The Research Network for Latin America consists of three institutions: the competence pool, the board of directors and the coordination office.

The competence pool consists of the following institutions or professorships:

• Latin America Centre / Centro Latinoamericano de Colonia (CLAC)

• Interdisciplinary Latin America Center (ILZ), University of Bonn

• Center for InterAmerican Studies (CIAS), University of Bielefeld

• Prof. Dr. Silke Hensel, Modern and Contemporary History with special reference to non-European history, University of Münster

• Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Gabbert, Sociology of Development and Social Anthropology, Department of Sociology, Leibniz University Hanover

In 2010-2014 at least one PhD student was assigned to each of these five associates, and one post-doc was assigned to the three institutional members. Within the competence pool, the sub-projects focused on the following questions:

• Ethnicity, citizenship and belonging in political communication (University of Bielefeld)

• The importance of space for the three key concepts (University of Bonn)

• Interdependence of social categorisations (University of Cologne)

• Ethnic differentiation in the Mexican nation-building process (University of Münster)

• Ethnicity, citizenship and belonging and their interaction with other categories of difference (University of Hanover)

In 2014-2016 one post-doc is assigned to each sub-project that now work on the following questions:

• Sub-project Bielefeld: Ethnicity and Global Education as subjects of school teaching
• Sub-project Bonn: Collective articulation of citizenship in Madrid
• Sub-project Cologne and Hanover: Negotiation of belonging and citizenship in consideration of social categorisations
• Sub-project Münster: Ethnic differentiation in the mexican nation-building process

The project staff, i.e. the research pool and the coordination office, meets regularly to discuss their specific research, to coordinate a joint approach and comment on interim results and problems. To ensure an active exchange between the working groups, in 2010-2014 the staff organised four annual symposia, several workshops and summer schools (see Network Events). In alternate years, each working group was responsible for the preparation of the symposium with regards to content and one of the three participating institutions is the host. In addition, in the fourth year, the symposium took place in Guadalajara. In 2014-2016 various workshops will be organised by the respective sub-projects in order to maintain and foster a further scientific and non-scientific exchange. Besides the permanent members of the research pool, there are collaborations with other institutions and individuals. One important objective in particular is to integrate scientists from Latin America (see Fellows). 

The board of directors consists of the following persons:

• Prof. Barbara Potthast, Department of Iberian and Latin American History, University of Cologne. She is coevally the network coordinator.

• Prof. Nikolai Grube, Department of American Studies and Anthropology, University of Bonn

• JProf. Olaf Kaltmeier, Department of Iberian and Latin American History, Universität Bielefeld

• Prof. Silke Hensel, Modern and Contemporary History with special reference to non-European history, University of Münster

• Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Gabbert, Department of Sociology, Leibniz University Hanover.

The board of directors is responsible for the Research Network in matters of staff and project decisions, and also actively works on the research areas.

The coordination office is responsible for the organisation and coordination of the content of the Research Network, it represents the Research Network, it is responsible for organisational processes and collaborates closely with the members of the research pool, e.g. in the planning and execution of regular work meetings. It consists of managing director Bea Wittger and an assistant. Additionally, in the first two years the Faculty of Arts of the University of Cologne funded a position of a further research associate.