Kalman Silvert Award

About the award

The Kalman Silvert Award was created in 1982 to honor the first president of the Latin American Studies Association and the leading figures in Latin American studies during his lifetime. It recognizes senior members of the profession who have made distinguished lifetime contributions to the study of Latin America. The award is given at each LASA International Congress.

Kalman H. Silvert spent the majority of his teaching career as a professor of government, politics, and political science with a special interest in studying Latin America. Many of his works are dedicated to social and governmental issues in Latin America. Kalman H. Silvert wrote these books based on his experiences with politics, government, and living in other countries. Kalman Silvert's career provided many people with insight on the government and the politics of the United States of America and other countries. He worked throughout his life to help those in Latin America countries, so it was fitting that his obituary politely requested that in lieu of flowers donations may be sent to the Kalman H. Silvert Memorial Fund to assist refugees of oppressive regimes of the Southern Cone of Latin America.

Call for nominations

The Kalman Silvert Award Committee invites nominations of candidates for the year 2024 award. The Kalman Silvert Award recognizes senior members of the profession who have made distinguished lifetime contributions to the study of Latin America. The award is given at each LASA International Congress.

Nominations should be submitted to LASA's Award Submission System by September 20, 2023. Nominations must include a substantive nomination letter by a LASA member and the nominee's current curriculum vitae.

Members of the 2024 Committee

Margarita López Maya (chair)
CENDES - Universidad Central de Venezuela

Gerardo Otero
Simon Fraser University

Gioconda Herrera
Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) Ecuador

Carmen Martínez Novo
Universidad de Florida

Susan Eckstein
Boston University 

Award history

2024

AWARDEE: Abraham Lowenthal (University of Southern California ) 

2023

AWARDEE: Susan Eckstein (Boston University) 

2022

AWARDEE: Ronald H. Chilcote (University of California, Riverside) 

2021

AWARDEE: Sueli Carneiro (Geledés Instituto da Mulher Negra)

2020

AWARDEE: Wayne A. Cornelius (University of California San Diego)

2019

AWARDEE: Lars Schoultz (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

2018

AWARDEE: Carmen Diana Deere (University of Florida)

2017

AWARDEE: Marysa Navarro (Dartmouth College)

2016

AWARDEE: Rodolfo Stavenhagen (El Colegio de Mexico)

2015

AWARDEE: Manuel Antonio Garretón (Universidad de Chile)

2014

AWARDEE: Tulio Halperin-Donghi (University of California/Berkeley)

2013

AWARDEE: Peter Smith (University of California/San Diego)

2012

AWARDEE: Julio Cotler (Researcher, Instituto de Estudios Peruanos)

2010

AWARDEE: Edelberto Torres Rivas (Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo)

2009

AWARDEE: Alfred C. Stepan (Columbia University)

2007

AWARDEE: Helen Safa (University of Florida)

2006

AWARDEE: Miguel Leon-Portilla (Instituto de Investigaciones Históricas)

2004

AWARDEE: June Nash (City University of New York)

2003

AWARDEE: Guillermo O’Donnell (University of Notre Dame)

2001

AWARDEE: Thomas Skidmore (Brown University)

2000

AWARDEE: Jean Franco (Columbia University)

1998

AWARDEE: Richard Adams (Patzisotz History Company)

1997

AWARDEE: Alain Tourain (École des hautes études en sciences sociales)

1995

AWARDEE: Richard R. Fagen

1994

AWARDEE: Osvaldo Sunkel (CINDE)

1992

AWARDEE: George Alexander Kubler

1991

AWARDEE: Victor L. Urquidi (El Colegio de México)

1989

AWARDEE: Lewis Hanke

1988

AWARDEE: Charles Wagley

1986

AWARDEE: Albert O. Hirschman

1985

AWARDEE: Federico Gil

1983

AWARDEE: John J. Johnson