Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Brown University

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Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Brown University

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CLACS organizes academic conferences, lectures, and cultural programming, and supports over 100 faculty affiliates as well as graduates and undergraduates.

09/17/2026

Join us in welcoming CLACS Craig M. Cogut Visiting Professor, Manoel Gehrke. His research lies at the intersection of comparative politics, political economy, and judicial politics. His work has appeared in the Journal of Democracy, Governance, Government & Opposition, among other outlets. He is based at FGV São Paulo, Brazil, where he leads a research group focused on accountability, elite behavior and threats to democracy in Latin America.

He is teaching a course this Fall on “Democracy, Authoritarianism, and the Politics of Accountability in Contemporary Latin America” (LACA 1504V).

Bem-vindo à CLACS!

09/15/2026

Join us tomorrow for a discussion with Mexican author Laia Jufresa about her new novel, Wishbone. This event will feature a conversation between the author, Michelle Clayton (Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Hispanic Studies), and Iris Montero (Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies).

Date: September 16th
Time: 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Location: Watson School of International and Public Affairs, 111 Thayer Street
Room: Joukowsky Forum 155

09/11/2026

Join us in welcoming our new Visiting Assistant Professor Margarita Rosa for a multi-year position with CLACS. Dr. Margarita Lila Rosa is a specialist in Afro-Latin American and Black Atlantic history. An award-winning historian, Rosa’s historical academic scholarship has been published in the Caribbean Quarterly, The Journal of African American History, and Slavery & Abolition, among others. Rosa has also held teaching and research positions at Stanford University and Baruch College. Her archival research spans the Afro-Indigenous histories across the United States, the Caribbean, and Brazil, with a focus on gender, maroonage, rebellion, and material histories.

She is teaching two courses this fall, one on Haiti and the DR (“Hispaniola: A History of Haiti and the Dominican Republic”, LACA 1601A) and another specialized paleography seminar on the Black and Indigenous Caribbean (“Black and Indigenous Cimarronaje in the Spanish Caribbean, 1492-1886”, LACA 1620B).

Bienvenida a CLACS!

05/19/2026

Climate justice is worker justice ☀️✊

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Brown University for the screening and panel discussion of Without Shade, Without Rest. We are deeply grateful to all who came to watch, learn, and engage in such an urgent conversation about labor protections, environmental justice, and the realities outdoor workers face in extreme heat conditions.

A special thank you to our collaborators and partners—The Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES), The Swearer Center for Public Service, The Climate Solutions Lab, and especially Working Films—for helping bring this important film and conversation to our campus community.

We are also incredibly thankful to the members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the filmmaker who shared their experiences and insights on the fight for enforceable heat protections and the ongoing work being led by frontline communities and workers across Florida.

05/18/2026

IT’S A WORM 🪱🇨🇺

Thank you to everyone who joined us for “Illustrating Stories of Migration” with Edel Rodriguez (). We are incredibly grateful to Edel for sharing not only his artistic process, but also the deeply personal stories, photographs, illustrations, and experiences that shaped his acclaimed graphic memoir “Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey.”

Hearing about the journey behind Worm—from early sketches and research to visual storytelling and publication—offered such a powerful reflection on migration, memory, identity, and resilience. Thank you, Edel, for your generosity and honesty, and for inspiring students and community members through both your art and your story.

05/15/2026

Congratulations to Meilyn Farina on her incredible thesis presentation and on completing Honors in the Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACA) concentration! 🎉

Her thesis, “Solar Energy, Community Empowerment, and Popular Democracy in Puerto Rico: A Discursive Analysis of Solar Collectives Post-Hurricane,” reflects her deep commitment to equity, community-based research, and the intersections of environmental justice and Latine experiences.

Throughout her time at Brown, Meilyn has dedicated herself to uplifting communities through research, advocacy, journalism, and public engagement—from studying Latine educational experiences and advocating for sustainable food systems, to leading The Sol as Editor-in-Chief.

We are so proud of all she has accomplished and cannot wait to see the impact she will continue to make through her storytelling, scholarship, and advocacy 💛🌎☀️

05/14/2026

Providence is the new Havana 🇨🇺🤝🇺🇸

We are grateful to everyone who joined us for “U.S.-Cuba Relations in a Time of Crisis.” A huge thank you to Ambassador (ret.) Jeffrey DeLaurentis for sharing such thoughtful and insightful reflections on the evolving relationship between the United States and Cuba, and for helping contextualize this critical moment in a broader historical perspective.

We’re also deeply thankful to our incredible panelists—Esther Whitfield and Jennifer Lambe—as well as moderator Daniel Rodriguez for leading such an engaging and meaningful conversation.

And a special thank you to Ambassador DeLaurentis for taking the time to join Brown students for lunch earlier in the day—we truly appreciated the opportunity to continue the conversation in a more personal setting.

05/12/2026

Cogut Visiting Professor Sandra Sánchez López co-curates the newly opened exhibition “Y pertenecíamos solo a nosotras mismas” (We belonged only to ourselves) at the Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango in Bogotá ()—one of Colombia’s most important cultural and archival institutions.

Developed in collaboration with an artist Carolina Cerón, the project marks a historic first for the BLAA: it is both the institution’s first major exhibition centered on women’s archives and the first time a historian and an artist—both women—have worked together as co-curators in this space.
The exhibition is already drawing attention, including visits from Rita Segato, a leading feminist whose work has been central to rethinking gender, power, and violence in Latin America.

On view through January 2027—and traveling across Colombia thereafter—the exhibition brings together documentary, visual, hemerographic, bibliographic materials, and artworks within a single curatorial framework.

Rather than presenting a single narrative, the project approaches the archive as a living, relational field—inviting viewers to trace connections and consider how women’s histories continue to reshape dominant understandings of the past.

📍Bogotá, Colombia

📅On view through January 2027

🌎Traveling nationwide thereafter

05/11/2026

It was incredible to see a packed house two weeks ago at Pedagogies of Care: How Teachers are Supporting Immigrant Students 💫

Over 80 local teachers, Brown students, staff, and faculty joined us for a powerful night that highlighted the role educators can play in supporting immigrant communities and pushing back against harmful immigration policies through collective care, advocacy, and solidarity.

Thank you to the educators who led our wonderful panel, shared their stories and experiences, and, most importantly, taught the community the tools and strategies we can implement to support students in an era of mass immigration enforcement.

A special thank you to our wonderful moderator, Tricia Kelly, and our generous co-sponsors who made this night possible: .house

A special message from Marcos, the creator of this event:

“Thank you so much CLACS for helping me put on this event and letting me share my story. It was an incredible event that perfectly captured how essentials teachers were in my own journey to college and how they remain integral to protecting vulnerable students. I am filled with joy to know that this event will have a lasting impact in Rhode Island and the lives of countless students.”

05/07/2026

Join us this Friday for “Illustrating Stories of Migration,” an artistic workshop with internationally acclaimed Cuban American artist Edel Rodriguez.

Drawing from his graphic memoir Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey, Rodriguez will take participants behind the scenes of his creative process - from research and sketching to visual storytelling and inking techniques. His work has been featured in TIME, The New Yorker, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Born in Havana and arriving in the U.S. during the Mariel boatlift, Rodriguez’s work explores migration, identity, and freedom through bold visual storytelling.

Sign up using the link in our bio or scan the QR code!

📅 Friday, May 8
⏰ 12:00–1:30 PM
📍 McKinney Conference Room (353), 111 Thayer St.

Address

59 Charlesfield Street
Providence, RI
02912

Website

http://www.watsoninstitute.org/clacs/

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