Introducing The LAST 100 in Profile: Voices of The Tulane Latin Americanist Community Past and Present

The Stone Center for Latin American Studies is proud to share its latest endeavor: The LAST 100: In Profile. This audiovisual project is part of our ongoing digital humanities initiative tracing the relationship between Tulane and Latin America from the first academic programs to today. In Profile offers an intimate glimpse into the human side of this history, enriching understanding of our institutional journey through the lens of individual narratives. Its short-form video portraits feature the testimonies of the faculty, staff, and students who have shaped the legacy of Latin American Studies at Tulane and beyond. By highlighting these figures’ personal anecdotes and unique personalities, In Profile showcases the vibrant tapestry of experiences that defines the community of Latin Americanist scholars at Tulane. We will release a different portrait each week, starting with Stone Center’s executive director, Thomas F. Reese, on Wednesday, March 20. Find all available videos on our YouTube playlist.

The inaugural portrait will feature Thomas F. Reese, Ph.D., the Stone Center’s Executive Director and the Thomas F. and Carol M. Reese Distinguished Chair in Latin American Studies, and a figure synonymous with dedication and passion for Latin American Studies at Tulane. Dr. Reese attended Tulane University (B.A., 1965) and Yale (Ph.D., History of Art, 1973). He taught at the University of Texas in Austin (1970-86), served as Deputy Director of the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles (1986-1999), and was appointed Executive Director of the Stone Center for Latin American Studies at Tulane University in 1999. His research includes studies of eighteenth-century Spanish urbanism and politics, culture contact in sixteenth-century Mexico, devotional space in Colonial Andean society, contemporary architectural practice in Europe and the Americas, and images and identity in turn of the century Argentina, Mexico, and Panama. Watch Tom Reese In Profile here.

The Stone Center celebrates one hundred years of research and teaching in the field of Latin American Studies at Tulane University in 2024. In 1924, the University acquired the William Edmund Gates library and created the Department of Middle American Research. With the passing of time, that department became the Middle American Research Institute (MARI) and its programs expanded to form the Center for Latin American Studies (1962),  The Latin American Library (1964), the Roger Thayer Stone Center for Latin American Studies (1983), the Cuban and Caribbean Studies Institute (1997), and the Center for Inter-American Policy and Research (2007). As Tulane expanded and nourished its Latin American Studies programs, it became an international leader in the field. To celebrate this centennial, the Stone Center for Latin American Studies, The Latin American Library and the Middle American Research Institute come together to commemorate it jointly and individually. 

The LAST 100 is among the robust slate of projects and events to celebrate our growth over the past century. We have digitized, assembled, and created documentation of this history with a particular focus starting in the 1940s with the creation of the academic programs on Latin America. The resulting website and digital collection will be publicly released over the summer. More than fifty In Profile videos will appear on this site alongside multi-media stories that integrate long-form video and audio interviews, historic documents and images, data visualizations, and new perspectives on these histories.  

In the meantime, we're offering a sneak peek into the voices and memories of The LAST 100 community. Follow the Stone Center on social media or subscribe to the newsletter to stay tuned.