Note from the Editor-in-Chief

Abstract

Note from the Editor-in-Chief Jürgen Buchenau I take great pleasure in greeting the readership of The Latin Americanist as our new editor-in-chief. First and foremost, these are big shoes to fill. My predecessor, Greg Weeks, served as editor for fifteen long years. During that time, he built the nation's oldest interdisciplinary Latin American Studies journal from its self-published status through an association with Wiley to its present status as a journal published by UNC Press. And Greg did so while he assumed ever greater responsibilities at UNC Charlotte: first, as Director of Latin American Studies, then, as chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, and finally, as Associate Dean of Academic Affairs of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. As co-editor of the SECOLAS Annals issue along with Gregory Crider, I have watched the growth of the journal with great pride, and I look forward to the opportunity to keep The Latin Americanist on its upward trajectory. Even on the heels of such success, a new editor inevitably brings some changes. To begin with, Gregory Crider is now the sole editor of the Annals edition. Second, five associate editors—all colleagues at UNC Charlotte—will help make publication decisions and recruit manuscripts: Frederico Batista (Political Science), David Dalton (Spanish), Erika Edwards (History), Eric Hoenes (Anthropology), and Carmen Soliz (History). I appreciate their help very much and look forward to working with them in the coming years. Third, we will be growing the book review section under the leadership of Colin Snider (University of Texas-Tyler). In addition to the traditional book reviews, Colin is looking for review essays that examine two or more works from a comparative perspective. We know that these review essays are helpful for both teaching and scholarship. Please contact Colin or me if you have an idea for such a review essay. I would also like to take this opportunity to solicit suggestions more generally on how to further advance the journal and make it more helpful to our readers. Suggestions for special issues or sections are also always welcome. We look forward to hearing from you! I appreciate the support from our staff at UNC Charlotte and at SECOLAS early on in the transition. The Dean of our college, Nancy Gutierrez, has been very supportive of our journal throughout our time here. I especially want to acknowledge our former graduate assistant, Julia Poppell, as well as our new one, Susanny Acosta, who have been patient with a new and inexperienced editor. As has the SECOLAS leadership, especially our Secretary-Treasurer, Steven Hyland, who writes the checks and makes sure we stay afloat. I look forward to working with our current president, [End Page 319] Monica Rankin, as well as our next one, Martin Nesvig. I appreciate you all and look forward to seeing many of you at the next SECOLAS conference here in Charlotte! [End Page 320] Jürgen Buchenau UNC Charlotte Copyright © 2021 Southeastern Council on Latin American Studies