Mexican Studies at Columbia

Welcome to the page for Mexican Studies at Columbia University. Our goal is to create a space for study and discussion of Mexico and to facilitate collaboration between the Columbia community and other actors involved in Mexican scholarship from all disciplines. Themes like immigration, education, the environment, public health, political and institutional change, economic development, and indigenous languages are already foci of Columbia's faculty work. They are central themes in our Mexican Lecture Series, in forthcoming events at ILAS, and in the courses taught by our faculty. On November 13 and 14, 2009, for example, we will host the workshop “Crime, Insecurity, Fear in Mexico: Ethnographic and Policy Approaches” with the participation of scholars from Mexico, the US and Europe.

Columbia University is one of the preeminent centers for research and teaching on Mexico. This strength can be measured by the quality of its faculty, but also by the increasing number of students interested in Mexico. ILAS receives scholars from Mexico thanks to the support of the Tinker Foundation and the Consejo Nacional para la Ciencia y la Tecnología. SIPA has signed agreements with CIDE, for a dual MA program, the GSAS signed another with CONACYT, to support graduate students from Mexico in Columbia programs. CONACYT also supports the O’Gorman Fellowships, through a separate agreement with ILAS, which bring scholars from Mexico for short research stays at Columbia. SIPA, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and the professional schools, from Public Health to Teachers College, support research and teaching related to Mexico. ILAS hosts the Mexican Lecture Series, supports Nahuatl teaching at Columbia, and has sponsored several events on Mexico.

Mexico is undergoing a period of rapid change in its economy, political system and society. These changes have multiple impacts in a globally interconnected world in which transnational events have local effects. Mexican nationals number more than twelve million in the United States, and comprise the fastest growing Latin American nationality in New York City. Although is recently arrived for the most part, these immigrants constitute a diverse group in terms of age, gender and social background. Simultaneously, Mexican businesses, scholars and non-governmental actors consider New York City an important entrance into the investment opportunities, scholarship and public opinion of the United States.

Please join us in participating in our Mexican activities. We hope to continue supporting dynamic discussions, advanced research and great teaching on Mexico at Columbia University.

Pablo Piccato

Director, Institute of Latin American Studies