Celebrating the Life and Legacy of David Rockefeller

Drew Gilpin Faust, President of Harvard University, met with David Rockefeller during his visit to campus in 2008.

With the recent passing of our beloved David Rockefeller (June 12, 1915 – March 20, 2017), the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) sends condolences around the world to the innumerable individuals who have been touched by David’s “interesting life” (as he so characteristically phrased it) and unsurpassed generosity. We express joy and admiration for his robust life and legacy, and are humbled, proud and immensely honored that DRCLAS is to be a living example of the past, present and future of David’s vision and love for Latin America. Read the full letter by Brian D. Farrell, DRCLAS Director, here.

Mexico City at a Crossroads: Urban Challenges of the 21st Century

DRCLAS, in collaboration with the Harvard Graduate School of Design, organized the two-day conference Mexico City at a Crossroads: Urban Challenges of the 21st Century, which addressed current challenges hampering Mexico City’s urban development, and served as an opportunity to share lessons learned so far, and engage in a dialogue with Harvard faculty and students on the city's direction going forward.

From left: Diane Davis, Charles Dyer Norton Professor of Regional Planning and Urbanism, and Chair of the Department of Urban Planning and Design, Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD); Mohsen Mostafavi, Dean of the GSD, and Alexander and Victoria Wiley Professor of Design, GSD; Miguel Ángel Mancera, Mayor of Mexico City; Jorge I. Domínguez, Antonio Madero Professor for the Study of Mexico, Department of Government, and Chair of The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, Harvard University

The conference began with a keynote address by Miguel Ángel Mancera, Mayor of Mexico City, and was followed by a set of panels that showcased the work of a range of scholars and public officials who seek to understand the city’s health, transportation, water, and security challenges.

Book Launch in Peru - LASA 2017

In April, DRCLAS and the Harvard Club of Peru organized the book launch of Social Policies and Decentralization in Cuba: Change in the Context of 21st Century Latin America, edited by Jorge I. Domínguez, María del Carmen Zabala Argüelles, Mayra Espina Prieto, and Lorena Barberia. 

Jorge I. Domínguez, Antonio Madero Professor for the Study of Mexico, Department of Government, and Chair of The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, Harvard University

As part of the LASA 2017 Congress, the event featured a presentation and discussion by Jorge I. Domínguez, Antonio Madero Professor for the Study of Mexico, Department of Government, and Chair of The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, Harvard University, and María del Carmen Zabala Argüelles, professor, Universidad de la Habana, and researcher, Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO).

Annual Certificate in Latin American Studies and Thesis Prizes Ceremony

Class of 2017 Certificate recipients and thesis prize winners

On May 24th, DRCLAS celebrated the annual Certificate in Latin American Studies and Thesis Prizes Ceremony. Twenty-four graduating seniors and five doctoral students received the Certificate this year, accompanied by their families and friends. To earn the Certificate, students must complete at least five courses on topics related to Latin America in three different departments; demonstrate fluency in Spanish or Portuguese; and either write a thesis on a Latin American topic or spend a significant amount of time in the region during their time at Harvard, such as a semester abroad. During the ceremony, DRCLAS also awarded the James R. and Isabel D. Hammond Thesis Prize to Victoria H. Jones ’17 (Government); the Joan Northland Hutchins Thesis Prize to Lorena Avilés Trujillo ’17 (Sociology), and the Kenneth Maxwell Thesis Prize in Brazilian Studies to Ashley Alejandra Collins ’17 (Social Studies). In addition, the Steve Reifenberg Travel Fellowship was awarded to Hamna Nazir ‘17, who will carry out an internship in São Paulo.

Harvard Graduate School of Design Studio in São Paulo

Felipe Correa, Associate Professor of Urban Design, Harvard Graduate School (GSD), and GSD students at the GSD Studio in São Paulo

The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) Studio São Paulo: the Rescaling of Rail Infrastructure and New Models of Domestic Life brought fourteen GSD students and researchers to São Paulo for a one-week immersion trip. This initiative, conducted by Felipe Correa, Associate Professor of Urban Design, and a team of researchers at the GSD, utilizes mobility infrastructure in São Paulo as a point of departure to construct an expanded investigation on the historic and contemporary relationship between mobility networks and urban form in the São Paulo metropolitan region. The investigation will result in an exhibition, a publication, and a series of public presentations in São Paulo, scheduled for February 2018.

Consortium for Advanced Studies Abroad Site Visit to Chile and Argentina

In April, a delegation of faculty and staff from seven member universities of the Consortium for Advanced Studies Abroad (CASA) visited Chile and Argentina, to meet with local partners and current program participants, and learn more about the academic, cultural, and administrative aspects of the programs.
 

Faculty and administrators from seven CASA member universities visited the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile to meet with local partners.

As a new member of CASA, Harvard launched two distinct term-time study abroad programs in July 2016: CASA Argentina and CASA Chile. In their first academic year, the programs, administered by DRCLAS and the Office of International Education at Harvard College, welcomed eighteen undergraduates, who spent a semester studying at top local universities.