The mission of the UC Berkeley Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) is to inspire new ideas and research by bringing together academics, artists, decision-makers and entrepreneurs from Latin America, the United States, and the world at the University of California, Berkeley, by: - hosting public events with leading scholars, policymakers, artists, entrepreneurs, and social leaders from across the Americas; - supporting Berkeley faculty and student research; - bringing information about Latin America to a wider audience through our website and publications; - building a community among Latin Americanist scholars, researchers, students and practitioners.