History

Research and teaching in Latin American and Caribbean studies at Duke dates back to the 1920's when the University was founded. The present day Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies (CLACS) oversees and coordinates graduate and undergraduate education in Latin American and Caribbean studies, and promotes research and dissemination of knowledge about the region. Its activities encompass the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and the professional schools. The Center's governing body is the Council on Latin American and Caribbean Studies, which emerged in 1978 from the Council on Hispanic Research, and was originally established to coordinate the activities of faculty interested in Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula. During the 1980's and 1990's the University expanded the Latin American studies program by making available resources for new initiatives such as visiting faculty appointments, graduate fellowships, support for graduate student and faculty field research, a series of speakers and special events, a graduate certificate and an undergraduate certificate.

In 1990, Latin Americanist faculty at Duke and the nearby University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill formalized a collaborative partnership by founding the Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke. The Carolina and Duke Consortium has received major funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and has been designated a Title VI National Resource Center since 1991. Additional support has been received from the Ford and Tinker Foundations. The activities and programs of the Carolina and Duke Consortium complement those specific to CLACS. They include conferences, research and training working groups, film festivals, symposia, library cooperation, a summer Yucatec Maya language program, and workshops for local public school teachers.