BRASA was formally launched during the 1992 Congress of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) in Los Angeles, California. At that meeting some thirty to forty scholars came together and resolved to form an association that would both promote Brazilian studies and continue to build strong links between those who study Brazil and other parts of Latin America.

The First International Congress (BRASA I) was held in Atlanta, Georgia in conjunction with LASA in March 1994. A constitution and by-laws were adopted, an Executive Committee elected, and a Secretariat designated at the University of New Mexico. Founding members Jon M. Tolman and Roberto Reis, were elected as the Association's first President and Vice-President, respectively, and Edward A. Riedinger was elected Secretary.

The second international congress (BRASA II) was held at the University of Minnesota (May 11-13, 1995), BRASA III took place at King's College, Cambridge University (September 7-10, 1996), BRASA IV in Washington, D.C. (November 12-15, 1997), BRASA V in Recife, Pernambuco (June 18-21, 2000), BRASA VI in Atlanta, Georgia (April 3-5, 2002), and BRASA VII was recently held at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica in Rio de Janeiro (June 9-12, 2004).  The Eighth International Congress (BRASA VIII) was hosted by Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee (October 13-16, 2006).

The Ninth International Congress will take place at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana (March 27-29, 2008), and the Tenth International Congress well be held in Brasília in July 2010.

Timothy J. Power
Centre for Brazilian Studies
University of Oxford
2004-2006

James N. Green                                                                 
Department of History                                                       
Brown University                                                                                                 
2002-2004

Susan Quinlan
Department of Romance Languages
University of Georgia
2000-2002

Dain Borges
Deparment of History
University of Chicago
1998-2000

Elizabeth Kuznesof
Department of History
University of Kansas
1996-1998

Jon M. Tolman
Department of Spanish and Portuguese
University of New Mexico
1994-1996

Severino de Albuquerque, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Luiz Roberto Velloso Cairo, Universidade Estadual de São Paulo
Tânia Franco Carvalhal, Universidade Federal, Rio Grande do Sul
Janet Chernela, University of Maryland
Christopher Dunn, Tulane University
Eduardo Gomes, Universidade Federal Fluminense
James Green, California State University, Long Beach
Ted Hewitt, University of Western Ontario
Martha Huggins, Tulane University
Kathryn Hochstetler, Colorado State University
Elizabeth Kuznesof, University of Kansas
Jeffrey Lesser, Emory University
David McCreary, Georgia State University
Ricardo Paiva, independent scholar
Leigh Ann Payne, University of Wisconsin
Anthony Pereira, Tulane University
Linda Rabben, Amnesty International
Donald Ramos, Cleveland State University
Eni de Mesquita, Universidade de São Paulo
Wayne A. Selcher, Elizabethtown College
Dalila de Sousa-Sheppard, Spelman College
Maria Luiza Falcão Silva, EMBRAPA
Thomas M. Stephens, Rutgers University
Luiz F. Valente, Brown University