Closure of the Institute of Latin American Studies, University of London
At CAS we are deeply concerned about the recently announced plans to close the Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS) and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS), both located within the School of Advanced Study, University of London. ICwS, created in 1949, is the only postgraduate academic institution in the UK devoted specifically to the study of the Commonwealth. ILAS, founded in 1965, is one of the five original Parry Centres launched to develop Latin American studies in the UK. The closure of these institutions threatens the very survival of area studies within the University of London – and by extension the U.K.