Mecila researches past and present forms of social, political and cultural coexistence in Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition to its headquarters in São Paulo (Brazil), the research group works with additional nodes in La Plata (Argentina), Mexico City (Mexico), Cologne and Berlin (Germany).
Researching together
The college fosters symmetrical collaboration between institutions and researchers from different disciplines, countries and professional backgrounds. Mecila intends to be a learning space that aims to contribute to the development of creative approaches for meeting global challenges. German and Latin American institutions work closely together in the Mecila Consortium.
Christoph Müller (IAI) is one of the four Directors who will coordinate Mecila from 04/2025 to 03/2026 and will be based at the headquarters in São Paulo for a period of time. The Directors are elected by the Mecila Executive Board for a one-year term.
The role of information infrastructures
The Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut (IAI, Ibero-American Institute) coordinates together with the Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales (CONICET / Universidad Nacional de La Plata) the Research Area: "Medialities of Conviviality and Information Infrastructure", which also includes linking the libraries in the Mecila consortium. Collaborative approaches play an important role in the accessibility of knowledge archives and the (re)circulation of knowledge. As part of the Mecila community, the IAI is also regularly organizes the Mecila Annual Meeting and Young Researchers Forum.
International networking
The aim of the funding line Maria Sybilla Merian International Centre for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences of the Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR) is to interlink the knowledge production of the so-called Global South with that of the so-called Global North in a more sustainable way. Mecila works closely with the other Merian Centers in Ghana, India, Mexico and Tunisia.
