RACE, CLASS, AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE

LATI 50Introduction to Latin America

OPTIONAL PAPER• Topic: Any subject related to Latin American politics, economics, history,

culture and/or society (whether or not covered in class)—proposed by student and approved by TA

• Examples: Sports (e.g. baseball), film (depictions of Latina women), music (lyrics, popularity of stars, etc.), advertising (Corona beer)

• In-class examples: Content of Latin American nationalism, impacts of drug wars (e.g., Plan Colombia or Plan Mérida), political implications of fiction, roles of public intellectuals, changing relations with the United States, forms of authoritarian rule

• Length: 6-10 double-spaced pages

• Due: Tuesday, March 13th

• Grade share: 30% (reducing mid-term to 20%, final to 50%)

FORMAT FOR PAPER

• Introduce topic (and its importance)• Present a central question• Describe sources and methods (how will you

answer your question?)• Analyze information and data• Conclusion:– Respond to your central question(s)– Suggest avenues for further research (optional)

CLASS STRUCTURE• Upper Class:

– Urban (industrialists, bankers)– Rural (landowners)

• Middle Class:– Urban (merchants, lawyers, etc.)– Rural (small farmers)

• Popular/Lower Class:– Urban (workers)– Rural (peasants, campesinos)

• National Institutions:– State (including military)– Church

• External Sector:– Economic (investors, merchants)– Political (foreign governments)

SHADINGS BY RACE

• Race as a social construct

• Indigenous peoples: exploitation and discrimination

• African-origin peoples and slavery

• Myths of miscegenation:– Mestizaje and the “cosmic race” (raza cósmica)– Mulattos and Brazilian “escape hatch”

THE CONTEXT OF BOLIVIA

• War of the Pacific (1879-83)• 80 % indigenous• Mining (silver, tin) and agriculture

• Chaco War (1932-35) = incorporation• Revolution of 1952 = mobilization

• Populist military rule (1970s-80s)• Coca leaf and campesinos• 60 % indigenous• Evo Morales (2005)