HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS OF LATIN AMERICA

The contemporary reality is marked by an accelerated process of globalization and by the interdependence of international markets; we observe, in a worldwide context, and also in a Latin American one, the contrast between local and global realities, sub-regional integration projects and the revival of nationalist discourses. In this context, the course attempts to consider the national and interregional projects in Latin America in their changing processes lived in the last one hundred years of the Sub-continental history. During this course the student will be able to approach the problems and themes that mark the Latin American historical path, offering a basic knowledge about its political, economic and socio-cultural development, also through the analysis of some single countries’ experiences. It aims to offer tools that allow students to deepen their ability to understand and summarize theoretical essays about the subcontinent's history throughout the processes of Nation-Building, of the sub-regional integration projects and of the contemporary society.

- knowledge of the change process intervened in the Latin American political culture since the XIXth Century, regarding Historic process and conceptual transformations;
- knowledge of the political projects that had fostered the Latin American debate and their connections with the birth, diffusion and sunset contexts;
- general knowledge about the last two Centuries Latin American Intellectual debate;
- awareness of the dynamics of change and conservation in the Latin American politics;
- capacity to analyze critically the Contemporary Latin American politics building, considering his historical process;
- ability to identify the dynamics that had involved debate about the Latin American political projects;
- capacity to adopt the conceptual instruments studied in class in the Latin American (in a synchronic and diachronic way) and in the comprehension of the contemporary politics reality;
- know to propose and argue autonomously political-economic and social-cultural actions, considering the elements of complexity present in the Latin American realty.

Basic knowledge in Latin American History or read a textbook about the Latin America History

1. The concept Latin America
2. Revolution and Emancipation: the new territorial projects
3. Order and Progress: the nation-building
4. New ideas: anti-imperialism, democracy, nationalism and populism
5. “Tercermundismo”, development and dependence, the new intellectuals
6. The authoritarianism and the prohibition to discuss the Latin Americanism
7. The Postcolonial and the Postmodern: new perspectives in the Latin American Identity

To the attendants:

Funes, Patricia. Historia Mínima de las ideas políticas en América Latina. México D.F: El Colegio de México, 2014.

Moraña, Mabel (ed.). Cultura e Cambio Social en America Latina. Madrid, Iberoamericana/Frankfurt am Main, Vervuert, 2008. (Introducción, p. 9-16; Latinoamericanismo, Hispanismo e Estudios Culturales, 269-280 e 297-348)

Other texts will be indicated by the professor in the beginning of the course, respecting the students’ linguistic skills.


To the NON attendants:

Funes, Patricia. Historia Mínima de las ideas políticas en América Latina. México D.F: El Colegio de México, 2014.

Moraña, Mabel (ed.). Cultura e Cambio Social en America Latina. Madrid, Iberoamericana/Frankfurt am Main, Vervuert, 2008. (Introducción, p. 9-16; Latinoamericanismo, Hispanismo e Estudios Culturales, 269-280 e 297-348)

AND

You have to choose one of these books:

(Spanish students)
Ramos, Júlio. Desencuentros de la modernidad en America Latina. Literatura y política en el siglo XIX. Santiago: Cuarto Proprio, 2003. (First or Second part)

(Portuguese students)
Reis, José Carlos. As identidades do Brasil: de Varnhagen a FHC. Rio de Janeiro: Editora FGV, 2007 (Part I: Varnhagen e Freyre; Part II: Holanda e Caio Prado Jr)

(RIC students)
Gardini, Gian Luca; Lambert, Peter (eds) Latin American foreign policies. Between ideology and pragmatism. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. (introduction and three case studies)

To ALL students:
The evaluation will consist in a written (50%) and an oral(50%)exams, always with the target to show his or her capacity to analyze the different aspects of the Latin America society and of the political imagination of the subcontinent presented in the reference texts.

To the attendants (student choice):
1. participation in the seminaries that take part of the course formation, as others formative activities (30%).
2. one research paper (4000 words), topics should be defined in consultation with the Professor (40%), to analyse a topic of the class discussions;
3. oral Exam, in which the student will have to show his or her capacity to analyze the different aspects of the Latin America society presented in the classes and in the reference texts (30%);

The classes will be carried out with frontal lectures, seminars, texts and documents lecture laboratory, a commented screening of a movie related with the themes discussed in the course and an oral presentation.

Italian

Non attendant students are invited to contact the professor for any questions concerning the course and the final exam.

written and oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Poverty and inequalities" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development