SALSA Committees

SALSA Public Issues and Actions Committee

The SALSA Public Issues and Actions Committee PIACresponds to SALSA’s primary mission to support research on lowland South America, and to promote public knowledge of this region and its astonishingly rich cultural, linguistic, and biological diversity. However many of the peoples and environments we study are imperiled, and we encourage public attention and action to address injustices, harmful policies, and human rights violations. As home to the world’s largest tropical forest, which sequesters 20% of global atmospheric carbon, the consequences of what happens in this region extend far beyond South America.

The Norm and Sibby Whitten Research Fund Selection Committee

The Norm and Sibby Whitten Research Fund supports pre-project travel grants for master and doctoral students in the early formulation of their field research. This Grant-in-Aid is to initiate contact and collaborative working relationships with partner institutions and scholars, as well as with local communities. Call for applications are opened yearly. An appointed selection committee is in charge of reviewing the applications and granting the awards.

The Norm and Sibby Whitten Publication Subvention Award Selection Committee

The Whitten Publication Subvention Award is designed to assist with the publication of original monographs and peer-reviewed articles that make an important contribution to anthropological scholarship on lowland South America or to the discipline more generally. Each year and while funds are available, SALSA will offer one subvention to offset the costs of publication of a monograph. An appointed selection committee is in charge of reviewing the applications and granting the awards.

The Steven Lee Rubenstein Memorial Scholarship Selection Committee

The Steven Lee Rubenstein Memorial Scholarship honors the intellectual legacy of Steven Lee Rubenstein (1962-2012), whose scholarship on Lowland South American society integrates political economy and critical theory, psychoanalysis and post-structuralist feminist theory. For every SALSA conference since 2016, a travel stipend has been awarded to a graduate student, recent PhD, or precariously employed member who wishes to present their work at the SALSA sesquiannual meetings. An appointed selection committee is in charge of reviewing the applications and granting the scholarships.

SALSA Publications Committee

This standing committee of the SALSA Board of Directors serves as a resource to advise and support the Editorial team in charge of publishing the society’s journal Tipití. Its charge is to be a conduit between the Board and the Editor-in-Chief, as well as a repository for institutional memory regarding the publication history, scope, and initiatives of SALSA. Its duties include soliciting and reviewing applications for Tipití Editor.

SALSA Ad Hoc Finance Committee

Convened in 2025, the SALSA Ad Hoc Finance Committee advises SALSA leadership and Board of Directors on the organization’s financial matters.

Members: Laura Zanotti (SALSA President Elect, chair), Michael Brown, Andrew Ofstehage, and Courtney Stafford-Walter (SALSA Secretary Treasurer)..

Ex-Officio Member: Laura Graham (SALSA President).