Institute for Advanced Latin American Studies

Institute for Advanced Latin American Studies

Institut des hautes études de l'Amérique latine
Other names	IHEAL
Established	1954; 70 years ago (1954)
Location	Paris-Aubervilliers , France
Website	http://www.iheal.univ-paris3.fr/

The Institute for Advanced Latin American Studies (French: Institut des hautes études de l'Amérique latine; IHEAL) is a public research and teaching center at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University dedicated to Latin American studies. It was founded in 1954 by geographer Pierre Monbeig.^[1]

The research axes include: analysis of the contemporary Latin American and North American world; territorial mutations; social actors; cultural, political and juridical transformations in the region. The IHEAL works along with the Center for Research and Documentation on the Americas (CREDA), which depends on the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Sorbonne Nouvelle.

From 1956 until 2019, it was located in rue Saint-Guillaume, 7th arrondissement of Paris. It is now located on the Campus Condorcet, as part of the “Cité des humanités et des sciences sociales” (City of Humanities and Social Sciences) in Aubervilliers.^[2] The Pierre Monbeig library was established in 1956. Is one of the most complete and specialized collections in Europe on Latin America and the Caribbean,^[3] including publications on history, anthropology, sociology, politics, arts and literature. It is associated with the National Library of France and Sorbonne. It is currently housed in the “Humathèque” of the Campus Condorcet.

IHEAL's publishing house produces multidisciplinary research works. Its collections include: “Travaux et mémoires” (papers and theses), with more than eighty titles to date, and “Chrysalides” (Chrysalides), for the best research papers in master program.^[4]

Its current director is the Uruguayan-born sociologist Denis Merklen. Its former directors include: anthropologist Capucine Boidin (2019-2022); historian Olivier Compagnon (2015-2019); geographer Sébastien Velut (2011-2015); sociologist Polymnia Zagefka; former education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer (1998-2004); political scientist Georges Couffignal (1993-1998); as well as Jacques Chonchol and Christian Gros (1982-1993).