The course aims at providing students the basic elements for reconstructing, in the light of the most recent studies, the historical development of Latin America up to the 1990s, within the broader context of global history. At the end of the course, students will be able to intepret and appropriately contextualize the topics addressed within the period studied. During the course they will also work to develop essential critical and argumentative skills, as well as the ability to synthesize information.
teacher profile teaching materials
The course aims at providing students with an understanding of the history of Latin America from the colonial period to the 2000s. At the end of the course, students will have an in-depth knowledge of the problems and events dealt with during the lessons and to be able to appropriately contextualize them over the chronological period studied.
The course addresses (among others) these key topics:
The idea of “Latin America”
From pre-Columbian civilizations to colonization
The Bourbon Reforms
The processes of independence
The construction of national states and the consolidation of the primary-export model
Migration and Latin America
The crisis of the liberal state
Relations with Europe
The age of classical populism
The Cold War and Latin America
The Cuban Revolution
The 1960s: crisis, reforms, and revolutions
The counterrevolutionary cycle: military dictatorships and the neoliberal state
Operation Condor and human rights violations in the Southern Cone
Democratic transitions
Internal armed conflicts and peace processes in Central America and Colombia
Long-term relations between the United States and Latin America
Latin America in the global scenario and current challenges
- Loris Zanatta, Storia dell’America Latina contemporanea, Laterza, 2017 and subsequent editions (provided that they include Chapter 13);
- Slides provided by the instructor.
- For group presentations: materials will be provided by the instructor.
Gli studenti non frequentanti dovranno studiare i seguenti testi:
1) Loris Zanatta, Storia dell’America Latina contemporanea, Laterza, 2017 ss. (edizione che includa il capitolo 13)
2) Laura Fotia, Luigi Guarnieri Calò Carducci, Le sparizioni forzate in America Latina, Carocci 2026.
3) Marco Mariano, Tropici americani. L'impero degli Stati Uniti in America Latina nel Novecento, Einaudi, 2024
Non-attending students will have to study the following texts:
1) Loris Zanatta, Storia dell'America Latina contemporanea, Laterza
Gli studenti e le studentesse frequentanti dovranno studiare il testo sul quale verterà la prova d'esame (scritta):
- Loris Zanatta, Storia dell’America Latina contemporanea, Laterza, 2017 ss. (edizione che includa il capitolo 13)
Gli studenti e le studentesse frequentanti dovranno, inoltre, preparare una presentazione orale di gruppo. I materiali per la presentazione saranno forniti dalla docente durante il corso.
Gli studenti non frequentanti dovranno studiare i seguenti testi:
1) Loris Zanatta, Storia dell’America Latina contemporanea, Laterza, 2017 ss. (edizione che includa il capitolo 13)
2)
Laura Fotia, Luigi Guarnieri (a cura di), Le sparizioni forzate in America Latina. Storia di un crimine transnazionale, Carocci, 2026
or
Marco Mariano, Tropici americani. L'impero degli Stati Uniti in America Latina nel Novecento, Einaudi, 2024
Programme
The course aims at providing students with an understanding of the history of Latin America from the colonial period to the 2000s. At the end of the course, students will have an in-depth knowledge of the problems and events dealt with during the lessons and to be able to appropriately contextualize them over the chronological period studied.
The course addresses (among others) these key topics:
The idea of “Latin America”
From pre-Columbian civilizations to colonization
The Bourbon Reforms
The processes of independence
The construction of national states and the consolidation of the primary-export model
Migration and Latin America
The crisis of the liberal state
Relations with Europe
The age of classical populism
The Cold War and Latin America
The Cuban Revolution
The 1960s: crisis, reforms, and revolutions
The counterrevolutionary cycle: military dictatorships and the neoliberal state
Operation Condor and human rights violations in the Southern Cone
Democratic transitions
Internal armed conflicts and peace processes in Central America and Colombia
Long-term relations between the United States and Latin America
Latin America in the global scenario and current challenges
Core Documentation
Attending students should study the text:- Loris Zanatta, Storia dell’America Latina contemporanea, Laterza, 2017 and subsequent editions (provided that they include Chapter 13);
- Slides provided by the instructor.
- For group presentations: materials will be provided by the instructor.
Gli studenti non frequentanti dovranno studiare i seguenti testi:
1) Loris Zanatta, Storia dell’America Latina contemporanea, Laterza, 2017 ss. (edizione che includa il capitolo 13)
2) Laura Fotia, Luigi Guarnieri Calò Carducci, Le sparizioni forzate in America Latina, Carocci 2026.
3) Marco Mariano, Tropici americani. L'impero degli Stati Uniti in America Latina nel Novecento, Einaudi, 2024
Non-attending students will have to study the following texts:
1) Loris Zanatta, Storia dell'America Latina contemporanea, Laterza
Gli studenti e le studentesse frequentanti dovranno studiare il testo sul quale verterà la prova d'esame (scritta):
- Loris Zanatta, Storia dell’America Latina contemporanea, Laterza, 2017 ss. (edizione che includa il capitolo 13)
Gli studenti e le studentesse frequentanti dovranno, inoltre, preparare una presentazione orale di gruppo. I materiali per la presentazione saranno forniti dalla docente durante il corso.
Gli studenti non frequentanti dovranno studiare i seguenti testi:
1) Loris Zanatta, Storia dell’America Latina contemporanea, Laterza, 2017 ss. (edizione che includa il capitolo 13)
2)
Laura Fotia, Luigi Guarnieri (a cura di), Le sparizioni forzate in America Latina. Storia di un crimine transnazionale, Carocci, 2026
or
Marco Mariano, Tropici americani. L'impero degli Stati Uniti in America Latina nel Novecento, Einaudi, 2024
Reference Bibliography
1) Loris Zanatta, Storia dell’America Latina contemporanea, Laterza, 2017 ss. (edizione che includa il capitolo 13) 2) Marco Mariano, Tropici americani. L'impero degli Stati Uniti in America Latina nel Novecento, Einaudi, 2024 3) Saggi forniti agli studenti per i lavori di gruppoType of delivery of the course
The course is divided into a series of frontal lessons aimed at providing students with the fundamental knowledge for achieving the training objectives; these will be accompanied by debates on the readings assigned by the lecturer as well as documentaries and art films on particularly relevant topics. During the last part of the course, students will prepare papers on a topic of their choice among those proposed by the lecturer. Hints, tips and useful teaching materials for the preparation of the papers will be provided by the lecturer during the course.Attendance
Attendance is not compulsory; assessment methods will vary depending on whether students attend classes or not.Type of evaluation
For attending students, the final assessment will be based on class participation, the grade awarded for the presentation, and the written examination. For non-attending students, a written examination is scheduled during the examination sessions. The criteria to be used for the assessment of the examination will be, above all, knowledge of the content, clarity of presentation, critical judgement, ability to discuss and to synthesize . Non-attending students and those who attend occasionally are invited to arrange a meeting with the lecturer at the beginning of the course in order to receive more detailed information on the syllabus and how the examination will be conducted.