Matías Dewey

Matías Dewey is an Associate Professor of Latin American Studies at the University of St.Gallen (HSG) since August 2024, succeeding Prof. Yvette Sánchez. He holds leadership roles as President of the Swiss Society of Americanists, member of the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences (SAHS), and Director of the Centro Latinoamericano-Suizo (CLS-HSG). His academic journey includes a Licenciatura in Sociology from the University of Salvador (Argentina), a PhD in Political Science from the University of Rostock (Germany), and a habilitation in Sociology from the University of Duisburg-Essen (2020).

Research interests focus on informal and illegal economies in Latin America, including counterfeit markets, illicit drug trade, stolen goods, and the garment industry. Notable works include The Architecture of Illegal Markets (Oxford UP, 2020) and Making It at Any Cost (UTexas Press, 2020). Current projects examine digital intermediaries in illegal markets and global illicit trade dynamics, funded by HSG’s GFF program and the SNSF “Marketplaces” initiative.

Prof. Dewey collaborates with institutions like the Max Planck Institute and co-leads interdisciplinary teams analyzing socio-economic challenges in Latin America, including recent studies on Argentina’s economic policies and digital platforms’ roles in illicit networks.