The Center for Latin American & Latino Studies (CLALS) is a multidisciplinary center harnessing expertise from throughout the American University community and with counterparts in D.C. and around the world to serve as a catalyst for the creation of knowledge about Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latino communities in the United States. Its work reflects enduring commitment to social inclusion, good governance, human security, equitable international relations, and understanding of societal challenges in the region.
The Center’s goals are to:
- Empower changemakers throughout the hemisphere by giving them high quality data and analysis about Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latino communities in the United States.
- Raise the quality of debate, policy, and advocacy on and in Latin America and the Caribbean by generating and disseminating cutting-edge research.
- Deepen understanding of the dynamics within and around Latino communities as integral participants in the national political, social, and economic life of the United States.
- Promote community and inclusion among people of diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and interests throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States through the open exchange of knowledge.
Message from Director Ernesto Castañeda
________________________________________________________________________
Project Spotlights
Focus Areas
Center projects address Inclusion, Governance, Security, International Relations, Environment, and Regional and Country Studies. Learn more about these six key focus areas of our research below.
Inclusion
Governance
Security
International Relations
Environment
Regional-Country Studies
Announcements
Russell Sage Foundation Grant
CLALS is pleased to announce that it has received a $75,000 grant from the Russell Sage Foundation to support the two-year project, "Shifting Policies, Changing Chances: How Legal Uncertainty and Expanded Deportability Affect Recent Immigrants and Asylum Seekers in New York City and Washington, D.C." Led by CLALS director and PI Ernesto Castañeda, and AU School of International Service professors, and Co-PIs, Maria De Jesus and Lauren Carruth, this project aims to identify the impacts of temporary programs and changes in immigration policies on the urban and labor market integration of new arrivals in New York City and the D.C. metropolitan regions. It builds on an existing dataset to identify immigrant integration challenges arising from rapid policy and implementation changes and compares the situation of these same populations before and after policy changes that have resulted in the loss for many of temporary legal statuses. With this comparison the project hopes to isolate specific effects of these policies on the ongoing integration efforts of both legal and undocumented immigrants as well as asylum seekers.
Ecuador Intiative
We are pleased to announce a new and generous contribution on the part
of American University alumna Maria Donoso Clark (CAS/PhD '91) in support of our Center's ongoing Ecuador Initiative. Launched in January of 2024, also with initial support from Ms. Donoso Clark, this Initiative seeks to better understand the country’s social, economic, and governance challenges to promote wider public awareness of Ecuador, and facilitate academic, policy, and public conversations and analyses of its present and future, while building collaborative relationships with Ecuadorian colleagues. This Initiative also adopts a comparative lens that views Ecuador as a particularly fruitful laboratory for understanding emerging developments across Latin America.
Support CLALS
Donate Here
Your support and contributions help us continue our research, support our student researchers, and make a meaningful impact.
Make a gift today! Click here.