Perry Center Professors Dr. Scott Tollefson and Pat Paterson attended the LASA Congress in New York City.
The Latin American Studies Association (LASA) represents an excellent opportunity for Perry Center staff, faculty, and students to learn about contemporary issues in the Western Hemisphere. It is the largest Latin American association in the world with over 12,000 members. Academically, it represents a gathering of the world’s leading scholars on the region and represents a networking opportunity unlike any other. Hundreds of graduates of Perry Center courses attended the annual Congress in New York City.
The 2016 meeting celebrated LASA’s 50th anniversary. “LASA at 50” was the largest Congress the association has ever sponsored with approximately 7,000 participants. The Congress accepted nearly 5,400 paper proposals for the event. Papers were presented in nearly 1500 panels over the course of the 4-day conference.
LASA panels are centered on about 40 multidisciplinary themes (called program tracks). Of particular interest to the Perry Center are Democratization, Human Rights, International Relations, Political Institutions and Processes, Transnationalism and Globalization, (Un)Rule of Law and Citizenship Rights, and Violence and (In)security. Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia were the top 3 focus nations for submitted papers (in that order).
Professor Paterson presented a paper, “The Evolution of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law doctrine and Policy of the Colombian Armed Forces.” He also chaired a panel titled, “Human Rights, Military, and Amnesty,” on Sunday morning.
