The Center for the Americas is dedicated to enhancing programming at the University of Oklahoma in several areas of the Western Hemisphere. Its major focus in Latin America, but it also promotes activities on the Caribbean, Canada, and global U.S. foreign policy. The Center for the Americas is sponsored by the ConocoPhillips Fund and the Canadian Studies Fund.
Among the Center for the Americas activities are monthly lunches for those in the OU community who are interested in Latin America; guest speakers; mini-conferences; film showings; musical concerts; the management of the oulatinamerica-L listserv at lists.ou.edu; a research essay competition; and more. Students or faculty interested in sponsorship from the Center for the Americas for their relevant activities should contact its director. For the moment, the Center does not offer research or travel grants to students or faculty.
Director, Center for the Americas
ConocoPhillips Chair in Latin American Studies
Research Fields: Politics in Latin America; Democracies and Democratization; History and Philosophy of Democracy; Political Institutions, Political Violence
Office: 222 Dale Hall Tower
Phone: (405) 325-3735
Email: ckenney@ou.edu
The Struggle for Democracy in Peru and Guatemala, a Lunch Discussion with Will Freeman of the Council of Foreign Relations and Jo-Marie Burt of Geroge Mason University. Thursday October 17th at Noon to 1:15 (Lunch is served from 11:45 am) in Zarrow Hall, Room 145. Use Link to RSVP https://bit.ly/3ZiTZnB
Fighting Authoritarian Rule in Venezuela Javier Corrales, Amherst College. Lunch Disucssion in Zarrow Hall 145, on Tuseday October 29th 12pm to 1:15 (Lunch served from 11:45 am) . RVSP Link to follow
Film Screening Love in a Time of Migration Erin Semine Kökdil, Journalism https://www.latimes.com/00000191-00fe-d532-a3b3-cafffbb20000-123#:~:text=%E2%80%9CLove%20in%20the%20Time%20of,decisions%20individuals%20have%20to%20make. November 20th, 12pm (Lunch served at 11:45. No food allowed inside of venue). Gaylord Theater. RSVP link to follow
Student Group from OU’s Partner University in Mexico to Screen Documentary on Campus
September 11, 2023
On Tuesday, September 12, two students from OU’s partner university in Mexico, Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP), will be hosting a screening of their new documentary, Tijuana: Ciudad de Migrantes.
Lewis Eliot
Assistant Professor of History
"Neither Men nor Brothers: Enslaved Rebellion, Abolitionism, and Imperialism in Britain’s Nineteenth-Century Atlantic World”
Annabel Ipsen
Assistant Professor of Sociology
"Seeds of Sovereignty: Regulating Global Agriculture”
Elyse Singer
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
"Remaking Mexican Death: Searching for Dignity at the Ends of Life”
First Prize: Bryton L. Chain
For his paper, "A Creole Monarchy: King Henri I of Haiti and the Development of a Caribbean Political Ideology" written for HIST 4990 Independent Study (Haitian Monarchy) with Professor Jennifer Davis-Cline
Majors: African & African American Studies/History
Hometown: Granbury, TX
Second Prize: Camille Matlock
For her paper, "Politicizing the Repertoire and Centering Women in the Archive: Film and Feminism in Bogotá, Colombia" written for HIST 3573 Art and Revolution in Twentieth Century Latin America with Professor Sarah Hines
Major/Minor: Latin American History/Spanish
Hometown: Oklahoma City
On March 24, 2023, the the OU Center for the Americas and the Center for Inter-American Policy and Research (CIPR) at Tulane University hosted this panel discussion with: José Miguel Cruz, Director of Research, Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, Florida International University Michael Paarlberg, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Virginia Commonwealth University Sonja Wolf Researcher, Drug Policy Programme, CIDE
On February 9, 2023, the OU Center for the Americas hosted a Latin American Lunch panel discussion, "Recent Political Protests in Peru and Brazil." Speakers included Víctor Maqque (LASI and History), Fabio Costa Morais de Sa e Silva (International and Area Studies), Michelle Morais de Sa e Silva (International and Area Studies) and Charlie Kenney (Political Science).
On October 21, 2022, the OU Center for the Americas hosted a Latin American Lunch talk with IAS Professor Rachel Schwartz, "Why Do Corrupt Governments Invite International Anti-Corruption Commissions? Experiences from Central America." The event was held in person and also on Zoom.
On March 25, 2022, the OU Center for the Americas hosted a talk, "Struggles for Autonomy in Bolivia and Peru at the Time of Independence from Spain," with Victor Maqque, Managing Director for the Latin American Sustainability Initiative (LASI) and Affiliate Faculty, OU Department of History.
On January 28, 2022, the OU Center for the Americas and OU Center for Brazil Studies hosted Ian Carrillo of the OU Department of Sociology for a talk, "Dislodging Authoritarianism: The Brazilian Labor Ministry’s Fight Against Neo-Slavery and Environmental Exploitation."
On November 12, 2021, the OU Center for the Americas hosted this panel discussion on Caribbean Studies at the University of Oklahoma, with panelists Jennifer Davis Cline (history), Greg Graham (AFAM), Rita Keresztesi (English), and Lewis Eliot (history).
On October 15, 2021, the OU Center for the Americas welcomed Steven Gullberg, Associate Professor, OU Extended Campus School of Integrative and Cultural Studies, for this Zoom webinar.
A conversation with Krista Brune, Assistant Professor of Portuguese and Spanish, Penn State University. Presented by the OU Center for the Americas, Center for Brazil Studies and Department of Modern Languages, Literature and Linguistics on April 30, 2021. Respondent is Paulo Moreira, MLLL.
A talk presented by the OU Center for the Americas as part of the OU Tulsa Race Massacre centennial commemoration on April 16, 2021, with guest speaker Luis Rodrigo Salvadó, Analyst for the Public Prosecutor for Human Rights of Guatemala and Professor of Forensic Science and Criminal Investigation, Universidad de Occidente de Guatemala.
On February 5, 2021, The OU Center for the Americas welcomed Sarah Hines from the OU Dept. of History, Diego Escobari from the Dept. of Economics and Finance at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and Ainara Moreno Mejía from the OU Dept. of Economics for this Zoom webinar.
Recent Research in Latin America
Thursday, September 12 at 12 p.m.
Farzaneh Hall 145
The Center for the Americas presents a lunch and panel discussion with Carol Rose Little and Paulo Moreira and their research "Mayan languages in the American courtroom: Perspectives on interpreting" and "Women in the Writing of Machado de Assis" respectively.
