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Master Thesis Award in Latin American Studies​

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Ceremony for the MA Thesis Award in Latin American Studies 2026

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On Friday, June 19th, CEDLA in collaboration with the Dutch foundation International Americanists Congress 1988 revived an old tradition of selecting the best MA Thesis written at a Dutch university on a topic related to Latin American societal themes. The jury consisted of Dr. Christien Klaufus (chair), Dr. Sven da Silva, Dr. Gabriela Russo Lopes and João Fernandez Pereira. Of the nineteen theses submitted by students who had graduated from different universities in The Netherlands in 2024 and 2025 (theses graded with an 8 of higher), the jury selected three finalists. 

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The winner of the Latin American Studies MA Thesis Award 2026 is:

Listening to the fall of Amazonian nuts: Lived, contested and negotiated territoriality, a case study of the Yaminahua people of Noaya by Laura Rodriguez Arguedas

Graduated from Wageningen University and Research​​​

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Requirements:

  • Thesis must have been completed between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2025

  • As part of an MA programme at a Dutch university

  • Graded with an 8 or higher (a confirmation letter of the supervisor must be added)

  • Written in English or Spanish

  • Based on a Latin American case study or as a contribution to Latin American studies **

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The submissions will be assessed by a jury based on the following criteria:

  • Scientific quality and originality

  • Text structure and writing style

  • Societal relevance

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​​​​The winner of the Latin American Studies MA Thesis Award 2026 is:
 

Listening to the fall of Amazonian nuts: Lived, contested and negotiated territoriality, a case study of the Yaminahua people of Noaya

Laura Rodriguez Arguedas Graduated from Wageningen University and Research

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The jury found that this is a well-rounded work, with strong theoretical, analytical, and methodological grounding, and a remarkable coherence between the proposed research approach and its execution. Laura centers her work on the extraction of Amazonian nuts that many in Europe are fond of. Her thesis reflects her deep care to participants and their territorial struggles, engaging her own learning process to contribute to Latin American studies on local communities and their relations with the surrounding environment as well as to the local experiences and engagements with global food supply chains. Laura’s robust theoretical work at times combines very different approaches, ranging from ethnological works to territoriality to multispecies, more-than-human discussions. Not all connections are fully addressed by the conclusions, but Laura makes quite difficult arguments convincingly, grounded, and almost as if they were simple. The text is a pleasure to read, and we hope to enjoy more of Laura’s relevant contributions in the future. Congratulations​​​​

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The runner up is:
Territorios Emergentes: Pathways for Community-Based Urban Planning Strategies in Cali, Colombia 

Isabella Jaramillo Díaz

Graduated from Delft University of Technology

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According to the jury, this thesis is a real ‘tour de force’ that delivers on its promise to contribute to a “margin-to-center” approach in urban planning, with a decidedly Latin American perspective. Isabella offers a comprehensive and detailed account of connections between top-down and bottom-up planning through participatory planning activities. She manages to give voice the perspectives of residents, planners, and policymakers, while keeping her own position and positionality clear and engaged throughout the thesis. Isabella conducted her work at TU Delft, her thesis is centered on specific practices and policies, and some of her policy recommendations have been tried and implemented in the past. Yet, the end result is quite impressive: the amazing visuals and storytelling are combined with strong analytical work, and it is our impression that her thesis not only brings relevant contributions to academia but could very well be or become a UN Habitat report. Congratulations

And the second runner up is:

Between Words and Worlds: Navigating Historical Memory, Meaning-Making, and Transformative Possibilities Through Critical Language Pedagogies 

Natasha Wilson

Graduated from the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Erasmus University Rotterdam

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The jury wrote that this thesis is a compelling and comprehensive analysis that also builds from the author’s experience to strongly contribute to Latin American debates. Natasha takes us through praxes of political memorialization through language learning in an educational institution in Guatemala. She engages her own positionality as a foreign language student and ally, and convincingly combines literature on development, critical pedagogy, and language studies to provide insights for discussions on memory and transitional/restorative justice in post-conflict environments. Her thesis is theoretically sound and quite strong methodologically. The transnational dimension of her insights could have been discussed more explicitly and the voices of interlocutors could be more present here and there. Yet so, her overarching focus on language-learning through lived memories in a multinational, multicultural environment does engage the praxes of her interlocutors to address a timely topic in a context of increasing regional and global change towards authoritarianism. We truly hope to you continue to voice and practice these necessary engagements with memory towards social and political transformation. Congratulations

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