Latin American History and Culture

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    Latin American History and Culture. Chile Spring 2011.Chile Life and Culture.

    Professor : Jaime Donoso

    Week 1.Spanish Colonialism and Early independence. This lesson introducesstudents to the geographical imagination of the founders and conquerors ofAmerica, particularly those related to Chile. In the second part of this lesson weare going to explore the economic structure of the process of colonization andits cultural process. The second part of the lesson presents a panoramic view ofindependence and will analyze the representation of the country in the earlyperiod.Texts.Dawson, Alexander. Latin America Since Independence. A History WithPrimary Sources. Toutledge, 2011.

    Bethell, Leslie. The Cambridge History of Latin America Volume I and II:Colonial Latin America. Cambridge University Press. 1998Bethell, Leslie. Chile since Independence. Cambridge University Press. 1993.

    Week 2.Chile- The Continents Edge (geography and nature). This lesson exploresthe geographical constitution of Chile, paying special attention to its historicalprocess. The expansion of Chilean territory during XIX century throughout thewars with its neighbors Bolivia and Peru was essential to the constitution of itsnational identity. The lesson explores the historical evolution of Chilean nationaland territorial identity from its beginnings to the present, with particular attentionto the use of national resources in the so called Chilean miracle during theperiod 1973- 2000. The lesson also introduces the current debate about thenew challenges of sustainable development and the emergence of hydroelectriccentrals in the south of Chile.Texts.Bethell, Leslie. The Cambridge History of Latin America Volume 4. C. 1870-1930.Ffrench- Davis, Ricardo. Economic Reforms in Chile. From Dictatorships toDemocracy. PElgrave. 2010.Video: El Cazador de Agua, by Dauno Tororo.

    Week 3Growth, Progress and Despair: (Salvador Allende & Pinochet).The lesson introduces the analysis of the evolution of development economicstrategies in Latin America during the period from 1939 to 1970, particularlythe export model and Import substitution industrialization (ISI) and itssociopoliticsconsequences (Peronismo and Frentes Populares). After, the lesson willintroduce an historical analysis of the process of transition towardsneoliberalismunder the dictatorship of Pinochet. In this lesson we will also comparethe notions of growth, progress and development.

    Texts.Bethell, Leslie. The Cambridge History of Latin America Volume 6. University of

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    Cambridge Press. 1998.Video. The Doctrine Shock, Naomi Kleine.La Batalla de Chile, Patricio Guzman.Activities: Visit to the Memorial of Detenidos Desaparecidos, CementerioGeneral.

    Week 4Chiles People and Their Lifestyle. In the last 30 years Chile has experiencedmany economic, socio-political and cultural transformations. Thesetransformations involve new ways of understanding lifestyle and culture. Whathas been called the democratization of society through consumption (Canclini)can explain the main transformation of lifestyle in Chile. For example, theintroduction of the credit card to read the growth of consumption and the way inwhich Chilean people spend their free time, as well as the role of the mall as atransformative agent of urban space that changed the place of symbolic cultural

    exchange. However, Chile is still a very traditional and conservative countrywhere the influence of the Catholic Church is very important. The lesson willexplore the contradictory composition of culture that debates between thetraditional and the new.

    Texts.Garcia Canclini, Nestor. Consumer and Citizens: Globalization and MulticulturalConflicts. University of Minnesota Press, 2001.Richard, Nelly. Cultural Residues. Chile in Transition. University of MinnesotaPress. 2001.Activities: including visit to Mall Alto Las Condes contrasting with market LaVega Chica & la Piojera, typical restaurant.

    Week 5Culture, the Arts, & Entertainment. In the last 10 years the culture of thepatrimonial has become a very important subject of entertainment. Eventhough popular culture (TV shows, pop music and sports) is still first in attention,the world of arts and literatures has become important in the last years. Itseems like people are getting interested in understanding cultural tradition andits narratives, particularly in the process of the dictatorship when art andliterature where under censorship. The lesson will explore the configuration of

    the cultural field in the last 40 years through the analysis of the work of the morerepresentative movements of art in Chile (La Avanzada and C.A.D.A). Thelesson also includes a comparative approach with Peru and Argentina.Texts:

    Catmnitzer, Luis. On Art, Artist and Latin America. University of Texas Press.2000Richard, Nelly. Margins and Institution. In: Coco Fusco. Corpus Delicti.Performing Arts in the Americas. Tutledge, 2000.Video: Diamela Eltit, Carlos Leppe, Lotty Rosenfelld, Ral Zurita, Against theGrain, El Siluetaso.

    Activities: Visit to Museum of Fine Arts. Visit to Modern Art Museum andGalleries. Centro cultural Gabriela Mistral

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    Week 6A Time of Forgetting. The culture of forgetting and memory describes thecultural contradiction of late capitalism in Chile. On the one hand, Chile needsto forget to create a culture of understanding and face the new challenges ofthe future, but the lack of justice with those who suffered torture and

    persecution, does not allow its people to move towards the future, producing, asa result, a melancholic culture. The lesson will present a panoramic view withthe more emblematic symptoms of this culture through the analysis of novels,visual arts, and TV shows.Texts.Sorensen, Kristin. Media Memories and Human Rights. Pelgrave, 2009.Movie: Chile: Obstinate Memory by Patricio Guzmn.Activities. Visit to Museum of Memory.Week 7Indigenous people and their Struggle for autonomy. The Mapuche people,history, culture, and struggles have long been blanketed in silence. They suffer

    social and political isolation, and are left with few options beyond an arduousstruggle for survival in rural areas or unstable, poorly-paid jobs in the cities. Yetthey continue to resist timber and hydroelectric multinationals and seek to keeptheir traditions alive. This lesson will explore this historical process of isolationas a constitutive condition of their identity.TextsDillehay, Tom. Monuments, Empires and Resitance. The Araucanian Polity andRitual Narratives. Cambridge University Press, 2007.Movie.El Despojo, by Dauno Tororo.Activities.Visit to Cerro Santa Lucia with a historical