Institute of Latin American Studies

The Institute of Latin American Studies was established in 1965 with the objective of providing a focus for research on the literature, arts, history, politics and economics of Latin America and the Caribbean. It is part of the School of Advanced Study, the UK’s national research centre and the only institution to receive national funding to promote research in the humanities.[2]

ILAS’ founding director was Robin Humphreys, the first professor of Latin American history and the founder of Latin American studies in the United Kingdom.[3] Humphreys’ tenure at ILAS from 1965 to 1974 "set the standards which gained for the subject academic status and funding".[3]

Between 2004 and 2013, ILAS formed part of the Institute for the Study of the Americas (ISA), along with the Institute of United States Studies (IUSS). In August 2013, ILAS was re-established to focus solely on supporting research on Latin America and the Caribbean.[4] The current director of ILAS is Dr. Linda Newson.

The national and international mission of ILAS is to support researchers engaged in scholarship in the humanities broadly defined pertaining to Latin America and the Caribbean by building and maintaining national scholarly networks; hosting visiting fellows; hosting and promoting academic events; and providing digital resources of use for the research community.

The Institute’s area studies focus is multidisciplinary and, as part of the School of Advanced Study, benefits from academic collaboration across a wide range of subject fields in the humanities and social sciences. Furthermore, ILAS works closely with cultural, diplomatic and business organizations with an interest in Latin America.

• The Juridification of Resource Conflicts

• Latin America and the Global History of Knowledge
• Commodities of Empire

• Research Portal

• Library and E-Resources

• The Caribbean Studies Collection

• The Legal Cultures of the Subsoil Database

ILAS offers a variety of taught and research Master's degrees as well as a Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

Despite enjoying international recognition as an established centre of excellence for research facilitation, the institute, as a postgraduate-only institution, is not included in most university rankings tables.[5]

ILAS is the editorial and administrative home of the renowned Journal of Latin American Studies.[6] The institute's books are published by the University of London Press, a fully open-access academic publisher based in the School of Advanced Study, of which ILAS forms part.

The Institute of Latin American Studies maintains one of the premier libraries in Europe dedicated exclusively to the study of Latin America and the Caribbean, with much of the materials sourced directly from the countries of origin.[7]

• Robin Humphreys

• Institute of Latin American Studies website
• Website of a project sponsored jointly by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICS) and the Institute for the Study of the Americas (ISA) Containing historical archives and access to an extensive collection of political ephemera.
• School of Advanced Study website