International Relations ♦ SAILS Essay 64 Va. J. Int’l L. 373 (2024)

International Law Scholarship in Latin America

JORGE CONTESSE

There are numerous publications on international law in Latin America. Books and yearbooks—which compile articles, essays and international law developments during the year of publication—traditionally published by national international law associations coexist with recently established academic journals, housed in universities which seek to fulfill international accreditation standards. Scholarship in international law is, like other areas of law, strongly linked to the dynamics and practices of legal education. In Latin America, legal education has moved from a highly formalistic model to one that seeks to modernize teaching and research. With respect to practices of intellectual production.

In this Essay, I present a map of international law journals in Latin America. To do so, in Part II, I review the features of Latin American legal education in both its traditional and more modern forms. In Part III, I describe the status of journals in six Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru), giving an account of the journals and the perspectives of their editors. To gain a deeper perspective on international law scholarship in Latin America, I consulted law librarians in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico, and interviewed editors, former editors, and directors of a dozen international law journals in the region. The resulting map offers insights on the state of scholarship in international law in Latin America, highlighting its implicit purpose of bringing international law and global discussions closer to the region and the attempt to achieve that purpose “from Latin America.” Part IV concludes.