From July 28 to August 2, we held the international Summer School on Latin America, organized jointly with the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ILA RAN) and the Gorchakov Foundation for Public Diplomacy Support. This summer school was the first in Russia to focus exclusively on a single region (Latin America) and marked a debut not only for us but also for ILA RAN and the Gorchakov Foundation.
The official opening featured speeches by:
- V.D. Bogatyrev, Rector of Samara University;
- D.M. Rozental, Director of ILA RAN;
- S.V. Orlov, Deputy Executive Director of the Gorchakov Foundation;
- M.V. Yuryev, Federal Inspector for Samara Oblast;
- D.V. Abramov, Head of the Department of Investment and Innovation Policy at the Ministry of Economic Development and Investments of Samara Oblast.
As part of the project work, participants focused on four key areas:
Security Cooperation: Latin American Challenges — Russian Solutions (Moderator: Ya.A. Golubinov, Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of History at Samara University);
Challenges and Opportunities in Trade-Economic and Scientific-Technological Partnership Between Russia and Latin America (Moderator: L.V. Khadorich, Ph.D., Educational Organizer at the Department of World History, International Relations, and Documentation Studies, Samara University);
Latin America’s Information Landscape: A Challenge for Russian Media (Moderator: L.S. Samsonova, Lecturer at the Department of English Philology, Samara University);
Public Diplomacy in Latin America: The Image of Russia in the Region (Moderator: E.S. Simanov, Research Fellow at the Institute of Latin America, RAS).
Each track aimed to advance collaboration between Russia and Latin American countries. Teams discussed their ideas daily, received expert feedback, and prepared for the final project defense.
The intensive program included lectures by leading specialists, workshops, roundtables, and practical sessions, enabling young researchers to both acquire new knowledge and apply it in practice. Participants also enjoyed a rich cultural program.
The final stage—the project defense—took place before an expert panel, which praised the participants’ high level of preparation. The projects sparked lively interest among researchers and experts.
The school has become an important platform for training a new generation of specialists ready to strengthen Russian-Latin American ties.
P️hotos: Alexander Zaitsev | Gorchakov Foundation
