Chair Modern Languages Department, University of Wisconsin
 Miguel Gonzalez, Sessional Assistant Professor, International Development, York University, Toronto
 Soledad González Montes, Profesora-investigadora, El Colegio de México
Paul Gootenberg, Professor of History, Stony Brook
 Hubert C. de Grammont, Investigador, Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México DF
 Greg Grandin, Professor of History, New York University
 Karen B. Graubart, Associate Professor of History and Director, Program in Latin American Studies, University of Notre Dame
 Terence Grieder, Professor Emeritus, Department of Art and Art History, University of Texas at Austin
 Anna Gruben, Acting Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Oregon
 Kevin Guerrieri, Associate Professor of Spanish, University of San Diego
 Matthew Gutmann, Professor of Anthropology, Ethnic Studies, and Latin American Studies, Department of Anthropology, Brown University
 Liza Guzmán, Ecology Graduate Student, UNC-Chapel Hill
 LaDawn Haglund, Assistant Professor, School of Justice and Social Inquiry, Arizona State University
 Richard L. Harris, Professor Emeritus of Global Studies, California State University
 Faye V. Harrison, Professor of Anthropology and Director, African American Studies, University of Florida
 Daniel Hellinger, Professor of Political Science, Webster University, St. Louis
 Elizabeth A Hennessy, PhD Student, Geography Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
 Kimberly Hernández, Spanish Language Instructor, North Carolina Central University
 Marco Polo Hernández Cuevas, Associate Professor of Spanish, North Carolina Central University
 Doug Hertzler, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Eastern Mennonite University
 Peter E. Hildebrand, Professor Emeritus Food and Resource Economics, and Director Emeritus, International Programs, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences University of Florida
 Derrick Hindery, Assistant Professor, International Studies Program and Department of Geography, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
 Donald Hindley, Professor of Politics and Latin American and Latino Studies, Brandeis University
 Mary Holper, Boston College Immigration & Asylum Project, Boston College Law School
 Lori Hopkins, Associate Professor of Spanish, University of New Hampshire
P. Terrence Hopmann, Professor of International Relations, Johns Hopkins University
 René Harder Horst, Associate Professor of History Appalachian State University
 Sallie Hughes, Associate Professor, School of Communication, University of Miami
 Janise Hurtig, Senior Researcher, College of Education, University of Illinois at Chicago
 Forrest Hylton, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of History, New York University
 S. Ryan Isakson, Assistant Professor, International Development Studies, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
 Reiko Ishihara, Ph.D., Former Visiting Professor, Institute of Interethnic Studies, University of San Carlos of Guatemala
 Deborah Jakubs, Rita DiGiallonardo Holloway University Librarian, Vice Provost for Library Affairs, Adjunct Associate Professor of History, Duke University
 Laura Jensen, LMT, Cultural Anthropologist, MPH candidate, New Haven, Connecticut
 Reynaldo L. Jiménez, Associate Professor, Spanish and Portuguese Studies, University of Florida
 Benjamin H. Johnson, Associate Professor, Southern Methodist University
Jennifer Jolly, Assistant Professor of Art History, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY
 Susanne Jonas, Latin American & Latino Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz
 Tedd Judd, PhD, ABPP-CN Adjunct Clinical Faculty, Department of Psychology, University of Washington
 Karen A. Kainer, Assoc. Prof., School of Forest Resources and Conservation, and Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
 Susana Kaiser, Ph.D., Department of Media Studies, University of San Francisco
 Marina Kaplan, Associate Professor of Literature, Smith College, Northampton, MA
 Nicole Kellett, Research Associate, University of New Mexico
 Norma Klahn, Professor of Literature, University of California, Santa Cruz
 Cecelia F. Klein, Professor, Department of Art History, 100 Dodd Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
 Benjamin Kohl, Associate Professor, Geography and Urban Studies, Temple University
 Sarah Koopman PhD Candidate, Geography, University of British Columbia
 Elizabeth Kubick, Independent Scholar, Latin American and Caribbean Issues
 Maria L. Lagos, Associate Professor Emerita, Lehman College, The City University of New York
 Victoria Langland, Assistant Professor of History, University of California, Davis
 Brooke Larson, Professor of History, Stony Brook University
 Nathalie Lebon, Assistant Professor of Women's Studies, Gettysburg College
 Catherine LeGrand, Associate Professor of History, McGill University, Montreal
 Michelle Lenoue, MA Latin American Studies, San Diego State University
 Kelley León Howarth, Senior Instructor of Spanish & Head Undergraduate Advisor, Department of Romance Languages, University of Oregon
 Alejandra Letelier Kramer, Anthropology Department, University of California Santa Cruz
 Fredric G. Levin, College of Law, Gainesville, FL
 Elizabeth Lilliott, Associate Researcher, Pacific Institute of Research and Evaluation
 Amy Lind, Mary Ellen Heintz Associate Professor of Women's Studies, University of Cincinnati
 Flora Lu, Assistant Professor of Latin American and Latino Studies, University of CA--Santa Cruz
 Anibal Lucas, Director, Organización Maya K´iche´, New Bedford, MA
 Jennie M. Luna, Ed.M., Doctoral Candidate Native American Studies, U.C. Davis
 Silje Lundgren, Ph.D. candidate, Inst of Latin American Studies, Stockholm University, Sweden
 Amy Lutz, Professor of Sociology and Education, Syracuse University
Barbara Lynch, Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology
 Ann Magennis, Associate Professor, Anthropology, Colorado State University
 Mary Ann Mahony, Associate Professor of History, Co-coordinator, Latin American Studies Committee, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT
 Maria Margarita Malagon-Kurka, PhD in Art History
 Laura Malosetti Costa, Co-Director Magister in Sociology of Culture and Cultural Studies, IDAES, Universidad Nacional de San Martin, Buenos Aires

Bernardo Mançano Fernandes, São Paulo State University
 Valeria Manzano, History Department, Indiana University at Bloomington
 Michael Marchman, PhD Candidate, Department of Geography, University of Kentucky
 Maxine L. Margolis, Professor Emerita of Anthropology, University of Florida, Gainesville
 Diane Marting, Past President of the Mississippi Foreign Language Association, University of Mississippi
 Lillian Manzor, Associate Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures, Director, Degree Programs in Latin American Studies, Director, Cuban/Latino Theater Archive, University of Miami
 Patricia M. Martin , Professor of Geography, Université de Montréal, Montréal, CANADA
 Rubén Martínez, Fletcher Jones Chair in Literature & Writing, Loyola Marymount University
 Patricia Mathews-Salazar, Associate Professor of Anthropology, BMCC & Graduate Center, City University of New York
 Kathleen McAfee, Faculty of International Relations, San Francisco State University
 Frank D. McCann, Professor Emeritus of History, University of New Hampshire
 Robert McKee Irwin, Professor of Spanish, UC Davis
 Marc McLeod, Associate Professor of History and Director of Latin American Studies, Seattle University
 Malcolm K. McNee, Asst. Professor of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese, Smith College
 J. Patrice McSherry, Professor of Political Science and Director, Latin American & Caribbean Studies Program, Long Island University
 Carmen Medeiros, Assistant Professor and Faculty Fellow, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, New York University
 Zoila Mendoza, Professor of Native American Studies, University of California, Davis
 Cecilia Menjivar, Professor of Sociology, Arizona State University
 Brent Metz, Asst Professor, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Kansas
Gwendolyn Midlo Hall, Rutgers University
 Kenneth J. Mijeski, South Eastern Council of Latin American Studies (SECOLAS) Past President (1999-2000), Professor of Political Science, East Tennessee State University
 Rosamel Millaman Reinao, Assistant Professor. Escuela de Antropología. Universidad Católica de Temuco, Chile
 Rosamel Millaman Reinao, Assistant Professor, Universidad Católica de Temuco, Chile
 Marilyn G Miller, Associate Professor, Tulane
 Lisa Mills, Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, Carleton University, Ottawa
 William P. Mitchell, Prof. of Anthropology and Freed Foundation Professor in the Social Sciences, Monmouth University
 Raúl Molina Mejía, Adjunct Professor of History, Long Island University
 David Mora-Marin, Assistant Professor of Linguistics, UNC-Chapel Hill
 Julio Moreno, Associate Professor, History and Latin American Studies,
Co-Director, Center for Latino Studies in the Americas, University of San Francisco
 Kim Morse, Assistant Professor of History, Washburn University, Topeka, KS
 Julia E. Murphy, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Calgary
 Dr. Silvia Nagy-Zekmi, Professor of Hispanic and Cultural Studies, Director of the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies, Villanova University
María Isabel Neüman, Profesora titular de la Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela
 Liisa L. North, Professor Emerita, Political Science and former director of Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLAC), York University, Toronto, Canada
 John M. Norvell, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Pitzer College
 Marcia Ochoa, Assistant Professor of Community Studies, UC Santa Cruz
 Joanna O'Connell, Associate Professor, Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies, University of Minnesota
 Patrick J. O'Connor, Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies, Oberlin College
 Elizabeth Oglesby, Assistant Professor of Geography and Latin American Studies University of Arizona
 Diana Ojeda, PhD student, Clark University, Worcester MA, USA
 Anthony Oliver-Smith, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of Florida
 Andrew Orta, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
 Gerardo Otero, Professor of Sociology and Latin American Studies, Simon Fraser University, Canada
 Okezi T. Otovo, Doctoral Candidate, Department of History, Georgetown University
 Mark Overmyer-Velázquez, Associate Professor of History and Director, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, University of Connecticut
 Javier Eduardo Pabón, Assistant Professor International Studies, St. Augustine's College
 Joseph M. Palacios, Assistant Professor, Sociology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
 Amalia Pallares, Associate Professor, Latin American & Latino Studies and Political Science, University of Illinois at Chicago
 Juan Manuel Leon Parra, Graduate Student, Post-Deportation Human Rights Project, Center for Human Rights & International Justice, Boston College
Professor Alberto Julián Pérez, Director, Latin American and Iberian Studies, Texas Tech University
 Melanie Pérez Ortiz, Catedrática Asociada, Departamento de Estudios Hispánicos, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras
 Héctor Perla Jr., Assistant Professor, Latin American & Latino Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz
 Ann H. Peters, Visiting Assistant Professor of Geography and Urban Studies, Temple University
 Anna Peterson, Professor of Religion, University of Florida, Gainesville
 Brandt Peterson, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Michigan State University
 Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, Adjunct Professor of International Studies, Center for Latin American Studies, Watson Institute, Brown University
 Nancy Postero, Associate Professor, Anthropology, UC San Diego
 Kerry Preibisch, Associate Professor, University of Guelph and Visiting Fellow, University of Sussex
 Yolanda Prieto, Professor Emerita, School of Social Science and Human Services, Ramapo College of New Jersey
 Lola Proaño Gómez, Professor, Languages Division Pasadena City College.
Edwin Quiles, Professor, University of Puerto Rico
 Joanne Rappaport, Professor of Anthropology, Georgetown University
Laurel Rayburn, PhD in English, Brown University
 Cynthia Radding, Gussenhoven Distinguished Professor of Latin American Studies, Department of History, UNC, Chapel Hill
 Ana Cristina Ramírez Barreto, Profesora-investigadora en la Facultad de Filosofía, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia, México
 Margo Ramlal-Nankoe, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Ithaca College
 Elías A. Ramos, Professor of Latin American Literature, California State University-Northridge
 Marcus Rediker, Professor of History, University of Pittsburgh
 Martha W. Rees, Professor, Agnes Scott College Decatur, GA
 Bernardo Rengifo Lozano, Professor of Philosophy, Universidad de los Andes
 Gerardo Renique, Associate Professor of History, City University of New York (CUNY)
 Rosana Resende, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Florida, Department of Anthropology
 Jennifer F. Reynolds, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, The University of South Carolina
 Patricia Richards, Associate Professor of Sociology and Women's Studies, University of Georgia
 Kenneth M. Roberts, Department of Government, Cornell University
 William I. Robinson, Professor of Sociology, Global Studies, and Latin American Studies, University of California at Santa Barbara
 Debra H. Rodman, Assistant Professor Anthropology and Women's Studies, Randolph-Macon College
 Marisol Rodriguez, Senior Research Assistant, Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University
 Maria Rogal, Associate Professor of Graphic Design & Affiliate Faculty of the Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville
Karem Roitman, Lecturer, Regent's American College London, London UK
 Cristina Rojas, School of International Affairs, Carleton University, Ottawa
 Rachel Rosenbloom, Post-Deportation Human Rights Project, Center for Human Rights & International Justice, Boston College
 Regina A. Root, Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies, College of William and Mary
 Frances Rothstein, Professor of Anthropology, Montclair State University
 Frederick Royce, Assistant Scientist, University of Florida, Gainesville
 Alma Ruiz, Curator MOCA, The Museum Of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
 Rubén G. Rumbaut, Professor of Sociology, University of California, Irvine
 Dereka Rushbrook, Lecturer in Geography and Regional Development, University of Arizona, Tucson
 Eduardo Sáenz-Rovner, Professor of Economic History, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogota
 Frank Salomon, John V. Murra Professor of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
 Robert Samet, Ph.D. Candidate, Stanford University Department of Anthropology
 James Sanders, Associate Professor of History, Utah State University

Luis Sandoval, Graduate Student, Post-Deportation Human Rights Project, Center for Human Rights & International Justice, Boston College
 Myrna Santiago, Associate Professor of History, Director, Women's Studies Program, Saint Mary's College of California, Moraga, CA
 Patricia Sawin, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
 Suzana Sawyer, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Davis
 Marianne Schmink, Professor and Director, Tropical Conservation and Development program, Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida
 Barbara Schroder, Ph.D., City University of New York
 Ofelia Schutte, Professor of Philosophy, University of South Florida, Tampa
 T.M. Scruggs, Associate Professor, School of Music, University of Iowa
 Miguel La Serna, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of History, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
 Maureen E. Shea, Associate Professor of Spanish, Tulane University.
 Barry G. Shelley, Ph.D. candidate, Department of Economics, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
 Avrum J. Shriar, Associate Professor and Undergraduate Program Coordinator, Urban/Regional Studies and Planning L.D. Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, Virginia Commonwealth University
 Sharleen H. Simpson, PhD, MSN, MA, ARNP, Associate Professor of Nursing and Anthropology, Affiliate Faculty in Latin American Studies, University of Florida
 Peter Singelmann, Professor of Sociology, University of Missouri-Kansas City
 Sandy Smith-Nonini, Research Assistant Professor, Dept. of Anthropology, UNC, Chapel Hill
 Dr. Caridad Souza, Lecturer, SUNY-College at Oneonta
 Liv Sovik, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
 Karen Spalding, Professor of History, The University of Connecticut
 Shannon Speed, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Coordinator, Indigenous Studies Initiative University of Texas at Austin
 Dr. Anita Spring, Professor, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Florida
 Barbara Stallings, William R. Rhodes Research Professor, Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University
 Maya Stanfield-Mazzi, Assistant Professor of Art History, University of Florida
 Steve Stein, Professor of History, Director Center for Latin American Studies, University of Miami
 Marcia Stephenson, Associate Professor of Spanish, Purdue University
 Steve Striffler, Doris Zemurray Stone Chair of Latin American Studies, University of New Orleans
 Margarita M.W. Suarez, Department of Religion & Philosophy, Meredith College
 Christina A. Sue, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Colorado-Boulder
 Heather Sullivan, PhD Candidate in Political Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
 Henry W. Sullivan, Dept. of Spanish & Portuguese, Tulane University, New Orleans
 Sharon Sullivan Mujica, Consultant, Institute for the Study of the Americas, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
 Daniel O. Suman, Professor, Division of Marine Affairs & Policy (MAF), Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS), University of Miami
 David Sweet, Prof. Emeritus of Latin American Histor, University of California, Santa Cruz
 Analisa Taylor, Associate Professor of Spanish, University of Oregon
 Beatriz de la Tejera H., Profesora e Investigadora Titular en Desarrollo Rural, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México y Universidad Autónoma Chapingo
 Miguel Tinker Salas, Arango Professor of Latin American History, Pomona College
 Cynthia Tompkins, Asc. Prof. Spanish, School of International Letters and Cultures, Arizona State University
 Marion Traub-Werner, Dissertation Writing Fellow, University of Minnesota
 Donaldo Urioste, Professor of Spanish & Chicano Literature, School of World Languages & Cultures California State University, Monterey Bay
 Andrea Valenzuela, Assistant Professor of Spanish, Whitman College
 Ivonne del Valle, Assistant Professor, University of Michigan
 Lucila Vargas, Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, UNC Chapel Hill
 Verónica Vallejo, Doctoral Candidate, Department of History, Georgetown University
 Stefano Varese, Professor of NAS, University of California, Davis
 Adrián Ventura, President, Organización Maya K´iché, New Bedford, MA
 Adam Versényi, Barranger Distinguished Term Professor of Dramatic Art, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
 Steven Volk, Professor of History Director, Center for Teaching Innovation and Excellence, Oberlin College
 Lissie Wahl, Research Fellow, Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School
 Kay Warren, Tillinghast Professor of International Studies and Professor of Anthropology, Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University
 Ronald Waterbury, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, Queens College CUNY
 William F. Waters, Chair, LASA Ecuadorian Studies Section (2006-present), Professor of Sociology and Public Health, Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador)
 Ronald W. Webb, Director, Latin American Studies (2006-present), Temple University
 Susan V. Webster, Jane W. Mahoney Professor of Art and Art History, College of William and Mary
 Mark Weisbrot, Co-Director, Center for Economic and Policy Research
 Cliff Welch, Professor of History, Grand Valley State University
 Norman E. Whitten, Jr., Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and Latin American Studies and Curator of the Spurlock Museum, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
 Linda Wilcox Young, Professor of Economics, Southern Oregon University
 Justin Wolfe, William Arceneaux Associate Professor of Latin American History, Tulane University
 Wendy Wolford, Associate Professor of Geography, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
 Stephanie Wood, Associate Director for Development and Dissemination, Center for the Study of Women in Society, University of Oregon
 Edgar Woznica, Brown University undergraduate '09
 Robin M. Wright, Full Professor of Anthropology (Universidade Estadual de Campinas) & Associate Professor of Religion (UF Gainesville)
 Horacio Xaubet, Associate Professor, Modern Foreign Languages, North Carolina Central University
 Qingwen Xu, Assistant Professor, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work
 Caroline Yezer, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, College of the Holy Cross
 April Yoder, PhD Student, Georgetown University
 Professor Jordan Young, Professor Emeritus Brazilian Civilization, Pace University, New York
 Phil Young, Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon
 Emma Zapata Martelo, Colegio de Postgraduados, México, Profesora Investigadora Titular
 Pat Zavella, Professor and Chair, Latin American and Latino Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz
 María Zebadúa Serra, Professor, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, México
 Lori Zett, MIA School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, and Adjunct professor, Temple University
 Marc Zimmerman, Professor and Director, World Cultures and Literatures, Director, Global CASA/LACASA Publications, University of Houston
 Ann Zulawski, Professor of History and Latin American Studies, Smith College