Central America has popped up more regularly in mainstream news in the past few years. Big migration stories—from the 2014 child migration phenomenon to the 2018 Central American exodus and 2019 family separation crisis—have driven much of this coverage. Beyond the news cycle, the deep structural issues remain a constant, even when international attention turns elsewhere.
Central America is a region in crisis. But as social movements remind us in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, crises also widen the cracks in fractured systems.
In the Winter 2020 issue of the NACLA Report, out in print in December, we are interested in exploring Central America’s uncertain future—broadly conceived—through the lenses of a failed neoliberal consensus, multiple forms of violence, climate chaos, institutional failures, daily life in untenable conditions, and more.
For this issue, we are looking for pieces that discuss both longstanding and emerging issues in Central America, including:
- Migration from and within the region, particularly addressed in ways that complicate or expand mainstream narratives
- Drug trafficking and corruption, and what high-profile cases portend for specific countries and the region
- Challenges on the frontlines of the climate crisis
- U.S.-Central America solidarity in the 21st century, as well as the past and present U.S. role in the region
- Political manipulation of security issues, authoritarianism, and nuanced approaches to violence and insecurity
- Mexico’s role in Central America, particularly in security issues and energy politics
- Popular responses to generalized neoliberal crisis, particularly grassroots Indigenous, Afrodescendant, feminist, LGBTQI+, and labor responses
- All corners of Central America—specifically stories from Belize, Costa Rica, and Panama
We are interested in articles that examine specific, narrowly defined topics and are written in a lively, accessible manner. We give preference to articles that are based on original research and interviews.
Please send a brief pitch (250 words) outlining the thrust and tone of your proposed piece by June 8 to managing editor Heather Gies at hgies@nacla.org. We will respond to pitches by June 15. Drafts of accepted pieces (2,500-3,500 words) will be due late August 2020.
Before sending your pitch, please check out previous issues of the NACLA Report and review our writers’ guidelines to get a sense of NACLA’s style and tone.
The NACLA Report, published by Routledge for the North American Congress on Latin America, is a progressive quarterly magazine covering Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latinx communities in the United States. Bringing together the worlds of academia, journalism, and research, NACLA’s writing style seeks to engage general as well as specialized audiences.
NACLA offers small honorariums to contributors who depend on writing as their primary source of income. For the print magazine, these honorariums typically range from $100 to $250, depending on the type of article. We will discuss rates if your piece is accepted. Pitches not included in the print issue may be considered for web publication.
