The course provides analytical tools to understand political conflicts in Latin America and the transitional justice mechanisms implemented across different national contexts. Students develop the ability to examine human rights violations, processes of truth‑seeking and memory, the responsibilities of state and non‑state actors, and the challenges involved in moving from political violence to democratic governance. The course fosters a critical understanding of reparation policies, reconciliation practices, and the role of institutions and communities in processes of social reconstruction.
Curriculum
teacher profile teaching materials
The first section will provide an introduction to the history of contemporary Latin America, from the nineteenth-century independence processes to the origins of the Cold War, with particular attention to state formation, migration phenomena, relations with Europe and the United States, and the emergence of populism.
The second section will focus on the analysis of the political and social conflicts that have shaped the region from the Cold War to the present day, with particular emphasis on military dictatorships, revolutionary movements, political repression and violence, internal armed conflicts, and the subsequent processes of democratization.
The course will also address issues related to violence, organized crime, security crises, and contemporary security policies, with particular reference to “mano dura” strategies, states of exception, and the new forms of authoritarianism that have emerged across the region in recent decades.
The third section of the course will be devoted to group presentations, through which students will examine selected case studies concerning transitional justice, restorative justice, memory politics, and democratization processes in the Latin American context. These presentations will provide an opportunity for critical reflection on the role played by such processes in the democratic reconstruction of societies marked by dictatorships, political violence, and internal armed conflicts.
- Massimo De Giuseppe, Gianni La Bella, Storia dell’America Latina Contemporanea, il Mulino;
- The following essays provided by the lecturer, which will also serve as reference materials for the group presentations:
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Non-attending students are required to study the following texts:
- Massimo De Giuseppe, Gianni La Bella, Storia dell’America Latina Contemporanea, il Mulino;
- Raffaele Nocera, Paolo Wulzer, L’America Latina nella politica internazionale. Dalla fine del sistema bipolare alla crisi dell’ordine liberale, Carocci, nuova edizione (saggi indicati dalla docente)
- Nicolàs Rapetti, Né oblio né perdono. Argentina 1976–2026, Laterza, 2026.
Programme
The course will be divided into three main sections.The first section will provide an introduction to the history of contemporary Latin America, from the nineteenth-century independence processes to the origins of the Cold War, with particular attention to state formation, migration phenomena, relations with Europe and the United States, and the emergence of populism.
The second section will focus on the analysis of the political and social conflicts that have shaped the region from the Cold War to the present day, with particular emphasis on military dictatorships, revolutionary movements, political repression and violence, internal armed conflicts, and the subsequent processes of democratization.
The course will also address issues related to violence, organized crime, security crises, and contemporary security policies, with particular reference to “mano dura” strategies, states of exception, and the new forms of authoritarianism that have emerged across the region in recent decades.
The third section of the course will be devoted to group presentations, through which students will examine selected case studies concerning transitional justice, restorative justice, memory politics, and democratization processes in the Latin American context. These presentations will provide an opportunity for critical reflection on the role played by such processes in the democratic reconstruction of societies marked by dictatorships, political violence, and internal armed conflicts.
Core Documentation
Attending students are required to study the following texts:- Massimo De Giuseppe, Gianni La Bella, Storia dell’America Latina Contemporanea, il Mulino;
- The following essays provided by the lecturer, which will also serve as reference materials for the group presentations:
---
Non-attending students are required to study the following texts:
- Massimo De Giuseppe, Gianni La Bella, Storia dell’America Latina Contemporanea, il Mulino;
- Raffaele Nocera, Paolo Wulzer, L’America Latina nella politica internazionale. Dalla fine del sistema bipolare alla crisi dell’ordine liberale, Carocci, nuova edizione (saggi indicati dalla docente)
- Nicolàs Rapetti, Né oblio né perdono. Argentina 1976–2026, Laterza, 2026.
Attendance
Attendance is optional; the format of the examinations varies depending on whether students attend classes or not.Type of evaluation
For attending students, the final assessment will be based on lecture attendance, on oral reports and on the final examination. The final examination will consist of a written test consisting of open-ended questions. 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 required to arrange a meeting with the lecturer at the beginning of the course in order to receive more detailed information on the syllabus and the examination format. teacher profile teaching materials
The first section will provide an introduction to the history of contemporary Latin America, from the nineteenth-century independence processes to the origins of the Cold War, with particular attention to state formation, migration phenomena, relations with Europe and the United States, and the emergence of populism.
The second section will focus on the analysis of the political and social conflicts that have shaped the region from the Cold War to the present day, with particular emphasis on military dictatorships, revolutionary movements, political repression and violence, internal armed conflicts, and the subsequent processes of democratization.
The course will also address issues related to violence, organized crime, security crises, and contemporary security policies, with particular reference to “mano dura” strategies, states of exception, and the new forms of authoritarianism that have emerged across the region in recent decades.
The third section of the course will be devoted to group presentations, through which students will examine selected case studies concerning transitional justice, restorative justice, memory politics, and democratization processes in the Latin American context. These presentations will provide an opportunity for critical reflection on the role played by such processes in the democratic reconstruction of societies marked by dictatorships, political violence, and internal armed conflicts.
- Massimo De Giuseppe, Gianni La Bella, Storia dell’America Latina Contemporanea, il Mulino;
- The following essays provided by the lecturer, which will also serve as reference materials for the group presentations:
---
Non-attending students are required to study the following texts:
- Massimo De Giuseppe, Gianni La Bella, Storia dell’America Latina Contemporanea, il Mulino;
- Raffaele Nocera, Paolo Wulzer, L’America Latina nella politica internazionale. Dalla fine del sistema bipolare alla crisi dell’ordine liberale, Carocci, nuova edizione (saggi indicati dalla docente)
- Nicolàs Rapetti, Né oblio né perdono. Argentina 1976–2026, Laterza, 2026.
Programme
The course will be divided into three main sections.The first section will provide an introduction to the history of contemporary Latin America, from the nineteenth-century independence processes to the origins of the Cold War, with particular attention to state formation, migration phenomena, relations with Europe and the United States, and the emergence of populism.
The second section will focus on the analysis of the political and social conflicts that have shaped the region from the Cold War to the present day, with particular emphasis on military dictatorships, revolutionary movements, political repression and violence, internal armed conflicts, and the subsequent processes of democratization.
The course will also address issues related to violence, organized crime, security crises, and contemporary security policies, with particular reference to “mano dura” strategies, states of exception, and the new forms of authoritarianism that have emerged across the region in recent decades.
The third section of the course will be devoted to group presentations, through which students will examine selected case studies concerning transitional justice, restorative justice, memory politics, and democratization processes in the Latin American context. These presentations will provide an opportunity for critical reflection on the role played by such processes in the democratic reconstruction of societies marked by dictatorships, political violence, and internal armed conflicts.
Core Documentation
Attending students are required to study the following texts:- Massimo De Giuseppe, Gianni La Bella, Storia dell’America Latina Contemporanea, il Mulino;
- The following essays provided by the lecturer, which will also serve as reference materials for the group presentations:
---
Non-attending students are required to study the following texts:
- Massimo De Giuseppe, Gianni La Bella, Storia dell’America Latina Contemporanea, il Mulino;
- Raffaele Nocera, Paolo Wulzer, L’America Latina nella politica internazionale. Dalla fine del sistema bipolare alla crisi dell’ordine liberale, Carocci, nuova edizione (saggi indicati dalla docente)
- Nicolàs Rapetti, Né oblio né perdono. Argentina 1976–2026, Laterza, 2026.
Attendance
Attendance is optional; the format of the examinations varies depending on whether students attend classes or not.Type of evaluation
For attending students, the final assessment will be based on lecture attendance, on oral reports and on the final examination. The final examination will consist of a written test consisting of open-ended questions. 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 required to arrange a meeting with the lecturer at the beginning of the course in order to receive more detailed information on the syllabus and the examination format. teacher profile teaching materials
The first section will provide an introduction to the history of contemporary Latin America, from the nineteenth-century independence processes to the origins of the Cold War, with particular attention to state formation, migration phenomena, relations with Europe and the United States, and the emergence of populism.
The second section will focus on the analysis of the political and social conflicts that have shaped the region from the Cold War to the present day, with particular emphasis on military dictatorships, revolutionary movements, political repression and violence, internal armed conflicts, and the subsequent processes of democratization.
The course will also address issues related to violence, organized crime, security crises, and contemporary security policies, with particular reference to “mano dura” strategies, states of exception, and the new forms of authoritarianism that have emerged across the region in recent decades.
The third section of the course will be devoted to group presentations, through which students will examine selected case studies concerning transitional justice, restorative justice, memory politics, and democratization processes in the Latin American context. These presentations will provide an opportunity for critical reflection on the role played by such processes in the democratic reconstruction of societies marked by dictatorships, political violence, and internal armed conflicts.
- Massimo De Giuseppe, Gianni La Bella, Storia dell’America Latina Contemporanea, il Mulino;
- The following essays provided by the lecturer, which will also serve as reference materials for the group presentations:
---
Non-attending students are required to study the following texts:
- Massimo De Giuseppe, Gianni La Bella, Storia dell’America Latina Contemporanea, il Mulino;
- Raffaele Nocera, Paolo Wulzer, L’America Latina nella politica internazionale. Dalla fine del sistema bipolare alla crisi dell’ordine liberale, Carocci, nuova edizione (saggi indicati dalla docente)
- Nicolàs Rapetti, Né oblio né perdono. Argentina 1976–2026, Laterza, 2026.
Programme
The course will be divided into three main sections.The first section will provide an introduction to the history of contemporary Latin America, from the nineteenth-century independence processes to the origins of the Cold War, with particular attention to state formation, migration phenomena, relations with Europe and the United States, and the emergence of populism.
The second section will focus on the analysis of the political and social conflicts that have shaped the region from the Cold War to the present day, with particular emphasis on military dictatorships, revolutionary movements, political repression and violence, internal armed conflicts, and the subsequent processes of democratization.
The course will also address issues related to violence, organized crime, security crises, and contemporary security policies, with particular reference to “mano dura” strategies, states of exception, and the new forms of authoritarianism that have emerged across the region in recent decades.
The third section of the course will be devoted to group presentations, through which students will examine selected case studies concerning transitional justice, restorative justice, memory politics, and democratization processes in the Latin American context. These presentations will provide an opportunity for critical reflection on the role played by such processes in the democratic reconstruction of societies marked by dictatorships, political violence, and internal armed conflicts.
Core Documentation
Attending students are required to study the following texts:- Massimo De Giuseppe, Gianni La Bella, Storia dell’America Latina Contemporanea, il Mulino;
- The following essays provided by the lecturer, which will also serve as reference materials for the group presentations:
---
Non-attending students are required to study the following texts:
- Massimo De Giuseppe, Gianni La Bella, Storia dell’America Latina Contemporanea, il Mulino;
- Raffaele Nocera, Paolo Wulzer, L’America Latina nella politica internazionale. Dalla fine del sistema bipolare alla crisi dell’ordine liberale, Carocci, nuova edizione (saggi indicati dalla docente)
- Nicolàs Rapetti, Né oblio né perdono. Argentina 1976–2026, Laterza, 2026.
Attendance
Attendance is optional; the format of the examinations varies depending on whether students attend classes or not.Type of evaluation
For attending students, the final assessment will be based on lecture attendance, on oral reports and on the final examination. The final examination will consist of a written test consisting of open-ended questions. 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 required to arrange a meeting with the lecturer at the beginning of the course in order to receive more detailed information on the syllabus and the examination format.