HISP-S 495  Hispanic Colloquium   (3 credits)       LITERATURE
Prerequisite:  S331 and S332 or equivalent.

Topic:  “The politics of memory in Latin America”

In the 1960’s and 70’s Latin America saw the emergence, in
unprecedented number, of highly repressive and brutal military
regimes. Of the major countries in Central and South America, only
Colombia and Mexico did not experience dictatorship during these
decades. This colloquium examines the importance of “memory” in
societies still struggling with the wounds left by authoritarian
regimes, state terror and political violence. We will assume
that “memory” refers not only to the individual and his/her
recollection of personal experience but also to shared rituals and
social processes that participate in conflicts over the meaning of
the past.

The colloquium will explore important tendencies and debates in art,
literature and popular culture concerning how to speak—but also when
and how to avoid speaking—about historical trauma and loss, as well
as how that speech might contribute to the renewal of life. We will
pay close attention to how the discourse on memory and the past in
post-dictatorship societies is shaped by conflicts and problems
affecting people today, including the social consequences of
neoliberal privatization, the erosion of the liberal state and other
facets of so-called “globalization.” Readings and discussions will
include brief introductions to the historical contexts of military
dictatorship and armed political conflict in the region, as well as
to different legal and civic responses (and failures to respond) to
the crimes committed under dictatorship.

Primary texts will include novels, short stories, essays,
autobiography, films and photography from the Southern Cone
(Argentina, Chile, Uruguay), the Andes (Perú, Bolivia) and Central
America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua).


HISP-S 495  #16592  2:30P-3:45P  TR  Room=TBA  Prof. Patrick Dove