This roundtable brings together some of the leading scholars of the history of inter-American relations, whose work bridges the entire twentieth century and beyond. These five women share their insights from their research on a wide range of topics, including Mexican developmentalist politics, the Bolivian Revolution, the Cuban Revolution, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Sandinista Revolution, the Panama Canal treaty negotiations, the Central American peace process, and Latin America’s role in global economic governance.

With each other and the audience, these scholars will discuss the state of the field, including its current strengths and challenges. They will address questions including:

• How do we approach the role of the United States in the region? How do we reconcile the need for recognizing Latin American agency with the clear history of US political, economic, and military dominance?
• What do we gain when the historical narrative is not shaped through the lens of the United States? What does the history of the twentieth century look like from a Latin American or hemispheric perspective?
• How have inter-American relations changed over time? How did U.S. efforts to tighten and loosen control in the region shift over the course of the twentieth century?
• How can we characterize and understand inter-American relations in a post-Cold War world? What predictions can we make about the future based on past trends?
• What methods have we found most useful in researching the history of inter-American relations?
• What topics have been explored in exciting ways in recent years, and what topics still require more attention?
• What are the greatest challenges facing scholars of inter-American relations?