The Latin American Studies Association is pleased to announce the LASA2026 awardees, who will be publicly congratulated by the LASA President, Maxwell Cameron, during the Welcome Ceremony of the Association's XLIV International Congress LASA2026 “Republic and Revolution” May 26-30, 2026.
Guillermo O’Donnell Democracy Award and Lectureship
Philippe Schmitter
European University Institute
The Guillermo O’Donnell Democracy Award and Lectureship honors the distinguished career and pioneering intellectual leadership of the late Guillermo O’Donnell. This annual, Association-wide award and lectureship recognizes either outstanding scholarship in the field of democracy studies or particularly meritorious public service that promotes democracy and democratic values in Latin America and the Caribbean.
LASA/Oxfam America Martin Diskin Dissertation Award
Ange La Furcia
University of Cambridge
Dissertation: Sea Antics: The Politics of Beauty and Transwomen in the Colombian Western Caribbean
The Martin Diskin Dissertation Award is made possible through the generosity of Oxfam America, LASA, and LASA members. This award is offered at each LASA International Congress to an outstanding junior scholar who embodies Professor Diskin’s commitment to the creative combination of activism and scholarship.
LASA/Oxfam America Martin Diskin Memorial Lectureship
José Bengoa
Universidad Academia de Humanismo Cristiano de Santiago Chile
Debora Diniz
Universidade de Brasília and Visiting fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin
The Memorial Lectureship award is given to an outstanding individual who embodies Professor Martin Diskin’s commitment to the combination of activism and scholarship. Dr. Martin Diskin was a vital member of the Latin American Studies Association and of Oxfam America. His passion towards the human rights movement and his guidance over grantmaking in Latin America proved to be invaluable.
Charles A. Hale Fellowship for Mexican History
Deyanira Cuanal Cano
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Cuajimalpa
Dissertation: Laboratorios milagrosos en el ‘milagro mexicano’. Hacia otra de la historia de la poliomielitis, 1950-1975. De máquinas, de virus, de animales y de niños
This fellowship will reward excellence in historical research on Mexico at the dissertation level. It will be awarded at each LASA International Congress to a Mexican graduate student in the final phase of his or her doctoral research in Mexican history, broadly defined.
LASA Media Award
Carla Gloria Colomé Santiago
El País and El Estornudo
The LASA Media Award is given every year to recognize long-term journalistic contributions to analysis and public debate about Latin America in the United States or Latin America, as well as for breakthrough journalism.
LARR-University of Florida Article Award
The LARR-University of Florida Article Award is presented at each LASA International Congress to the best research article published by the Latin American Research Review (LARR) during the past calendar year. The award covers articles published by LARR in all disciplines and in any language.
About LASA
The Latin American Studies Association (LASA) is the largest professional association in the world for individuals and institutions engaged in the study of Latin America. With over 13,000 members, over 60% of whom reside outside the United States, LASA is the one association that brings together experts on Latin America from all disciplines and diverse occupational endeavors, across the globe. LASA's mission is to foster intellectual discussion, research, and teaching on Latin America, the Caribbean, and its people throughout the Americas, promote the interests of its diverse membership, and encourage civic engagement through network building and public debate.
If you wish to interview a LASA Executive Council member, you can contact the LASA communications office at (412) 648-7929 or send an email to lasa@lasaweb.org.