Handbook of Latin American Studies (HLAS): A Resource Guide
Since 1936, HLAS has made scholarly research on Latin America more easily accessible by working with researchers to identify and describe books, journal articles, conference proceedings and papers, book chapters, maps and atlases, and electronic resources
Authors:
Katherine McCann, HLAS Humanities Editor, Hispanic Section, Latin American, Caribbean, and European Division
Tracy North, HLAS Social Sciences Editor, Hispanic Section, Latin American, Caribbean, and European Division
Joseph Torres-González, Reference Librarian, Hispanic Section, Latin American, Caribbean, and European Division
Preliminary Author:
Samantha Awad, 2019-2020 Librarian-in-Residence, Hispanic Section, Latin American, Caribbean, and European Division
Note: This guide is used to help navigate the Handbook database, and as a starting point for research and reference.
Created: July 19, 2019
Last Updated: March 18, 2024
Introduction
The Handbook of Latin American Studies (HLAS) is a selective bibliography with annotations and bibliographic essays provided by 130 professors of anthropology (archeology and ethnology), art, geography, government and politics, history, international relations, literature, music, philosophy, political economy, and sociology; and edited by librarians in the Hispanic Reading Room at the Library of Congress.
Since 1936, HLAS has made scholarly research on Latin America more easily accessible by identifying and describing books, journal articles, conference proceedings and papers, book chapters, maps and atlases, and—more recently—electronic resources (blogs, websites, online videos, etc.). Annually, the Contributing Editors (those 130 professors) receive and review 2,000-3,000 published works from the Library of Congress collections. Their descriptions are added to the HLAS database and their essays are published annually by the University of Texas Press.
For a visual representation of the work of the Handbook, browse our Story Map presentation highlighting the resources described in HLAS, the notable connections between HLAS and the Library of Congress collections, and the essential role of the Contributing Editors: https://go.usa.gov/x6nh9.
The Handbook of Latin American Studies: online access
This searchable online bibliographic database links researchers to scholarly descriptions of more than 260,000 books, journal articles, book chapters, conference papers, maps and atlases, and electronic resources published from the 1960s to the present. HLAS Web is mobile-friendly, offers multiple search options and limits, and easy options for citing, saving, and emailing search results.
The disciplines currently covered in the Handbook of Latin American Studies are:
Humanities
Art
History: includes Ethnohistory
Literature: includes Translations into English from the Spanish and Portuguese
Music
Philosophy/Latin American Identity
Social Sciences
Anthropology: Archeology; Ethnology
Geography
Government and Politics
International Relations
Political Economy
Sociology
The Handbook of Latin American Studies (HLAS) has been published since the mid-1930s. Within HLAS you will find citations for a variety of topics and disciplines that are not covered in current volumes. These entries provide useful historical information about Latin America and about the field of Latin American Studies in earlier decades. Topics previously covered include:
Archives
Economics
Education
Folklore
Law
Libraries
Linguistics
Travel
Some volumes also included occasional essays on specific topics such as "Treaties, Conventions, International Acts, Protocols, and Agreements" (volumes 4 through 9), "Latin American Studies in Scandinavia" (volume 22), and "Materials in the United States National Archives Relating to Latin America" (volume 22).