Università Roma Tre

CONTENT:

The course, which centres particularly on social and cultural processes, as well as on political and institutional relations, aims to critically reflect on themes and problems connected with the politics of human rights in Latin America, the dictatorships and the relationship with the United States during the late XX th Century. In the first part, it will focus on an overview of the salient moments of the century in the long run: the processes of Nation building; the genesis of US imperialism; populist regimes; the role played by Latin America in the bipolar conflict. In the second part, a special emphasis will be placed on the so-called ‘dirty wars’ of bureaucractic-authoritarian regimes of the Southern Cone, including the politics of exile toward several destinations. It will conclude by delving into the deep transformations of citizenship and rights until the reconstructions of the realm of Latin American civil society at the turn of the century.


METHOD OF PRESENTATION:

The course will take place not only according to the traditional classroom approach but it will also be completed by audiovisual material, power points and slides to better explain and contextualize several issues with practical case-studies. (i.e. covert operations and coups d’etat in the Southern Cone region) and class debate.
Students will be given detailed guidance to help them navigate a selection of secondary literature and primary sources and there will be occasional guest lectures. Active participation is vital to this course, which will be held in colloquium format. Students are recommended to complete the readings prior to class, be prepared with questions and thoughts about the readings and participate fully in the discussions.

PART I: AN OVERVIEW OF LATIN AMERICA IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE XX CENTURY, Week 1-3.

Week 1
Introduction and description of the course.
After the Independence: the processes of Nation -building
The Genesis of US imperialism in Latin America.


Week 2
Mexico and its Revolution
The 1930 s and the Good Neighbor Policy


Week 3
Nationalism and Populism in Brazil and Argentina
Evita’s charisma and the ‘supermadre syndrome’ in Latin American politics


PART II: LATIN AMERICA IN THE COLD WAR, Week 4-5.

Week 4
Cuba and its Revolution
The “red scare” in the InterAmerican relations

Week 5
Counter Revolutionary War and National Security Doctrine
Mid term examination


PART III: MILITARY DICTATORSHIPS AND TRANSITIONS TO DEMOCRACY, Week 6-9

Week 6
Authoritarian states and military dictatorships: Daily Life under Terror
Regional coordination and military repression. The Condor Operation


Week 7
The “Dirty Wars” in Chile and Argentina and the United States Involvement
The Politics of Exile
The “Good Americans” and US Civil Society

Week 8
Dictatorship to Democracy
The Politics of Human Rights and Memory
The Pinochet case

Week 9
Neoliberalism and its Discontents
“The Infinite Border“ between Mexico and the US


CONCLUDING THE COURSE

Week 10
Women’s movement, indigenous movement and the new forms of citizenship
Final Exam

REQUIRED READINGS:

Text 1: Benjamin Keen, Keith Haynes, A History of Latin America, ninth edition. Volume 2: Independence to the Present, Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2013.

Text 2: Edwin Williamson, The Penguin History of Latin America, Penguin Group, London, 2010, Part Two and Three, chapters 9 to 15 (pp. 195-510).

Text 3: Luis Roniger, Mario Sznajder, The Politics of Exile in Latin America, Cambridge University Press, 2009, part 4, 5 and 6 (pp. 91-252).


RECOMMENDED READINGS:

Text 1: Luis Roniger and Mario Sznajder. 1999. The Legacy of Human Rights Violations in the Southern Cone: Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Text 2: Peter Kornbluh, 2004. The Pinochet File. A Declassified Dossier on Atrocity and Accountability. Nueva York : National Security Archive, New Press.


Text 3: John Dinges, 2004. The Condor Years. How Pinochet and His Allies Brought Terrorism to Three Continents. Nueva York: New Press.


Text 4: Katherine Hite, 2000. When the Romance Ended: Leaders of the Chilean Left, 1968-1998. New York: Columbia University Press.