Center for the Americas

The Center for the Americas is dedicated to enhancing programming at the University of Oklahoma in several areas of the Western Hemisphere. Its major focus in Latin America, but it also promotes activities on the Caribbean, Canada, and global U.S. foreign policy. The Center for the Americas is sponsored by the ConocoPhillips Fund and the Canadian Studies Fund.

Among the Center for the Americas activities are monthly lunches for those in the OU community who are interested in Latin America; guest speakers; mini-conferences; film showings; musical concerts; the management of the oulatinamerica-L listserv at lists.ou.edu; a research essay competition; and more. Students or faculty interested in sponsorship from the Center for the Americas for their relevant activities should contact its director. For the moment, the Center does not offer research or travel grants to students or faculty.

People

Charles Kenney, Ph.D

Director, Center for the Americas

ConocoPhillips Chair in Latin American Studies

Research Fields: Politics in Latin America; Democracies and Democratization; History and Philosophy of Democracy; Political Institutions, Political Violence

Office: 222 Dale Hall Tower
Phone: (405) 325-3735
Email: ckenney@ou.edu

News

Lewis Eliot, Annabel Ipsen, Elyse Singer

Announcing the 2023 OU Center for the Americas Faculty Research Grant Recipients

Lewis Eliot
Assistant Professor of History

"Neither Men nor Brothers: Enslaved Rebellion, Abolitionism, and Imperialism in Britain’s Nineteenth-Century Atlantic World”

Annabel Ipsen
Assistant Professor of Sociology

"Seeds of Sovereignty: Regulating Global Agriculture”

Elyse Singer
Assistant Professor of Anthropology

"Remaking Mexican Death: Searching for Dignity at the Ends of Life”

Congratulations to the 2023 Latin America and the Caribbean Best Paper Award Winners

Announcing the 2023 Latin America and the Caribbean Best Paper Award Winners

First Prize: Bryton L. Chain

For his paper, "A Creole Monarchy: King Henri I of Haiti and the Development of a Caribbean Political Ideology" written for HIST 4990 Independent Study (Haitian Monarchy) with Professor Jennifer Davis-Cline

Majors: African & African American Studies/History
Hometown: Granbury, TX

Second Prize: Camille Matlock

For her paper, "Politicizing the Repertoire and Centering Women in the Archive: Film and Feminism in Bogotá, Colombia" written for HIST 3573 Art and Revolution in Twentieth Century Latin America with Professor Sarah Hines

Major/Minor: Latin American History/Spanish
Hometown: Oklahoma City

March 02, 2023

Center for the Americas and Center for Brazil Studies Host Panel Discussion on Political Protests in Brazil and Peru

Read the blog post from the Institute for Resilient Environmental and Energy Systems

Media

On March 24, 2023, the the OU Center for the Americas and the Center for Inter-American Policy and Research (CIPR) at Tulane University hosted this panel discussion with: José Miguel Cruz, Director of Research, Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, Florida International University Michael Paarlberg, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Virginia Commonwealth University Sonja Wolf Researcher, Drug Policy Programme, CIDE

On February 9, 2023, the OU Center for the Americas hosted a Latin American Lunch panel discussion, "Recent Political Protests in Peru and Brazil." Speakers included Víctor Maqque (LASI and History), Fabio Costa Morais de Sa e Silva (International and Area Studies), Michelle Morais de Sa e Silva (International and Area Studies) and Charlie Kenney (Political Science).

On October 21, 2022, the OU Center for the Americas hosted a Latin American Lunch talk with IAS Professor Rachel Schwartz, "Why Do Corrupt Governments Invite International Anti-Corruption Commissions? Experiences from Central America." The event was held in person and also on Zoom.

On March 25, 2022, the OU Center for the Americas hosted a talk, "Struggles for Autonomy in Bolivia and Peru at the Time of Independence from Spain," with Victor Maqque, Managing Director for the Latin American Sustainability Initiative (LASI) and Affiliate Faculty, OU Department of History.

On January 28, 2022, the OU Center for the Americas and OU Center for Brazil Studies hosted Ian Carrillo of the OU Department of Sociology for a talk, "Dislodging Authoritarianism: The Brazilian Labor Ministry’s Fight Against Neo-Slavery and Environmental Exploitation."

On November 12, 2021, the OU Center for the Americas hosted this panel discussion on Caribbean Studies at the University of Oklahoma, with panelists Jennifer Davis Cline (history), Greg Graham (AFAM), Rita Keresztesi (English), and Lewis Eliot (history).

On October 15, 2021, the OU Center for the Americas welcomed Steven Gullberg, Associate Professor, OU Extended Campus School of Integrative and Cultural Studies, for this Zoom webinar.

A conversation with Krista Brune, Assistant Professor of Portuguese and Spanish, Penn State University. Presented by the OU Center for the Americas, Center for Brazil Studies and Department of Modern Languages, Literature and Linguistics on April 30, 2021. Respondent is Paulo Moreira, MLLL.

A talk presented by the OU Center for the Americas as part of the OU Tulsa Race Massacre centennial commemoration on April 16, 2021, with guest speaker Luis Rodrigo Salvadó, Analyst for the Public Prosecutor for Human Rights of Guatemala and Professor of Forensic Science and Criminal Investigation, Universidad de Occidente de Guatemala.

On February 5, 2021, The OU Center for the Americas welcomed Sarah Hines from the OU Dept. of History, Diego Escobari from the Dept. of Economics and Finance at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and Ainara Moreno Mejía from the OU Dept. of Economics for this Zoom webinar.

Past Events

2022-2023

April 19, 2023: Migration, Deportation and the Consequences for Central America, a panel discussion sponsored by the OU Center for the Americas and the Center for Inter-American Public Policy and Research (CIPR), Tulane University
March 30, 2023: New Perspectives on the Cold War and Its Legacies in Central America, a joint book presentation with Sarah Foss, Assistant Professor of History, Oklahoma State University and Rachel Schwartz, OU Assistant Professor of International & Area Studies
March 24, 2023: State Responses to Gangs and Criminal Violence in Central America, a Zoom panel discussion co-hosted by the Center for Inter-American Policy and Research (CIPR) at Tulane University
March 9, 2023: Chronicles as Stories of Political Resistance in Venezuela, a Latin American Lunch talk with Claudia Cavallín, Universidad Simón Bolívar and Oklahoma State University
February 23, 2023: Rising Authoritarianism in Central America, a panel discussion with Claudia Escobar, former Guatemalan magistrate, president of Be Just and Distinguished Visiting Professor, George Mason University; and Ricardo Valencia, Assistant Professor of Public Relations, Cal State Fullerton
February 9, 2023: Recent Political Protests in Peru and Brazil, a panel discussion co-sponsored by the Latin American Sustainability Initiative
February 2, 2023: Howard W. French: Born in Blackness, with Howard W. French, Columbia School of Journalism, co-sponsored by the African Studies Institute, Gaylord College, Department of History, Clara Luper Department of African and African American Studies, CIS
November 29, 2022: “Daugher of the Lake” Documentary Screening and Q&A, co-sponsored by LASI
November 3, 2022: Chile's Double Crisis: Gendered Labor Legacies of Authoritarian Neoliberalism with Annabel Ipsen, OU Department of Sociology
October 11, 2022: Music From Brazil: A Performance with Ji Shim Anderson, Tulsa Symphony (cello); Igor Lipinski, OU School of Music (piano); and Ricardo Souza, OU School of Music (percussion); co-sponsored by the OU Honors College
October 6, 2022: Brazil’s Presidential Elections: What’s at Stake?, a Latin American Lunch talk with Michelle Morais de Sa e Silva, Assistant Professor of International Studies, Department of IAS and Fabio Costa Morais de Sa e Silva, Assistant Professor of International Studies and Wick Cary Professor of Brazilian Studies, Department of IAS
September 29, 2022: The State of Democracy in Latin America, a roundtable with Cynthia Arnson, Distinguished Fellow and former Director for the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Latin America Program and Charles Kenney, ConocoPhillips Chair in Latin American Studies and Director of the Center for the Americas

2021-2022

April 8, 2022: "Come Lose Yourself": Belize and the Politics of Tourism and Culture, a talk with Dr. Kalenda Eaton, Associate Professor, Clara Luper Department of African and African-American Studies.
March 25, 2022: Struggles for Autonomy in Bolivia and Peru at the Time of Independence from Spain, a talk with Victor Maqque, Managing Director for the Latin American Sustainability Initiative (LASI) and Affiliate Faculty, OU Department of History
February 17, 2022: Family Made Strange: The Impact of Social Media on Family Dynamics, as a Classe Popular Family from Recife Contemplates the 2018 Presidential Elections, a talk with Dr. Benjamin Junge, Professor of Anthropology, State University of New York at New Paltz
January 28, 2022: Dislodging Authoritarianism: The Brazilian Labor Ministry’s Fight Against Neo-Slavery and Environmental Exploitation, a talk with Ian Carrillo, OU Department of Sociology
November 12, 2021: Caribbean Studies at OU, a panel discussion with Jennifer Davis Cline, Department of History; Greg Graham, Department of African & African American Studies; Rita Keresztesi, Department of English; Lewis Eliot, Department of History
October 27, 2021: Literature and Politics in Latin America, a World Literature Today/Neustadt Panel with Carlos Labbé, Chilean writer & musician; Carlos Pintado, Cuban American poet
October 21, 2021: Protecting Human Rights in the Americas: The Work of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, a talk with George Lima, Human Rights Officer, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
October 15, 2021: Archeoastronomy of the Inca Empire, a talk with Steven Gullberg, Associate Professor, OU Extended Campus School of Integrative and Cultural Studies
September 17, 2021: Elections and Democracy in Peru and Beyond, with Charles Kenney, Director of the Center for the Americas and discussant Fabio de Sa e Silva, Assistant Professor of International Studies & Wick Cary Professor of Brazil Studies

2020-2021

April 30, 2021: Travels, Translations, and the Literary Imagination of Brazil in the Americas, a conversation with Krista Brune, Assistant Professor of Portuguese and Spanish, Penn State University
April 16, 2021: Race, Massacre, and Historical Memory: The Case of Guatemala, a talk with Luis Rodrigo Salvadó, Analyst for the Public Prosecutor for Human Rights of Guatemala and Professor of Forensic Science and Criminal Investigation, Universidad de Occidente de Guatemala
February 5, 2021: Democracy and Elections in Bolivia, a panel discussion with Sarah Hines, OU Dept. of History; Diego Escobari, Dept. of Economics and Finance, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley; Ainara Moreno Mejía, OU Dept. of Economics
November 13, 2020: The U.S. Elections and Latin America, a webinar with Dr. Paolo Moreira, Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics; Dr. Charles Kenney, Department of Political Science
October 30, 2020: Public Health and Distrust of the State, with Gilberto Hochman, History of Sciences and Health, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Rossana Castiglioni, Dean of the School of Social Sciences and History, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile
September 11, 2020: Responses to COVID in the Americas, a panel discussion with Dr. Michelle Morais, OU Dept. of International & Area Studies; Speaking on Cuba: Dr. Tassie Hirschfeld, OU Dept. of Anthropology; Speaking on Mexico: Dr. Alfonso Mendoza, Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla

2019-2020

February 24, 2020: The Current Revolt in Chile: Causes, Consequences, Implications, with James Cane-Carrasco, OU Department of History; and Magdalena Schaffernicht, OU College of Architecture
January 31, 2020: OU Center for the Americas Happy Hour
January 27, 2020: Assassination in Washington and the Quest for Justice, with Dr. Alan McPherson, Thomas J. Freaney, Jr. Professor of History and Director of the Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy at Temple University
January 27, 2020: Murder and Cover-up in Washington, with Dr. Alan McPherson, Thomas J. Freaney, Jr. Professor of History and Director of the Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy at Temple University
October 31, 2019: The Politics of Anti-Corruption in Latin America Today, with Dr. Fabio de Sá e Silva, Assistant Professor, Department of International & Area Studies Wick Cary Professor of Brazilian Studies; and Dr. Charles Kenney, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science

2018-2019

April 17, 2019: A Shared Truth: The Theater of Lagartijas Tiradas al Sol, with Julie Ann Ward, Assistant Professor, OU Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Linguistics
April 10, 2019: Locating the Cold War, with Dr. Gilberto Hochman, Researcher and Professor, History of Sciences and Health Unit Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
April 4, 2019: The Venezuela Crisis: A Panel Discussion, with Victor Carreño
Department of Modern Languages, Literature and Linguistics; Sarah Hines, Department of History; Michelle Morais de Sa e Silva, Department of International and Area Studies; Álvaro Baca, College of Law; Charles Kenney, Department of Political Science
March 12, 2019: War, Peace and Accountability, a conversation with Colombian Documentary Filmmaker Margarita Martínez
February 20, 2019: The Defense of Human Rights in the Americas, with Paolo Carozza, Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame
January 28, 2019: Landscapes of Remembrance and Embodiment: Between the Classic Period Hohokam and Trincheras Traditions, with Jessica I. Cerezo-Román, Assistant Professor for the University of Oklahoma Department of Anthropology
November 14, 2018: Water for All: Revolution, Property and Community in 20th-Century Bolivia, with Sarah Hines, OU Dept. of History
October 31, 2018: Addressing Language Shift in Kaqchikel, a Man Language of Guatemala, with Raina Heaton, OU Native American Studies
October 4, 2018: Impeachment, Corruption, Election and the Uncertain Fate of Brazilian Democracy, with Brazilian filmmaker Maria A. Ramos
September 11, 2018: Guatemala y los EE.UU. (Guatemala and the USA), with Ambassador José Rodriguez

2017-2018

April 18, 2018: “Amar sem Temer” (Love without Fear): Street Art and Resistance in Brazil, with Misha Klein, Associate Professor, OU Department of Anthropology
March 2, 2018: A conversation with prize-winning Colombian journalist Daniel Samper
February 14, 2018: Lula’s trial and the (Un)rule of Law in Brazil, with Fabio de Sa e Silva, Assistant Professor, Department of International and Area Studies, Wick Cary Professor of Brazilian Studies
January 31, 2018: BRAZIL ON THE BRINK? The 2018 Elections, with Mark Langevin, Director of the Brazil Initiative, The George Washington University
January 25, 2018: Human Rights in the Americas, with Dr. Paulo Abrão, Secretary General, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
October 17, 2017: Compulsive Memory: Contemporary Brazilian Cinema and the Military Dictatorship, with Dr. Paulo Moreira, Department of Modern Languages, Literature, and Linguistics
October 6, 2017: Life and Death in Guatemala: The Witness of Stanley Francis Rother, with Dr. Charles Kenney, Department of Political Science

2016-2017

November 14, 2016: The Families of DAPA: Growing Up as US Citizen Children in Mixed-Status Families, with Luis Argueta, Guatemalan-American Film Director and Producer
October 28, 2016: Writing in Portuguese, Writing from Brazil, With Luiz Ruffato, Brazilian author of They Were Many Horses
October 24, 2016: THE FOREIGN POLICIES OF CLINTON AND TRUMP, a roundtable
September 16, 2016: Mexican Deep South: una reflexión sobre la frontera sur de México, With Nadia Villafuerte, Short-story writer from Chiapas and author of Por el lado salvaje

2015-2016

January 21, 2016: The New Normal? What the Renewal of US-Cuban Diplomatic Relations Means
November 17, 2015: Soccer, Sex, and Scandal in Brazil, with Don Kulick, Professor of Anthropology, Uppsala University, Sweden
November 16, 2015: Becoming a "Brazilianist" Mid-Career, with Don Kulick, Professor of Anthropology, Uppsala University, Sweden
October 20, 2015: Emitting LIght and Reflecting Color, with Maya Stanfield-Mazzi
August 31-September 4, 2015: Latin America Week
Spring 2015: Brazil: Human Rights, the Legacy of the Dictatorship, and the Quest for Justice, with Dr. James Green
Spring 2015 Latin Americanist Lunch series

2014

Fall 2014 Latin Americanist Lunch Series
Brazil Conversation Hour: each Friday