history 397 modern latin america spring 2019 · feb 1: film (discussion) film: the official story...

History397ModernLatinAmerica

Spring2019

ProfessorJeffreyRubin

Monday,Wednesday,&Friday1:25PM–2:15PMCAS228

OfficeHours:

Wednesdays,3:00–4:30Thursdays,2:00–3:30

OfficeAddress:

226BayStateRoad,Room501353-8319jwr@bu.edu

CourseDescription

ThiscoursewillexaminestrugglesforequalityandinclusioninMexico,Argentina,Peru,Chile,Brazil,Venezuela,andBoliviafromthe19thtothe21stcenturies.Wewillbeginbyconsideringnovels,narrativenon-fiction,andfilmto

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situateourselvesinLatinAmericatodayandraisekeyquestionsaboutthepast.Wewillthendiscussissuesofcivilizationandbarbarism,slavery,indigenouslife,gender,andliberalismthatshapedlifeandpoliticsinthe19thcentury.

Inthe20thcentury,whichwillconstitutemostofthecourse,wewillstartwith

theMexicanRevolutionandconcludebyexamininginnovativegrassrootsexperimentsofthe1990sand2000s,includinglandtake-overmovements,Afro-Reggaemusicgroups,andwomen’sorganizations.Inbetween,wewillexaminepoliticalandculturalprocessesthatshaped20thcenturypoliticsandsociallife,includingtheformationoftheMexicanstate,theriseofEvaPeroninArgentina,economicgrowthandshantytownlifeinBrazil,andmilitaryruleandneo-liberaleconomicsinChile.

Throughfocusedcomparisonofseveralthemesandcountriesovertime,wewillseekanunderstandingofbothunderlyingpatternsandnewdirections.Wewilladdressthepersistenceofformsofinequality,authoritarianism,andexclusioninLatinAmerica,theexperiencesandvisionsofdifferentgroupsandclasses,thelivesofspectacularindividualsandexperiments,andthesuccessesandlimitsofdemocracyandeconomicgrowthinrecentdecades.Readings

Thefollowingbooks(3)arerequiredreadingandareavailableforpurchaseatBarnesandNoble:

ONEofthefollowing:Shantytown,byCésarAira(Argentina)TalkingtoOurselves,byAndrésNeuman(Argentina)WaysofGoingHome,byAlejandroZambra(Chile)TheSoundofThingsFalling,byJuanGabrielVásquez(Colombia)Plus:CarolinaMariadeJesus,ChildoftheDarkPeterWinn,WeaversofRevolution

ThesebookswillalsobeonreserveatMugarLibrary.(Buttherewillonlybe

oneortwocopiesofeachbookonreserve.)Linksareprovidedinthesyllabusforreadingsavailabledirectlyonline.All

otherreadingswillbefoundinPDForWorddocumentsonthecoursewebsite(Blackboard).

Itisessentialthatreadingsbeavailabletostudents.Ifthereisaproblemobtainingaparticularreading(if,forinstance,thereadingonthewebsiteis

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incomplete),letmeknowimmediatelybyemailsoIcandosomethingaboutit.Thesamegoesforfilms.CourseRequirementsNews

StudentsareencouragedtoreadtheLatinAmericaDailyBriefingregularlyhttp://latinamericadailybriefing.blogspot.com/ThisbriefingconsistsofshortsummariesofthemostimportantnewsarticlesaboutLatinAmericaappearinginLatinAmericanandUSnewspaperseachday.Byreadingthese,youwillgetasenseofwhatishappeninginLatinAmericaduringthesemesterofthecourseandhowhistoricalandcurrenteventswestudyrelatetowhatishappeningthroughouttheregion.

Youcanarrangetoreceivetheblogintheformofadailyemailbysigningup

forthedailynewsbriefingintheupperrighthandcornerofthewebsite.

WritingStudentswillberequiredtodothreekindsofwritingforthecourse.Atthe

endofeachofthefirsttwopartsofthecourse,youwillwritea3-4pagepaperexploringthemesandeventswediscussedinthatpart.Eachofthesepaperswillcountfor15%ofthecoursegrade.

ForPart3ofthecourse,whichconsistsof12classes,eachstudentwillsetup

aLessonsLearneddocumentinGoogleDocsandwrite1–2paragraphsdiscussingideasyouhavehadormaterialyouhavelearnedaftereachclass.(Youwillneedtowritea“lessonslearned”entryforatleast9ofthe12classesinPart3).IwillcommentontheseentriesasPart3progresses.TheLessonsLearneddocumentwillcountfor20%ofthecoursegrade.

ForPart4ofthecourse,eachstudentwillwritea5pagefinalpaperona

countryofyourchoosinginLatinAmerica,discussingwhathasbeenhappeninginthatcountrysince2000inlightofthelessonslearnedinPart3anddrawingonreadingsinPart4toilluminatecurrentevents.Thefinalpaperwillcountfor30%ofthecoursegrade.

WewillnothaveclassonApril29orMay1.Thefinalclasswillbeheldon

FridayApril26.Wewillhavetwo2-houreveningclassmeetings,oneonTuesdayApril23andtheotheronThursdayApril25.Eachstudentmustattendoneoftheeveningclasses.Duringtheseeveningclasses,studentswillpresentthecountriestheyarefocusingonfortheirfinalpapersandtheirideasforrelatingthemtoLessonsLearnedandcurrentevents.FinalpaperswillbedueonSunday,May5.

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Theassignmentsforthethree3–4pagepaperswilltakethefollowingform,

thoughImaymakechangesasweneartheendofeachpartofthecourse,toreflecttheworkwehavedoneinclass:

Ina3-4pagepaperdueFebruary5,attheendofourexplorationof

LatinAmericaToday,youwillidentifyanddiscussatheme/issue/questionthatinterestsyouinthereadingsandfilmswehavecoveredsofarinthecourse.Yourdiscussionwillincludeonenovel,onepieceofnarrative-non-fiction,onefilm,andonearticleorsetofarticlesmentionedintheLatinAmericaDailyBriefing

Ina3-4pagepaperdueFebruary21,attheendofourdiscussionof

socialissuesinthe19thcentury,youwillusethereadingswehavediscussedinclasstodiscusstwoinstanceswheresignificantreformeitheroccurredorwasfoughtfor(orenvisionedinsomeway).Inaddition,youwillidentifyandexplaintwoinstanceswherereformwasnotenvisionedorwasdefeatedandshutdown.

ClassFormatandClassParticipation

Overall,approximately1/3oftheclassesforthiscoursewillbelecturesandabout2/3willbediscussion.Studentswillbeexpectedtoparticipateregularlyandactivelyinclassdiscussion.Thediscussionsinthisclassaregenerallylivelyandinteresting,andtheyarebestwhenmanydifferentpeoplecommentandawidevarietyofviewpointsareexpressed.Classparticipationwillcountfor20%ofthecoursegrade.Iwillbeavailablethroughoutthesemestertodiscussstrategiesforeffectiveclassparticipation,especiallywithstudentswhoarenotaccustomedtospeakinginclass.

Attendanceinclassisrequired.Ifyoumissmorethanthreeclassesduringthe

semester,thenyourgradewillbeloweredonegradeforeverytwoclassesyoumiss(afterthethree).

Everystudent’sexamsandpapersshouldconsistofhisorherownanalysis

andwriting.CasesofsuspectedcheatingorplagiarismwillbedealtwithinaccordwiththeAcademicConductCode.

Films

Severalfilmswillbeshownaspartofthecourse,particularlyinthelastfew

weeksofthesemester.Thesearearequiredpartofthecourseandwillbeincludedinexamsandpaperassignments.Someofthefilmsareavailableonline.Forthose

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filmsnotavailableonline,thelocationsandtimesforgroupshowingsatGeddesLanguageCenterwillbesentbyemail.

FilmsnotavailableonlinewillbeonreserveintheGeddesLanguageCenter

foraweekbeforeclass,sothatstudentscanviewthemindividuallyoringroups.However,youmaynotbeabletoviewthefilmsclosetothetimesoftheshowings.Itismuchbettertoarrangetocometothegroupshowing.

OfficeHours

IamavailableduringofficehourstospeaktostudentsaboutanyaspectofthecourseorbroaderLatinAmericaninterests.Ifyouarehavingdifficultywiththecourseinanyway,youshouldbesuretocomeseemeassoonaspossible.Youshouldalsocomeseemeifsomethingintriguesorpuzzlesyou,ifyouwouldliketoknowmoreaboutatopicortalkaboutitfurther,ifyouareinterestedincontinuingyourstudyofLatinAmerica,etc.Icanbeparticularlyhelpfulwithwaystoimproveyourabilitytoreadandunderstandthematerial,prepareforandcarryoutwrittenassignments,thinkaboutlectures,and,especially,speakinclass.

IntroductionJan23:CourseOverviewPart1:LatinAmericaToday

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Jan25:NarrativeNon-Fiction(DISCUSSION)

ReadorListentoAll:

SubcomandanteMarcos,“TodayWeSayEnoughisEnough,”“WhoShouldAsk

forForgivenessandWhoCanGrantIt?”AnnLouiseBardach,“Mexico’sPoetRebel,”VanityFair,July1994AnaAlderstein,“AStitchinTime,”NPR,July24,2015(radiobroadcast,17

minutes,clickonleft,above“embed,”tohearit)“BertaCáceres,IndigenousActivist,isKilledinHonduras”NewYorkTimes,

March3,2016“IsidroBaldenegro,MexicanEnvironmentalActivist,isShottoDeath”New

YorkTimes,January18,2017Tom Phillips, “Jair Bolsonaro’s Inauguration,” The Guardian, January 1, 2019

Readone:

ElisabethJayFriedmanandConstanzaTabbush,“#NiUnaMenos:NotOne

WomanLess,NotOneMoreDeath!”NACLAReportontheAmericas,November1,2016

LuisGómez,“#Yosoy132”NACLAReportontheAmericas,October26,2012

Skim:JonLeeAnderson,“NicolásMaduro’sAcceleratingRevolution,”TheNew

Yorker,December11,2017

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Jan28:ContemporaryNovels(DISCUSSIONGROUPS)

ReadONEofthefollowingfortodayandcometoclasspreparedtodiscussit:

Shantytown,byCésarAira(Argentina)TalkingtoOurselves,byAndrésNeuman(Argentina)WaysofGoingHome,byAlejandroZambra(Chile)TheSoundofThingsFalling,byJuanGabrielVásquez(Colombia)

Jan30:ContemporaryNovels(PRESENTATIONANDDISCUSSION)Feb1:Film(DISCUSSION)

FILM:TheOfficialStory

AvailableatGeddesforindividualviewing,SP8.013,originaltitleLahistoriaoficial.AvailableatKasker,10418.DV.AvailableforrentalonAmazonPrimeVideo.AvailablethroughKanopyuntil1/31/19.(I’mnotsureifitwillbeavailableonthe31stornot.)

Feb4:Film(DISCUSSION)

FILM:YTuMamáTambién

AvailableonNetflix.ForrentalonAmazon.AvailableatGeddesforindividualviewing,SP8.259,andatKrasker,23367.DV

**3-4pagepaperforPart1dueFeb5by9PM.

Part2:The19thCentury:Civilization,Barbarism,andNation-Building

Feb6:HistoricalContext:WarsofIndependenceandConsolidatingNations

(LECTURE)

JohnChasteen,“Independence”(91–112),inBorninBloodandFire

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Feb8:CivilizationandBarbarism(DISCUSSION)

DomingoSarmiento,“FrontierBarbarism,”inDavidWeberandJaneRausch,

eds.,WhereCulturesMeetNils,Jacobsen,“CivilizationandItsBarbarism:TheInevitabilityofJuan

Bustamante’sFailure,”inJudithEwellandWilliamBeezely,eds.,TheHumanTraditioninLatinAmerica

ChristineHunefeldt,“AtHomeandintheStreets,”inLiberalismintheBedroom

Feb11:EconomicGrowthandPeasantResistance(DISCUSSION)

FlorenciaMallon,“ThePeasantVillageandtheLimitsofPower,”(pp.67-79)and“TheWarofthePacificandtheProblemofInternalPacification,”inTheDefenseofCommunityinPeru’sCentralHighlands

BESURETOREADTOTHEENDOF“THEWAROFTHEPACIFIC”ANDKNOW

WHATHAPPENEDINCOMASANDWHY!Feb13:LiberalisminMexicoandArgentina(LECTURE)

JohnChasteen,“PostcolonialBlues”(119–143)and“Progress”(149-158,

166-17),inBorninBloodandFire

Feb15:WomeninthePublicSphere(DISCUSSION)JamesScobie,“TheCityandtheFactory,”inArgentina,pp.160-176ONLYJune Hahner, “Pioneers for Women’s Rights,” in Emancipating the Female Sex

Feb19(TuesdayClass):WomeninthePublicSphere(DISCUSSION)(WewillcontinuediscussionofScobieandHahnertoday.)DonnaGuy,“PublicHealth,Gender,andPrivateMorality:PaidLaborandtheFormationoftheBodyPoliticinBuenosAires,”GenderandHistory2:3

ChristineHunefeldt,“RedefiningFemaleDomains,”inLiberalismintheBedroom

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Feb20:Slavery(LECTURE)

“SlaveLifeatMorroVelhoMine,”“ScenesfromtheSlaveTrade,”“Crueltyto

Slaves,”“SlaveryandSociety,”“AbolitionDecree,1888,”“LawsRegulatingBeggarsinMinasGerais,1900,”inRobertLevineandJohnCrocitti,eds.,TheBrazilReader

Michael Coniff and Thomas Davis, “Emancipation in Brazil,” in Africans in the Americas

**3-4pagepaperforPart2dueFeb21by9PM.

Part3:The20thCentury:ThePeopleComingontheScene**RemembertosetupaLessonsLearneddocumentinGoogleDocsandtowritean

entryaftereachclassinPart3.(Instructionswillbesentbyemail.)Feb22:TheMexicanRevolution(LECTURE)

GilbertJosephandJürgenBuchenau,Mexico’sOnceandFutureRevolution,pp.

30-85Feb25:TheMexicanRevolutionandPostrevolutionaryMexico(LECTUREAND

DISCUSSION)

NoraHamilton,“CárdenasandtheNewAlliance,”inTheLimitsofStateAutonomy

Feb27:State-BuildingandPoliticsinPost-RevolutionaryMexico

(DISCUSSION)(WewillcontinuediscussionofHamiltontoday.)MaryKayVaughan,“TheConstructionofthePatrioticFestivalin

Tecamachalco,Puebla,1900-1946,inWilliamBeezleyet.al.,eds.,RitualsofRule,RitualsofResistance

MarjorieBecker,“TorchingLaPurísima,DancingattheAltar,”inGilbertJosephandDanielNugent,eds.,EverydayFormsofStateFormation

(OPTIONAL,providescontext:KeenandHaynes,“Cárdenas”)

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Mar1:Mexicointhe1970s(DISCUSSION)

FILM:Roma(availableonNetflix)

Mar4:PeronisminArgentina(LECTURE)

DanielJames,‘Introduction,”“PeronismandtheWorkingClass,”inResistance

andIntegration

(OPTIONAL,providescontext:KeenandHaynes,“TheInfamousDecade”and“ThePeronEra”)

Mar6:SocialMythsandPopularCultureinArgentina(DEBATE)

JulieTaylor,“Introduction,”“TheBiography,”and“TheMyth,”inEvaPerón:

TheMythofaWomanEvaPerón,“AGreatSentiment,”fromLaRazóndeMiVidaNationalInvestigationsCommission,“TheRoleofEvaPerón,”inHelenDelpar,

ed.,TheBorzoiReaderinLatinAmericanHistory

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Mar8:Music,Blackness,andCulturalShiftinBrazil(DISCUSSION)

FILM:BlackOrpheus(1959version),AvailableforrentalonAmazon,orat

GeddesPG8.002,Krasker29591.DV,originaltitleOrfeunegroHermanoVianna,“TheEncounter,”“TheMystery,”and“SambaofMyNative

Land,”inTheMysteryofSamba:PopularMusicandNationalIdentityinBrazil

BarbaraWeinstein,“Introduction,”TheColorofModernityMar18:EconomicDevelopmentinBrazilandLatinAmerica(LECTURE)

“HowBigBusinessGotBrazilHookedonJunkFood,”NYTimes,September

17,2107JakeSpring,“SoyBoomDevoursBrazil’sTropicalSavanna,”Reuters,August

28,2108KeenandHaynes,“Vargas,”“ReformandReaction”

Mar20:PoliticsandtheNationalSecurityStateinBrazil(LECTURE)

KeenandHaynes,“Brazil’sColonialFascism”

March22:LifeinBrazil’sFavelas(DISCUSSION)

FILM:Bus174(Part1)(Part2)CarolinaMariadeJesus,ChildoftheDark(entire)

Mar25:Chile:SocialistReformandMilitaryCoup(LECTURE)

PeterWinn,inWeaversofRevolution,pp.3-7,32-52,53-69,79-119,134-136,

209-226,246-252Mar27:Torture,Disappearance,Terror(DISCUSSION)

FILM:ChileObstinateMemory

JacoboTimerman,“UndertheDictator,”TheNewYorker,November2,1987PeterKornbluh,“DestabilizingDemocracy,”inThePinochetFile

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March29:TheCubanRevolution(LECTURE)

SelectionsfromTheCubaReader:Roosevelt,Castro,Guevara,Matthews,Puebla,Rodriguez,Benjaminet.al.,Lewiset.al,Landau,Paz,Sanchez

Part4:LatinAmericasince2000:TheSecondComingofthePeopleontheScene

April1:Democracy&EconomicDevelopment(DISCUSSION)

FILM:OurBrandisCrisis,(2005,NOTtheSandraBullockversion!)Krasker25859.DVSincethisisnotavailableelsewhere,agroupshowingwillbearranged.

Alejandro Velasco, Barrio Rising: Urban Popular Politics and the Making of

Modern Venezuela, “Introduction (1-17),” “A Weapon as Powerful as the Vote (160-163, 173-179), “Killing Democracy’s Promise (194-197). Available Online.

April3:SocialMovementsandPoliticalInnovationinBrazilI(DISCUSSION)

JohnHammond,"LawandDisorder:TheBrazilianLandlessFarmworkers'Movement,"BulletinofLatinAmericanResearch

RebeccaAbers,“FromClientelismtoCooperation:LocalGovernment,ParticipatoryPolicy,andCivicOrganizinginPortoAlegreBrazil,”inPoliticsandSociety26:4

April5:SocialMovementsandPoliticalInnovationinBrazilII(DISCUSSION)

FILM:FavelaRising

JeffreyRubin,“WhenCulturalActivistsSpeakaBusinessLanguage,”inEnduringReform

April8:NeoliberalismandGlobalization(LECTURE)

PatrickIber,“WorldsApart:Howneoliberalismshapestheglobaleconomyandlimitsthepowerofdemocracies,”TheNewRepublic,April23,2018

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April10:ReligionI(DISCUSSION)

RobertBrenneman,“WrestlingtheDevil:ConversionandExitfromCentralAmericanGangs,”inLivedReligionandLivedCitizenship

OmarEncarnación,“AmidCrisisinBrazil,theEvangelicalBlockEmergesasaPoliticalPower,”TheNation,August16,2017,

CatherineOsborn,“Bolsonaro’sChristianCoalitionRemainsPrecarious,”ForeignPolicy,January1,2019

April12:ReligionII(DISCUSSION)

LauraRoush,“SantaMuerte,Protection,andDesemparo:AViewfromaMexicoCityAltar,”inRubin,Smilde,andJunge,eds.,LivedReligionandLivedCitizenship

**NotethatwewillhaveonlyoneclassduringtheweekofApril15.Youshouldusethistimetobeginreadinguponyourcountryforourcountry-baseddiscussionsduringnextweek’seveningclass.ThismaterialwillformthebasisofyourPart4Paper.YoumustchooseonearticletosubmitfortheclasstoreadanddiscussduringtheeveningclassonApril23or25.

April15:NoClass:Patriot’sDayApril17:Mining(DISCUSSION)

AnthonyBebbington,“TheNewExtraction:RewritingthePoliticalEcologyof

theAndes?,”NACLAReportontheAmericas,Fall2009NACLAReportontheAmericas,Fall2012

RafaelHoetmer,“ThisisNoLongeraDemocracy:ThoughtsontheLocalReferendumsonMiningonPeru’sNorthernFrontier,”inAlvarez,Rubin,&Thayer,et.al.,BeyondCivilSociety

“MininginLatinAmerica:FromConflicttoCooperation,”TheEconomist,February6,2016.

April19:NoClass:Passover

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April22:Women’sRightsandLGBTQRights(DISCUSSION).

JeffreyRubinandEmmaSokoloff-Rubin,SustainingActivism:ABrazilianWomen’sMovementandaFather-DaughterCollaboration,Chapter2,“TransformingSouthernBrazil;”Chapter4,“GamblingonChange;”Chapter6,“HoldingParadox;”Chapter8,“IntimateProtest(107-112);”Chapter9,“DemandingSpeechandEnduringSilence”

Shannon,Sims,“WomenMovefromSamba’sSidelinestotheCenteroftheCircle,”NewYorkTimes,Sept.8,2018

OmarEncarnación,“LatinAmerica’sGayRightsRevolution,”JournalofDemocracy,April2011

April23:EveningClass,21stCenturyCountry-BasedArticlesforPapers

Timetobeannounced.(Eachstudentmustattendoneeveningclassthisweek.)

Apr24:ViolenceandSecurity(DISCUSSION)

NancyScheper-Hughes,“DeathSquadsandVigilantePoliticsinDemocraticNortheastBrazil,”inAuyero,Bourgois,andScheper-Hughes,eds.,ViolenceattheUrbanMargins

WOLA,“AyotzinapaFactSheet”

April25:EveningClass,21stCenturyCountry-BasedArticlesforPapers

Timetobeannounced.(Eachstudentmustattendoneeveningclassthisweek.)

Apr26:ThePinkWaveandtheTurntotheRight(LECTURE)

OmarEncarnación,“TheRiseandFalloftheLatinAmericanLeft,”TheNation,May9,2018