Goodbye to Pierre Salama

CLACSO joins in expressing sorrow for the passing, on August 9, of the French economist Pierre Salama , considered one of the leading social scientists of our time.

A multidisciplinary academic of Egyptian origin who became a French citizen, Salama has made important contributions to the analysis of the economic and social processes of developing countries, focusing on problems such as poverty, drug trafficking, informal work, inequality, debt and public finances in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“Viral Contagion, Economic Contagion: Political Risks in Latin America” is the title of Pierra Salama’s book, available for open access download from the Latin American and Caribbean Social Sciences Library, published by CLACSO in March 2021. In it, the author analyzes that “Latin America suffers from a tendency towards economic stagnation; it is a structural crisis,” and that “the pandemic has profoundly accentuated this crisis and with it the already unsustainable inequalities.”

His valuable studies earned him well-deserved recognition in various Latin American countries and study centers, including the Honorary Doctorate awarded by the University of Guadalajara, the Honorary Doctorate awarded by the Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM), the Julio Cortázar Chair Award, and his membership in the Colombian Academy of Economic Sciences.

From CLACSO we extend our condolences to his family and colleagues.