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Dear Latin Americanist Community,
I’m sorry to begin this newsletter sharing sad news. Last month, our esteemed
colleague Efrain Kristal passed away. Efrain was a Distinguished Professor of Spanish and Comparative Literature, specialized in Latin American literary authors and in translation studies. He was also a long-time affiliate of the Latin American Institute and active contributor to the MA in Latin American Studies. On behalf of the LAI, I would like to express my deepest condolences to Efrain’s wife, family, friends, colleagues and students. I’m sure that we will have many opportunities to celebrate Efrain’s life and his many contributions to Latin American studies in the months to come.
We have four more events before the end of the quarter. On December 4, we welcome Dr. Felicia Knaul, Associate of the Chancellor, who will present “Cancer and Health Systems:The Case of Mexico,” as part of the LAI’s Lunch and Learn series. Dr. Knaul is a health economist with decades of research and health policy experience in Mexico, Colombia and other countries in Latin America. Find details of this event here. Also on December 4, the LAI is pleased to co-sponsor the webinar “Climate Emergency and Human Rights.” This event will be held in Spanish with simultaneous interpretation into English. Register and find details here. On December 5, the LAI is pleased to co-sponsor the panel “Japan and Latin America: Reflecting on Recent Transregional Routes in Japan Studies,” which will be held in 243 Royce Hall, 3-5 pm. The LAI is also a co-sponsor of a panel on the fight for housing justice, which serves as the closing program of the exhibition Construction, Occupation, curated by Alex Flyn (World Arts and Cultures/Dance) at the Fowler Museum. The event takes place on Saturday, December 6. Details and registration are available here.
I would like to congratulate Mexican author and collaborator of the LAI’s Outreach Program, Antonio Ramos Revillas, who has been nominated to the 2026 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, a global recognition given to a person or organization for their contribution to children’s literature. Congratulations also to Javier Martinez of Martinez Brands, supporter of our fall reception, who was interviewed for an article on the revival of rompope, a beverage similar of eggnog, which originated in the convents of the New Spain in the 17th century. Read about the origins and renaissance of rompope here.
Tomorrow, December 2, is Giving Tuesday. Please donate to the mission of the
Latin American Institute. Your generous support is needed more than ever and will be used to train and offer research opportunities to the next generation of Latin Americanists, bring Latin America-focused content to K-12 classrooms and more!
Finally, all of us at the Latin American Institute wish you a restful and restorative
end of the year break, hoping for a peaceful, just, and productive 2026.
Rubén Hernández-León,
Director of the UCLA Latin American Institute
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