Trinity College – Fall 2004
Dept. of Modern Languages & Lit. /Hispanic Studies
Latin American Studies Program/International Studies
MDLG 233/HISP 233 • “Santiago” (The Case of Chile: An Introduction to Contemporary Latin American history, society and culture)
Tu-Th 11:20-12:35 Austin Arts 319
Professor Gustavo Remedi
Off. Hrs. WF 1-3 or by Appt.
Seabury 30D (x2148)
MDLG 233 /HISP 233 “Santiago” is the result of the recognition of the centrality of living and studying in Santiago de Chile as a major component of Hispanism, the study of the Spanish language and of Latin American society, culture and history at Trinity College. While concentrating mainly on Chilean history, society and culture, it also includes texts or issues that relate to South America as a whole. While a valuable tool for all those students intending to study at the University of Chile in Santiago, MDLG 233 is also an excellent introduction to present-day Latin American culture. (If you enroll in HISP 233 some readings and essays can be done in Spanish.)
FINAL GRADE:
Personal Notebook (Summary of Reading notes and Class notes) 10%
Participation in class and contribution to discussion 10%
Reaction papers (5) 15%
Individual Project 10%
Midterm 30%
Final 25%
I. Some questions to be addressed and explored in this course:
(1) What are your ideas and images about Chile (and the Southern Cone), and where did you get them from? What are your thoughts about Chilean society, women, religion, history, politics, economics, culture and arts? What do you expect to find and not to find? What interests you about Chile and why? Which questions would you like to answer? (Discussion of PERSONAL RESEARCH PROJECT and PRESENTATION)
(2) Why is historical memory and politics so important in Chilean life? What has happened in the last 50 years of Chilean history? What are the various ideological and political positions (traditions), ideologies (world-views) and sensibilities?
(3) Why did Chileans decided to elect a Socialist President, back in the 1970s? Why was President Salvador Allende such a symbol for Latin America and the world? How can we explain US polices against Allende’s government and in support of the military coup d’etat and the Pinochet dictatorship that resulted from the military take-over?
(4) How was life under the dictatorship? What is a dictatorship? What kind of society and economic model was pursued by General Pinochet and its allies (the U. S., Great Britain, etc.)? How and why the Pinochet dictatorship was defeated and Chile returned to democracy and elected Ricardo Lagos, another Socialist President?
(5) What was the Human Rights situation before, during and after Pinochet? Up to what extent contemporary Chile respects or violates Human Rights? What are Human Rights and which treaties and protocols has Chile signed and ratified?
(6) What has been the situation and role of Chilean women? What divides them? Why some of them supported the Military Dictatorship? Why others fought against it? Is there a Chilean feminism distinct from other Latin American feminism or from feminism in the US?
(7) Does social class, ethnicity and religion play a part in Chilean social and political life? What is the role of Christianism in Chilean life? Has its role changed and evolved over time? What are the various Christianisms competing today for Chile’s soul?
(8) What has been the role of the intellectuals and the artists (musicians, poets, novelists, filmmakers) in light of all this? What role culture played before, during and after the coup? And the media? And the form and character of the city? Up to what extent market ecomomics an globalization have eroded the national culture and altered social and political life, giving way to a postmodern life?
PLAN DEL CURSO
September 2004
Week 1: INTRODUCCION
Tuesday, Sept. 7 Start-up questions and expectations; Course plan;
Conversation about individual research projects and final presentations.
Thursday, Sept. 9 Darcy Ribeiro, “The Cultural Transfiguration” and
“The Chileans” in The Americans and Civilization.
Benjamin Keen, Chile in A History of Latin America. Vol. II. Independence to the Present (201-205, 226-231)
Week 2: HISTORY
Tuesday, Sept. 14 Benjamin Keen, “The Chilean Way”, in A History of Latin
America. Vol. II, Independence to the Present (321-342)
Marcelo Cavarozzi and Jaime Petras, “Chile” (en
Chilcote and Edelstein, The Struggle with Dependency and Beyond.)
Thursday, Sept. 16 Ariel Dorfman, Heading South, Looking North.
Week 3: POLITICS
Tuesday, Sept. 21 Ariel Dorfman, “The Other Sept. 11”
ARGENTINE GOVERNMENT, “The Doctrine behind the
Repression” in Nunca más, The Official Report.
Michael Klare and Peter Kornbluh’s Low Intensity Conflict.
Peter Kornbluh, The Pinochet File.
Samuel Fitch, “National Security” in The Armed Forces in Latin America.
John Dinges, The Condor Years.
Thursday, Sept. 23 Patricio Guzmán, La batalla de Chile and La memoria obstinada.
SPECIAL GUEST: Prof. Luis Figueroa: Film, Documentary and History.
Week 4: POLITICAL ECONOMY
Tuesday, Sept. 28 Osvaldo Sunkel, “Transnational Capitalism and
National Disintegration”.
André Gunder Frank, “The Development of
Underdevelopment”
Thursday, Sept. 30 SPECIAL GUEST: Prof. M. Ramírez
Joseph Love, “Economic Ideas and Ideologies in Latin America”
(En Leslie Bethell, Ideas and Ideologies in Latin America)
Doyle, The Evolution of Chile: Prosperity for some (VIDEO)
October 2004
Week 5: HUMAN RIGHTS
Tuesday, Oct. 5 The Universal Declaration of HH.RR. and other documents.
Federico Mayor, “The Unfinished Task”
Antoine Bernard, “One and indivisible”
Louis Bickford, “Preserving memory: The Past and Present of the
Human Rights Movement in Chile” in Democracy and Human Rights in Latin America
SPECIAL GUESTS: Pedro Matta (Trinity in Santiago, CHILE)
Mario Villagrán (Montevideo, URUGUAY)
Thursday, Oct. 7 Prof. Pablo Delano/ The HIJOS Movement
Week 6
Tuesday, Oct. 12 Trinity Days (No class)
Please, use this time to catch up with your reading assignments and REVIEW ALL vis a vis the upcoming MID-TERM EXAM
Thursday, Oct. 14 SPECIAL GUEST: Prof. Alba Skar on the arpilleras movement and her translation of the book by Luz Arce's testimony
Week 7: THE WOMEN MOVEMENT
Tuesday, Oct. 19 Francesca Miller, “National Liberation Redemocratization and International Feminism”, in
Latin American Women and the Search for Social Justice.
Jane Jaquette, Introduction to The Women’s Movement
Patricia Chuchryk, “Feminist Anti-Authoritarian
Politics” in Jaquette’s The Women’s Movement.
Victoria González and Karen Wampwirth, eds.
“Radical Women Left and Right”
Thursday, Oct. 21 Michelle Mattelart, “The Feminine version of the Coup d’Etat”
Ximena Bunster, “The Emergence of a Mapuche Leader”,
(all in June Nash and Helen Safa, Sex and Class in Latin America.)
Jorge Gissi, “Mythology about Women”
Midterm Exam (Take home)
Week 8: LITERATURE AND MUSIC
Tuesday, Oct. 26 The New Song Movement: The Music and Poetry of Victor Jara,
Violeta Parra and other groups and artists.
Thursday, Oct. 29 Pablo Neruda and Chilean Poetry
SPECIAL GUEST: Prof. Javier Campos
Week 9: RELIGION & POPULAR CULTURE
November 2004
Tuesday, Nov. 2 Christián Parker, “Christianity and Popular Movements in the
20thC” (in Parker and Aman, Ch. 3)
Enrique Dussell, “A note on Liberation Theology”
(in Leslie Bethell’s Ideas and Ideologies…)
Castillo Feliú, “Social customs” and “Religion”
Thursday, Nov. 4 “Dimensions of Popular Culture”, Part Two of
Kenneth Aman and Christian Parker, Popular culture in Chile.
Week 10: CITY-SCAPES / SCENES OF POSMODERN LIFE
Tuesday, Nov. 9 James Holston, “The City Defamiliarized” in The Modern City: An
Anthropological Critique.
Manfred Max Neef, “The City, its Size and its Rythm” in
Rethinking the Latin American City.
Thursday, Nov. 11 Beatriz Sarlo, Scenes of Postmodern Life
FIRST SESSION: Questions and Chapters 1-2
Week 11: (RE)IMAGING/(RE)IMAGINING CHILE & THE REGION
Tuesday, Nov. 16
Orlando Lübbert, Taxi para tres
Gustavo Graef, Johnny 100 pesos
Thursday, Nov. 18
Juan José Campanella, El Hijo de la Novia
Adrián Caetano, Un Oso Rojo/Bolivia
SPECIAL GUEST: Prof. Silvina Persino
Week 12
Tuesday, Nov. 23 Beatriz Sarlo, Scenesof Postmodern Life
SECOND SESSION: Chapters 3-4-5
Thursday, Nov. 25 Thanksgiving Vacation (No Class)
December 2004
Week 13: CHILE ABROAD
Tuesday, Nov. 30 SPECIAL GUEST: Prof. Darío Euraque: Chile’s Influences in Lat.
America (Education, Social Sciences, Military).
Thursday, Dec. 2 PROJECTS 1 and 2
Week 14
Tuesday, Dec. 7 PROJECTS 3 and 4
Thursday, Dec. 9 PROJECTS 5 and 6
Final Exam Date: ________________