What is PILAS?
PILAS is the postgraduate affiliate of the Society for Latin American Studies (SLAS).
As an organisation run by and for postgraduate students, PILAS aims to foster interaction among postgraduates working in the field of Latin American Studies at institutions of higher education throughout the United Kingdom, as well as those in Europe and the Americas.
Encouraging cross-disciplinary dialogue, our organisation welcomes those working within a range of academic disciplines, as well as those undertaking multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches.
Our goal is to establish a supportive community for postgraduate students engaged in the study of Latin America and the Caribbean, both to facilitate communication among postgraduates and to provide a forum for students to exchange experiences, seek advice, and share their research.
The PILAS Committee
Members of the PILAS Committee work together to run PILAS and to organise the annual conference. The committee consists of a President, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, Website Manager, and other additional members who specifically contribute towards organising the annual conference.
Additionally, a PILAS representative (often the President) represents postgraduates within SLAS, and attends all SLAS meetings (held four times throughout the year).
The position of Past-President was voted on and approved during the AGM of the 2009 PILAS Conference. The idea behind including this position is to improve continuity between PILAS Committees, due to the annual turnover of committee members. The role of Past-President will be primarily an advisory position, providing consultancy and support to the new committee. In the case that the previous President is unable to continue working with PILAS during the following year, another committee member can take up this position.
The committee is elected annually at the PILAS Conference, during the General Elections. As such, students interested in participating on the PILAS Committee should plan on attending the PILAS Conference that year.
PILAS Annual Conference
PILAS organises and runs an annual postgraduate conference, normally held in January, February, or March. Each year the PILAS conference is hosted at a different university within the UK. This interdisciplinary encuentro provides an opportunity for postgraduate students from throughout the UK, as well as Europe and the Americas, to meet and share their research related to Latin America.
The PILAS Conference is a forum in which postgraduate students of all disciplines can present, discuss, and listen to research currently being undertaken in the broad field of Latin American Studies. In previous years, the PILAS Conference has proved to be an excellent opportunity for postgraduate students to gain presentation experience, meet and network with colleagues, and receive feedback on their research. This conference is FREE to all participants, and postgraduate students who do not wish to present papers are warmly invited to attend and partake in discussion.
Students interested in hosting future PILAS Conferences at their university should contact the current PILAS Committee prior to the annual conference.
AGM & General Elections
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) & General Elections are held during the annual conference. During the AGM, the current PILAS Committee will summarize the year’s events, as well as raise any issues which arose during the year to be voted on by the AGM attendees. Bids for the following year’s committee members and conference location are presented and voted upon at the General Elections.
Regional Representatives
PILAS is working towards introducing a “Regional Representative” scheme. Regional reps will act as affiliates to the PILAS Committee, and will assist in PILAS publicity as well as organise one PILAS-related event within their region during the academic year, such as a postgraduate seminar or training workshop. Please write to the PILAS email account regarding any inquiries (pilasconference@gmail.com).