Latin American Research Review

Latin American Research Review
Title	Latin American Research Review
Discipline	Area studies
Abbreviation	LARR
Publisher	Latin American Studies Association
Country	United States
Frequency	Quarterly
History	1965–present
ISSN	0023-8791

Latin American Research Review is a peer-reviewed quarterly journal publishing interdisciplinary research on Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded in the mid-20th century, it serves as a central venue for scholarship by and about scholars affiliated with institutions such as Harvard University, University of Chicago, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Texas at Austin. Contributions have engaged debates connected to events like the Cuban Revolution, the Nicaraguan Revolution, the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920), the Falklands War, and policy shifts exemplified by the Washington Consensus.

History

The journal was established in 1965 by the Latin American Studies Association during a period of institutional expansion that included the founding of centers such as the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University and the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies. Early editorial boards included scholars associated with Columbia University, University of Michigan, Yale University, University of Pittsburgh, and University of California, Los Angeles. In its formative decades the journal published work responding to crises like the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Chilean coup d'état, 1973, while featuring debates related to theorists and movements connected to Dependency theory, the influence of figures such as Raúl Prebisch, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, and the policy debates around Import substitution industrialization. During the 1980s and 1990s the journal tracked transitions including the Guatemalan Civil War, the Salvadoran Civil War, the Colombian conflict, and democratic openings in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.

Scope and Content

The journal covers interdisciplinary work spanning history, political science, sociology, anthropology, economics, demography, and cultural studies focused on the region. Articles have examined land reform episodes like the Mexican land reform, agrarian struggles such as the Brazilian Landless Workers' Movement, migration flows between Honduras and United States, urban dynamics in Mexico City and Buenos Aires, and indigenous movements exemplified by struggles in Chiapas and campaigns involving the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. The content integrates case studies on policy episodes such as Plan Colombia, macroeconomic changes referenced by Hyperinflation in Peru (1988–1990), and social movements connected to the Madres de Plaza de Mayo. It also publishes book reviews and review essays engaging works by scholars like Arturo Escobar, Diana Taylor, Gilberto Freyre, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, and Carlos Fuentes.

Editorial Structure and Publication Process

The journal is published by the Latin American Studies Association under an editorial board model typical of scholarly journals at institutions such as University of Notre Dame and Johns Hopkins University. Editors are selected from scholars affiliated with universities including University of Pittsburgh, University of Miami, University of Arizona, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Rutgers University. The peer review process uses double-blind review with reviewers drawn from networks that include staff at the Inter-American Development Bank and research centers like the Brookings Institution and Wilson Center. Special issues have been guest-edited in collaboration with research programs at the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (New York University) and the Institute of Latin American Studies (University of London). Submission guidelines and editorial policies reflect disciplinary standards comparable to journals such as Journal of Latin American Studies and Hispanic American Historical Review.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is abstracted and indexed in major services that include Scopus, Web of Science, JSTOR, and specialized databases used by area studies libraries at institutions such as Library of Congress and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. It appears in aggregation services alongside titles like World Development and Latin American Politics and Society, and is discoverable through cataloging systems maintained by the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress and university consortia including the Council on Latin American and Iberian Studies networks.

Impact and Reception

Scholarly impact is measured through citations in outlets such as American Historical Review, American Political Science Review, Comparative Politics, and policy briefs produced for organizations like the World Bank and United Nations Development Programme. The journal has been cited in debates about neoliberal reforms under the Washington Consensus and scholarly reinterpretations of the Cold War in the region. Reviews and commentaries in journals such as Perspectives on Politics and Current History have recognized its role in shaping comparative and area-focused inquiry. Awards and recognition have been associated with contributors who later held posts at institutions like Princeton University, Yale University, and London School of Economics.

Notable Articles and Special Issues

Noteworthy contributions include articles addressing the political economy of debt crises exemplified by scholarship on the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s, comparative analyses of democratization in Argentina and Brazil, and interdisciplinary work on gender and labor referencing activism in Chile and Peru. Special issues have focused on topics such as transitional justice after the Argentine Dirty War, extractive industries and conflict in contexts like Bolivia and Peru, migration and remittances between Mexico and the United States, and environmental politics in the Amazon rainforest including debates involving Yasuni National Park. Guest editors have included scholars affiliated with Brown University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Universidad de los Andes (Colombia), and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

Category:Academic journals Category:Latin American studies