News
Haiti Badly Shaken by 7.0 Magnitude Earthquake
Port-au-Prince is devastated by a disaster aggravated by weak infrastructure. UCLA students and faculty members familiar with the country put the tragedy in context in this Daily Bruin article.
Center Kicks Off Year of Events on Mexican Revolution's Centennial
A series on the 1910 revolution began Nov. 16 with a conference organized jointly by the Center for Mexican Studies and the just-opened Los Angeles branch of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.
Movie Sheds Light on Transnational Families
"Those Who Remain" tells the story of Mexican families who have at least one member working in the United States. On Nov. 18, the UCLA Latin America Institute will be screening the film on campus with co-director Carlos Hagerman present, reports The Daily Bruin.
Venezuelan Ambassador Discusses Relations Between US and Region
Bernardo Alvarez Herrera, the ambassador from Venezuela, says that the political crisis in Honduras and the U.S. military presence in Colombia will be pivotal issues in U.S. relations in Latin America.
Leader in Son Jarocho Revival Tells His Music's Story
Gilberto Gutierrez, a Son Jarocho singer-poet and master of the stringed jarana, explained how this once-popular music of southern Veracruz has not only come back, but begun to spread.
International Institute Cooks Up Recipe for Teacher Success
This year's International Institute summer training program for teachers, a 10-day workshop, traced the evolution of regional and cross-regional food cultures from antiquity to the present day in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
Local Teachers to Eat Up International Studies at UCLA
Rice, chicken, tea. Sounds like a meal, but in a summer class about international food, these staples are a jumping-off point for understanding rice's role in globalization, how rumors about chicken quality represent distrust of the global market and how a British obsession with Chinese tea led to slave raids in the Philippines.
Research Tool for Latin Americanists Expands in Region by Giving Back
'HAPI: the Database of Latin American Journal Articles' has increased its subscriber base in that region by giving its online library product away in some countries and charging less for it in others. HAPI had flexibility to make the change, which shortens paths to knowledge for scholars, because of its good financial health.
Scholars Review Beliefs, Lore, and Anthropology in Caribbean
A conference last month on Folklore and the Politics of Belief in the Caribbean invited scholars to explore the transmission of African culture in the region and the way this hybrid culture was viewed by observers and researchers from abroad. The event was sponsored by the UCLA Latin American Institute and the Mellon Seminar on Caribbean Cultural History.
Mexican Writer Elena Poniatowska Addresses 250 on Literary Women
In a Spanish-language lecture on Latin America's women writers, the versatile and prolific Poniatowska explains that her vocation means something distinctive for Latin American women, and that passing centuries have brought little relief and appreciation for those who dare to make art.
eBay Has Unexpected Effect on Looting of Antiquities, Archaeologist Finds
UCLA archaeologist Charles Stanish argues in the latest issue of Archaeology that the antiquities market created by the online auction house eBay has reduced incentives for looting.
Chilean Poet Raul Zurita Draws, and Stirs, a Crowd
Raul Zurita, one of Latin America's great living poets and one of Chile's most important voices against dictatorship, reads and discusses his poetry on campus.
Institute Hosts Conference on Latin American Economies
The gathering of international experts extends efforts of collaboration and exchange by the UCLA Latin American Institute.
Argentinean Paper La Nacion Features Joint CNSI Argentina Conference
Laura Garca Oviedo For LA NACION (This text has been translated from the original)
'To Know Mexico Better Is to Know Ourselves Better'
UCLA is expanding its studies of and ties with Mexico with the creation of a dedicated center under the Latin American Institute and new programs of scholarly collaboration and exchange. At the inaugural event for the Center for Mexican Studies, speakers honored decades of service by UCLA's "dean of Mexican studies," Professor James Wilkie.