Reflections of a Latin Americanist in Tumultuous Times

Professor Jeane DeLaney will return to St. Olaf to give a talk titled REFLECTIONS OF A LATIN AMERICANIST IN TUMULTUOUS TIMES.  DeLaney will talk about her career as a Latin Americanist and how her passion for the region, first sparked by her junior year abroad in Colombia, became the central touchstone of her personal and professional life.   Having grown up in the 1960s and ’70s, when policy makers viewed Latin America solely through the lens of the Cold War and routinely supported brutal dictatorships friendly to the U.S., she realized early on how critical it is that there be a group of people in our society who are informed about Latin America and U.S. actions in the region.  This conviction served as the motivating force behind her decision to become a teacher of Latin American history and to develop one of the first and longest running U.S. study abroad programs in Cuba.

As our country enters another tumultuous period in U.S.- Latin American relations, DeLaney will reflect on the continuing importance of Latin American Studies as a discipline and the special responsibility Latin Americanists have to advocate for both the region and its citizens who are currently living in the U.S.  In this regard, she’ll speak about her post-retirement projects, which include volunteering for Stove Team International to distribute safe cooking stoves in Central America and–more recently–founding a new non-profit called FIELD TO FUTURE.  This non-profit, for which she serves as Executive Director, supports seasonal workers who come to the Pacific Northwest through the H-2A agricultural visa program.

The presentation is part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Latin American Studies at St. Olaf.