95708 - HISTORY OF RELATIONS BETWEEN EUROPE AND LATIN AMERICA IN CONTEMPORARY AGE

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

Course unit's purpose is to reconstruct the remains in the contemporary history of cultural encounters and clashes following the "Atlantic" conquests and Iberian advance in the (north-central and southern) Americas. A process that somehow produced a complex relationship between Euro-Mediterranean cultures and the multicultural Amerindian and Hispano-American world. After completing the course the student is able to deal with some complex issues, such as the construction of the nation-state relationship after independence and the end of the Spanish monarchy, the reconsideration of the past and the idea of mestizaje, the relations between the Latino-American and Anglo-Saxon worlds, the relations between political, religious, social and cultural institutions, up to the construction of networks of solidarity and of new Euro-American bonds during the Cold War, the great dictatorships, the theory of dependency and international campaigns for the protection of human rights.

Contenuti

The course follows a multidisciplinary approach to Latin American Studies while giving preference to historiography, sociology and political theory.

It is intended to introduce the student to debates concerning the social, political and cultural relations between Europe and Latin America not just in the contemporary age, but, especially, in an historical perspective.

Particular attention will be given to the academic production of Latin American scholars who assume a relation of tension and, at the same time, of interdependency, between the Latin American and the European interpretations of modernity and its relation with capitalism.

The sequence of lessons follows the "traditional" chronological order: colonial domination, post independence period, transition from oligarchic to national states, popular mobilization and military reaction, transition to democracy in the context of the neoliberal turn, the progressive “tide” and recent developments of the popular and social struggle for democracy.

Each part of the course, in turn, includes two dimension. The first is devoted to the historical context, the second to its critical analyses through the  presentation of those debates which have been selected on the basis of their enduring relevance in the field of Latin American political and social theory.

For a full description of the course contents see the list of themes and readings in the sections below.

Testi/Bibliografia

1 Some critical reasons for an interdisciplinary approach to Latin American Studies

Benjamin, W. (1940) On the concept of history (thesis on the philosophy of history) in Benjamin, W. Illuminations. With an introduction of Hannah Arendt. Harcourt, 1968.

Echeverria, B. Modernity and Whiteness, Polity, 2019

2 More on methodology. The state as a form and in historical perspective; the philosophy of praxis as a relation of “unity and distinction” between theory history and politics; history from the point of view of a critique to “subalternity”.

Gramsci, A. Quaderni del Carcere, traduced by Hoare, Q. and Nowell Smith, G. (ed.), Selections from the prison notebooks of Antonio Gramsci, International Publishers, 2008 (Selection of notes).

Marx, K. Introduction to a Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy, in Grundrisse [1857-1961], Penguin Books, London, 1973.

Frosini, F. "Subalterns, religion and the philosophy of praxis in Gramsci’s Prison Notebooks", in Rethinking Marxism, XXVIII, n. 3-4, Routledge, 2016.

3. When, if and how America became “Latin”. The historiographical debate on the language of the “encounter”: theoretical premises and political implications.

The Cambridge History of Latin America, selections from vol. I, edited by Bethell, L., Cambridge University Press, 1984.

O' Gorman, E.The Invention of America, Indiana University Press, [1958], pp. 127-145.

4. Europe’s transition to modernity and the character of Latin America’s first integration in the world-economy. The sociological debate on the character of Latin American colonialism: theoretical premises and political implications.

Halperin Donghi, T. The Contemporary History of Latin America, Duke University Press, 1993, pp. 1-207.

Braudel, F. Civilization and capitalism, 15th-18th century, vol. III. The perspective of the world. University of California Press, 1992, pp. 17-89, 386-429.

Romero, J. L. Latin America: its cities and ideas. Translated by Inés Azar. Interamer Collection, Cultural Series, 59, 1999.

Bagu, S. Economia de la sociedad colonial: ensayo de historia comparada, Siglo XXI Editores, 1949.

5. The struggles for independence and their different characters: internal and external relation of forces. The state as an oligarchical form and the historical roots of the “popular” as the key category in latin american political theory and political culture.

Hale, C. “Political and Social Ideas in Latin America, 1870–1930”, in The Cambridge History of Latin America, vol. IV, c. 1870 to 1930, edited by Bethell, L., Cambridge University Press, 1984.

Zavaleta Mercado, R. Towards a history of the national popular in Bolivia. 1879–1980, Seagull books, 2016.

Tapia, L. The Production of Local Knowledge: history and politics in the work of René Zavaleta Mercado, Seagull Books, 2018.

6. From the political state to the state in its integral sense. The latin American processes of national state building: differences and commonalities within the region in the era of “desarrollismo”. The political debate between different interpretation of dependency.

The Cambridge History of Latin America, selections from vol. IV and V, edited by Bethell, L., Cambridge University Press, 1984.

Gonzales Casanova, J. P. Democracy in Mexico, Oxford University Press, 1970.

Cardoso, F. H., Serra, J. “Las desventuras de la dialéctica de la dependencia”, in Revista Mexicana de Sociologia, vol. 40, Mexico, 1978, pp. 9-55.

Marini, R.M. The Dialectics of Dependency, edited by Osorio, J., Monthly Review Press, 2022.

7. The developmental state form. Varguismo, Cardenismo and Peronismo: the debate on the limits and vaguenes of “populism” as an interpretive category.

Halperin Donghi, T. The Contemporary History of Latin America, Duke University Press, 1993, pp. 208-24.

Frosini, F. "Pueblo y guerra de posición como clave del populismo. Una lectura de los Cuadernos de la cárcel de Antonio Gramsci”, in Cuadernos de ética y filosofia política, año 3, n. 3, Visual Press, 2014.

Germani, G. Authoritarianism, Fascism and Populism, Transaction Books, New Jersey, 1978.

8. The military turn of the seventies: fascism debated as an interpretive category in the context of the counter insurgent state form and neo-liberal adjustment.

Marini, R. M. “El estado de contrainsurgencia” [1970] available at https://marini-escritos.unam.mx/?p=1316

Mc Sharry J. Patrice Predatory States. Operation Condor and Covert War in Latin America, Oxford, 2005, pp. 1-69.

Rossi, L. Cantoni, F. Operazione Condor. Storia di un sitema criminale in America Latina, Roma, 2018, cap. 1 e 2.

Zavaleta René "Notas sobre fascismo, dictadura y coyuntura de disolución" (1979) en Tapia, L. (coord.) now in Tapia (ed.) La autodeterminación de las masas, Mexico, CLACSO, 2015.

Zavaleta Mercado, René. “El fascismo y la América Latina” (1976) now in Zavaleta Mercado. Ensayos (1975-1984). Obras completas - tomo II, Plural Editores, Bolivia 2011, pp. 413-42.

9. The exiled generation and its contributions to critical social theory: from insurrection and counterinsurgency to the struggles for popular democracy. The Latin American Gramsci.

Aricò, J. Marx and Latin America, Brill, 2014. Chapter 6, 7, 89

Coutinho, C.N. Gramci’s political thought, Brill, 2012

Mariategui, J.M. Sietes ensayos de interpretación de la realidad peruana [1928], Ediciones Era, 2007. English translation available at https://www.marxists.org/archive/mariateg/works/7-interpretive-essays/index.htm

Portantiero, : “Los usos de Gramsci” In Cuadernos de Pasado y Presente, No. 54. México, D.F., 1977 or Portantiero “Gli usi di Gramsci” in Kanoussi, Schirru, Vacca (a cura di) Studi Gramsciani nel mondo. Gramsci in America Latina. Il Mulino, 2011.

10. The first decades of the XX1st century: past and present, the struggle for the national-popular in the context of crisis of political and cultural mediations: Europe and Latin America confronted.

Petras, What's left in Latin America?: regime change in new times, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2009.

Selection of case studies.

IN- Contact seminar (international expert on Latin American Studies): time and place still to be defined.

 

Additional readings

Amin, A. Accumulation on a world scale: a critique of the theory of underdevelopment, Monthly review press, 1974.

Anderson, P. Lineages of the Absolutist State, Verso Books, 2013[1974].

Arico, J. Mariategui y los origenes del marxismo latinoamericano, Pasado y Presente, 1980.

Aricó, J. La cola del Diablo. El itinerario de Gramsci en América Latina. Puntosur, 1988.

Bloch, M. The historian's craft, Manchester University Press, 1954

Borón, A. “El fascismo como categoria histórica”, in Revista Mexicana de Sociología, UNAM, vol. 39, Nùmero 2 Mexico, abril-junio 1977, now in Id. Estado capitalismo y democracia en América Latina, CLACSO, 2003.

Burgos, R. “The Gramscian Intervention in the Theoretical and Political Production of the Latin American Left” in Latin American Perspectives, vol. 29, n. 1, 2002.

Cardoso, J.L. Economic development and global crisis: the Latin American economy in historical perspective, Routledge, 2014.

Coutinho, C. N., “A democracia como valor universal”, in Revista Crítica Marxista, nº 1, Joruês São Paulo1979.

Coutinho, C. N., “Gramsci en Brasil”, in Cuadernos Políticos, n. 46, Ediciones Era, Mexico, abril-junio de 1986.

Carmagnani, M. The Other West. Latin America from invasion to globalization, University of California Press, 2011.

Cueva, Marini, Dos Santos “La cuestión del fascismo en America Latina”, in Cuadernos Politicos, Ediciones Era Número 18 México, octubre-diciembre de 1978.

Cueva, A. “La cuestiòn del fascismo”, in Revista Mexicana de Sociología, UNAM, vol. 39, Nùmero 2 Mexico, abril-junio 1977.

Dagnino, E., Alvarez, S., Escobar, A. Cultures of politics, politics of cultures: re-visioning Latin American social movements, Boulder, Westview Press, 1998.

Dobb, M. (Et al) The transition from feudalism to capitalism, Verso Book,1978.

Echeverría, B. Vuelta de siglo, Ediciones Era, 2006.

Echeverría, B. La mirada del ángel, Ediciones Era, 2005.

Flores Galindo, A. La agonía de Mariategui, DESCO, 1980

Florescano, E. “De la memoria del poder a la historia como explicación” in Villoro, L. , Pereyra, C. Historia para que?, Siglo XXI Editores, 2005, pp. 91-129.

Gonzalez Casanova, J.P “The State and Politics in Latin America” in Casanova (ed.) Latin America Today, United Nation University Press, 1993, pp. 54-127.

González Casanova, J. P. De la sociologia del poder a la sociologia de la explotación, CLACSO, 2015.

Gandler S. Adolfo Sánchez Vázquez and Bolivar Echeverria, Koninklijke Brill, 2015.

Gramsci, A. Selections from Political Writings, 1919-1920 (Q. Hoare, Ed. and J. Mathews, Trans.). London: Lawrence and Wishart; & Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1977.

Gramsci, A. Selections from Political Writings, 1921-1926 (Q. Hoare, Ed. and Trans.). London: Lawrence and Wishart; & Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1978.

Hirsch, J. Globalización Capital y Estado, UAM-Xochimilco, 1996.

Kanoussi, G. Schirru, G. Vacca (a cura di), Studi gramsciani nel mondo. Gramsci in America Latina, Bologna, il Mulino, 2011.

Labastida, J. (ed). Hegemonía y alternativas políticas en América Latina, Siglo XXI Editores, 1985

Latin American Perspectives, Issue 242, Vol. 49, N. 1, 2022.

Liguori, G. (2019). Gramsci e il populismo, Edizioni Unicopli, 2019.

Linera, G. and Tapia, L. (eds) El Estado Campo de lucha, CLACSO, 2010.

Martins, E. (ed.) Antologia de Ruy Mauro Marini, CLACSO, Buernos Aires, 2008.

Labastida, J. (ed). Los nuevos procesos sociales y la teoria política contemporánea, Siglo XXI Editores, 1985.

Portantiero, J.C, Ipola, E. “Lo nacional-popular y los populismos realmente existentes”, in Nueva Sociedad, nm 54, May-June 1981.

Portantiero, J.C. La produccion de un orden: ensayos sobre la democracia entre el estado y la sociedad, Nueva vision, 1988.

Portantiero, J.C. Estudios sobre los origenes del peronismo, Siglo XXI, 2004.

Revelli, M. Antonio Gramsci. Il popolo delle scimmie. Scritti sul fascismo, Torino, Einaudi, 2022.

Sotelo Valencia, A. Sub-imperialism revisited: dependency theory in the thought of Ruy Mauro Marini, Brill, 2017.

Tapia, L. La invención del nucleo común, La Muela del Diablo editores, 2006.

Thomas, P. The Gramscian Moment, Philosophy, Hegemony and Marxism, Brill, 2009.

Thomas, P. “Refiguring the subaltern” in Political Theory, vol. 46, n. 6, Sage, 2018.

Thomas, P. “After Post Hegemony” in Contemporary Political Theory, 2020.

Vanden, H and Becker, M. (eds) José Carlos Mariátegui: an Anthology. New York: Montlhy Review Press, 2011.

Zavaleta, Mercado, R. La autodeterminacion de las masas. Antologia de textos, CLACSO, Buenos Aires, 2009.

Zemmelman, H. Culture and Power, in Casanova (ed.) in Latin America Today, United Nations University Press, 1993

Metodi didattici

Lectures will include readings of texts, class discussion and seminars by external experts.

The bibliography for attending students is composed of the books, chapters and essays listed under each class

The materials listed under "additional readings" are for those students who are willing to deepen the topic dealt within class.

The materials listed under each class be slightly amended or supplemented with additional references, provided by the instructor, depending on the number of students and their familiarity with Spanish and Portuguese (please take note that the knowledge of Spanish and/or Portuguese IS NOT compulsory in order to attend the course).

The methodology adopted for the class (class discussion and students groups presentation) will be defined at the beginning of the class taking into consideration its size.

The aim of the teaching methodology adopted by the course is to activate the critical analysis and informed discussion of theoretical problems and to facilitate the interaction between the instructor and the students, as well as among the students themselves.

The course will include the participation of one experts from a University and/or research centre of a Latin American country.

The bibliography for non-attending students could be partially different from that to be prepared by the attending ones. For this reason non-attending students are kindly requested to contact the instructor in due time before the exam.

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

Students who have attended classes

The assessment of the acquisition of expected knowledge and abilities by the attending students is based on the following components:

1. Presentation of an academic essay at the end of the course (70% of the final grade).

2. Participation in class discussion (30% of the grade);

(3. Optional oral exam).

Essay

The academic essay is expected to cover one of the topics addressed by the course. The title and abstract will have to be previously agreed with the instructor so as to clarify any concerns regarding its contents.

Essay's minimum length: 10 A4 pages (40mil characters, including spaces).

Essay's editorial rules: Times New Roman or Arial; 12 font size (10 for footnotes); right-left and top-bottom margins of 2.5 cm; spacing of 1.5 cm.

Essay's structure: title, abstract, keywords, introduction, main contents, conclusions.

The aim of this assessment method is to monitor the acquisition of the expected knowledge, and to foster the methodological and critical skills involved in academic research.

Participation in class discussion:

Participation in class discussion will be assessed taking into consideration the student's ability to actively participate in class activities, including:

His/her intervention in class discussions (level of attention and relevance of spontaneous intervention)

The instructor strongly emphasized the importance of reading the assigned texts so as to foster a critical debate during the class.

The (optional) oral exam

The students who would like to upgrade her/his final evaluation will have the option to sustain an oral exam. The oral exam will consist of four/five questions aimed at assessing the student’s level of knowledge of some of the most important topics addressed by the course, as well as her/his ability to critically analyse and verbally articulate them.

Evaluation

The final evaluation will be the weighted average of the score of the written essay and of the participation in class (and of the possible oral exam).

Attending students who miss or fail to present the final essay in due time will undergo an oral exam on the entire syllabus.

The ability of the student to achieve a coherent and comprehensive understanding of the topics addressed by the course, to critically assess them and to use an appropriate language will be evaluated with the highest grades (A = 27-30 con lode).

A predominantly mnemonic acquisition of the course's contents together with gaps and deficiencies in terms of language, critical and/or logical skills will result in grades ranging from good (B = 24-26) to satisfactory (C = 21-23).

A low level of knowledge of the course’s contents together with gaps and deficiencies in terms of language, critical and/or logical skills will be considered as ‘barely passing' (D = 18-20) or result in a fail grading (F)

Students who have not attended classes

Non-attending students will have to deliver an essay of 15 A4 pages (for the guideline see above). Non-attending students are kindly requested to contact the instructor in due time to discuss the topic with the teacher.

The (optional) oral exam

The students who would like to upgrade her/his final evaluation will have the option to sustain an oral exam. The oral exam will consist of four/five questions aimed at assessing the student’s level of knowledge of some of the most important topics addressed by the course, as well as her/his ability to critically analyse and verbally articulate them.

Students who miss or fail to present the final essay in due time will undergo an oral exam on the entire syllabus.

he ability of the student to achieve a coherent and comprehensive understanding of the topics addressed by the course, to critically assess them and to use an appropriate language will be evaluated with the highest grades (A = 27-30 con lode).

A predominantly mnemonic acquisition of the course's contents together with gaps and deficiencies in terms of language, critical and/or logical skills will result in grades ranging from good (B = 24-26) to satisfactory (C = 21-23).

A low level of knowledge of the course’s contents together with gaps and deficiencies in terms of language, critical and/or logical skills will be considered as ‘barely passing' (D = 18-20) or result in a fail grading (F)

 

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

Lectures and class discussions/debates will be held with the support of audio-visual tools.

Students with a form of disability or specific learning disabilities (DSA) who are requesting academic adjustments or compensatory tools are invited to communicate their needs to the teaching staff in order to properly address them and agree on the appropriate measures with the competent bodies.

 

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Francesca Savoia