Report from the Editor (2023)

Since issue 57-1 (2022), LARR has shifted from a disciplinary to a thematic emphasis. The published thematic sections are not based on previously commissioned dossiers. On the contrary, the editor in chief, with feedback from the editorial team, organized freely submitted articles into thematic groups. This thematic organization makes LARR a great tool for learning about the significant and emerging themes in the field of Latin American studies. Salient topics in volume 57 (2022) were the political and decolonizing role of the arts, historical and epistemological reflections on the humanities and the social sciences in Latin America, the role of the middle classes in political changes in Brazil, disability studies, human rights, and political economy. The themes that our authors are working on in 2023 are gender and sexuality studies, Afro-Latin America, racism and xenophobia, environmental studies, the role of the judiciary, rethinking the war in Peru, puzzling socio-economic issues and, of course, public health and epidemics. Please, watch out for exciting debates coming up this year in LARR! Despite the shift to an interdisciplinary emphasis, submissions in the humanities and social science disciplines continue to be strong. I would like to highlight that the discipline of economics is taking off in LARR thanks to the efforts of our new associate editor Rosaluz Durán, affiliated with the University of Lima in Peru. Other disciplines like history, literature, anthropology, sociology, and cultural studies are also receiving high quality contributions. The political science discipline continues to be strong and has shifted its attention to less traditional topics for the field such as gender, sexual orientation, and race. Our film review section is also taking off with great contributions curated by our new associate editor Antonio Gómez of Tulane University. The book review section continues to produce quality reviews and its articles are amongst the most cited in LARR. We are delighted to announce that our impact and cite scores have increased significantly both in general and in the disciplines, as I will explain in more detail below. At the 2023 LASA meeting, LARR is sponsoring several featured panels including a workshop where the public will be able to interact with the editorial team and learn publishing strategies, and a panel celebrating our authors in volume 57 who work on the topics of the LASA meeting, democracy and human rights. We will also be holding a reception to provide an opportunity for interaction between the editorial team and current and prospective authors as well as LARR readers.