
Spotlight
Perspectives in Times of Change
Photo by Lisette Morales McCabe
“Perspectives in Times of Change” reflects on social, economic, cultural and political transformations in these times of change in Latin America, the Caribbean and Latinx communities in the United States. The Spotlight is an outgrowth of the former Spotlight, Perspectives in the Era of Covid, which ran throughout the pandemic.
If you would be interested in contributing articles or photographs, please contact June Carolyn Erlick, jerlick@fas.harvard.
Browse Articles by Month
Articles
The Dress Reimagined
Every morning, you decide what clothes to wear. Whether plain or elaborate, your choice of apparel reflects a quiet act of self-definition. Through her exhibit, Addressing the Dress, Mexican artist Angeles Salinas reclaims the dress as a site of transformation, threading together themes of personal struggle, cultural inheritance and feminine agency to assert control over her evolving identity.
Natural Disasters, Diasporas and International Adoptions
As a little girl, I was always afraid to cross bridges over turbulent waters. This irrational fear complicated things for my parents since I grew up in Valladolid, a small city in northeastern Spain with a river passing through it. Every time we crossed the Pisuerga River with its abundant current, I asked them to grip my hand and not let go.
Narrating the Future: A Call for Reflection and Humanity
As I prepared my speech for the graduation ceremony —my first as President of INCAE, an institution that, from Latin America, has cultivated leadership with purpose in more than 20,000 graduates over six decades—I found myself reflecting in silence on a few uncomfortable questions: Do we truly lead for the longstanding future or merely for today— perhaps for tomorrow at best?
Inside Peru’s Lurigancho Prison
Lurigancho Prison in Lima, Peru, is the largest and most overcrowded prison in the country. With a prison overpopulation and overcrowding of 9,735 inmates (August 2024 Statistical Report from the National Penitentiary Institute, INPE), despite having an actual capacity for only 3,204, and with a ratio of more than 100 inmates per security officer (compared to six inmates per officer in the United States, it stands as a grim giant.
Community-based Healing in Latin America
Growing up in Latin America can be quite tough, especially when it comes to mental health
Tearing Down the Walls of Education: The Maya Struggle against Colonialism
Students at the Chan Santa Cruz program in Mexico are getting their degrees in Bilingual Education (Maya/Spanish) and Historical and Cultural Heritage in Mexico.
Remembering Pope Francis
The world has lost one of the most charismatic pontiffs of the last century with the passing of Pope Francis, the first Latin American prelate of the church’s 1.3 billion Catholics. Francis was a reformer who made himself available to the faithful, and traveled to 66 countries, including eleven in Latin America.
“Roots, Bloody Roots”: Family Clans and the Evolution of Narco-Violence
In May 2024, Argentine Security Minister Patricia Bullrich wrote on X, “We are going to lock them all up” after criminals in Rosario threatened to kill her. She issued the statement in response to random attacks by criminal organizations causing the deaths of civilians in the Argentine city of Rosario where two taxi drivers, a gas station employee and a bus driver with no apparent ties to organized crime had been murdered by hitmen.
Latin America: Where the Streets Have No Law? Ride-hailing, 10 years later…
Imagine a typical morning in Latin America: in Mexico City, people gathered on bustling sidewalks, checking their smartphones as they look for the closer Uber; in Buenos Aires, traditional taxis and modern ride-hailing apps like inDrive coexist amid the city’s vibrant energy; in Bogotá, the familiar rumble of the TransMilenio adds to the urban symphony as passengers shift between public transit, Cabifys and DiDi Taxis.
Rooted and Rising: A Journey of Growth, Identity and Change
The poet T.S. Eliot once wrote, “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” These words capture the essence of my journey between Mexico and the United States, two lands that have shaped my identity and my understanding of home.