Established August 25, 1875 in Nancy, France, the scholars' forum has met regularly since its inception, presently in three year increments, with the exception of during the conflict of World War II.
[1] Congress members come from a variety of disciplines, including anthropology, archaeology, art, education, economy, geography, history, human rights, law, philosophy, linguistics, sociology, and urban studies.
[2] Goal of the International Congress of Americanists: Contribuer au progrès des études ethnographiques, linguistiques et historiques relatives aux deux Amériques, spécialement pour les temps antérieurs à Christophe Colomb, et de mettre en rapport les personnes qui s'intéressent à ces études.
The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, a co-operative of academic anthropologist researchers and human rights activists, was first proposed at the Munich/Stuttgart conference in August 1968.
[5] At the 1988 congress in Amsterdam, researchers organized a symposium agreeing to create a European network for the interchange of information about Latin America produced in Europe which was the precursor for REDIAL.