Professor Eduardo Canel has been appointed interim director of the Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLAC) at York University.
CERLAC takes an interdisciplinary approach to research on the economic development, political and social organization, and cultural contributions of Latin America and the Caribbean. It works to develop new knowledge on the region; build academic and cultural links between these regions and Canada; inform policymakers, community partners, and the wider public on matters concerning the regions; and to assist in the 
development of research and educational institutions that directly benefit the peoples of the regions.
Left: Professor Eduardo Canel
“It is an honor to be asked to take this position,” said Canel. “York has by far the largest and most vibrant community of Latin American and Caribbean scholars in Canada, and we have a reputation for excellence that is recognized well beyond our borders. We plan to expand our research capacity by nurturing the centre’s traditions and searching for innovative interdisciplinary projects to engage with this enormously rich and diverse region.
Canel has been active within CERLAC since it was founded in 1978 when he was an undergraduate and subsequently a graduate student at York. Since joining the Faculty of Arts in 1994, he directed the Latin American and Caribbean Studies program from 1995 to 2001 and served as the International Development Studies coordinator from 2006 to 2007. He has been a member of CERLAC’s executive since 1995.
Canel’s research focuses on social movements and processes of political change in Latin America. His is currently working on the operation of local participatory democracy in Montevideo, Uruguay, and on efforts to democratize city politics and create community-based models of governance. He is also assessing whether decentralization created more opportunities for local development in the region.