Research at the Nordic Institute of Latin American Studies reflects current concerns and tendencies on the continent. At the present, researches at the institute study themes such as economic integration; the interaction and conflicts between categories such as gender, ethnicity and class; the development of social movements; and political reforms.
Previous decades saw other focuses of attention. During the seventies agrarian issues, labour unions and processes of industrialisations were studied. In the eighties and nineties focus shifted towards the debt crisis, relations with Europe and the Nordic countries, the emergence of a strong civil society and western hemisphere integration.
Apart from research conducted by its own researchers, the institute aspires to be a centre for Swedish research on Latin America. The institute’s network of affiliated researchers, guest researchers, open lectures, planning and travel grants, and its research seminar all contribute to this function, as does the journal – Iberoamericana – which is published by the Institute.
An additional task for the institute is to promote attention to examples and insights from Latin America within the field of social sciences and the humanities in general.