HISTORY OF LATIN AMERICA: RESEARCH PATHS

This course is meant for students who have chosen the track of study “Americas” in the Master Degree Program in Comparative International Relations and “Iberistica” in the Master Degree Program in European, American and Postcolonial Languages and Literatures. It tries to analyze the Latin American world from a political and sociocultural perspective, collaborating in the construction of specific historical skills for the students. Specifically, it intends to offer a glance on the historical process that participated in the construction, rebuilding and invention of the Nation in the subcontinent and on the different facets of the Latin American identity. In this way, the course seeks to broaden the student skills in the analysis of the transformations in the Afro-Latin American space from the independence processes, in the beginning of the 19th century, till the 21st century: slavery, domination and forms of black resistance, “blanqueamento” and “Europeanisation” projects, interracial conflicts, racial democracy ideology, political mobilization.

- general knowledge about the last two Centuries Latin American Intellectual debate about the building of an Afro-Latin American space;
- knowledge of the change process intervened in Latin America about the Afro-Latin American people since the 19th Century, regarding the racial policies and the impact in their self-representations and self-definitions;
- knowledge of the material but also symbolic causes that had fostered the changes in the representativeness of the African presence in some areas of the subcontinent;
- awareness about the relationship among slavery, racial policies of the Latin American States, eugenic theories between 19th and 20th centuries, racial democracy ideology and the subaltern conditions in the Latin American societies;
- capacity to analyze critically the Contemporary Latin American politics building, considering his historical process;
- ability to identify the dynamics that had involved the debate about the Latin American political projects and their relationship with the racial issue;
- capacity to adopt the conceptual instruments studied in class in the interpretation of the Latin American political models and the evolution of the racial issue (in a synchronic and diachronic way) as well as in the comprehension of the contemporary political and sociocultural 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. Race in Contemporary Latin America
2. Slavery and the building of an Afro-Latino American space
3. Between the Independence wars and the transformation inside the order: the situation of the Afro-Latin America in the 19th Century
4. Eugenics, Europeanisation, and the salvation of the Nation
5. Populism, nationalism and racial democracy in the 20th Century

(basic knowledge in Latin American History or read a textbook about the Latin America History)

(Mandatory)
ANDREWS, Geroge Reid. Afro-Latin America, 1800-2000. Oxford: Oxford University press, 2004. 304 p.

AND

You have to choose one of the parts of the book:
DE LA FUENTE, Alejandro; ANDREWS, Geroge Reid (Eds.). Afro-Latin American Studies: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University press, 2018 (Part 1 – Inequalities; Part 2 – Politics; Part 3 – Culture; Part 4 – Transnational Spaces)

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 (particularly slavery, domination and forms of black resistance, “blanqueamento” and “Europeanisation” projects, interracial conflicts, racial democracy ideology, political mobilization) presented in the reference texts.

To the attendants (student choice):
1. participation in the formative activities of the course (10%).
2. midterm exam (to test argumentative and critical skills): summary the class discussion (30%)
3. oral group presentation, on a topic agreed with the Professor, related to the course contents (30%);
4. one research paper (2500 words), topics should be defined in consultation with the Professor (30%), to analyze a topic of the class discussions;

written and oral

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

Grading of the final grade will be determined based on the following criteria:
- Knowledge of theoretical topics (40%)
- Ability to critically analyze theoretical arguments (20%)
- Clarity and confidence in exposition (10%)
- Mastery of specialized terminology and appropriate use of language (15%)
- Ability to discuss in an independent and well-structured manner (15%)
The maximum mark achievable is 30/30. Honors may be awarded in case of excellent performance in all items considered.

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

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