Maria Sibylla Merian Center for Advanced Latin American Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences (CALAS)

The Maria Sibylla Merian Center for Advanced Latin American Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences (CALAS) is a university-based Center for Advanced Studies founded by a consortium of Latin American and German universities. The University of Guadalajara, Mexico, houses the head office of CALAS while three regional offices are located at the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) in Quito, Ecuador; the Universidad de Costa Rica in San José, Costa Rica; and the Universidad Nacional San Martín in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The German Universities Bielefeld, Kassel and Hanover are responsible for the project management. As a Center for Advanced Latin American Studies, CALAS promotes scientific, transregional, transnational, and systematic studies in the social sciences, humanities, and arts on topics relevant to Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition, one of CALAS objectives is to stimulate the search for new fields of research in Latin America through the aforementioned (regional) Centers for Advanced Studies, thus providing a space for high-level transregional and international research and dialogue. CALAS is a member of the international network of University-based Institutes for Advanced Studies (UBIAS).

The research program in the 2017-2025 period focused on the theme "Coping with Crises: Transdisciplinary Perspectives from Latin America". At present, the programs are part of the agenda “Creating Horizons: Accelerations, Transformations, and Emergencies.” (2025-2029).