HPOA03293U Latinamerikaprofilen, emne 2: Latin America: Modern society and contemporary history

The course gives an introduction to Latin American socio-political and cultural history, with emphasis on the period after 1945. We will examine the political systems, and particularly processes of democratization, of several Latin American countries. Our goal is to understand conflicts and also cultural representation in Latin American society. Among the themes we will be discussing are: transitions to democracy and repression, participatory democracy, labor and business relations, civility and violence, oral history and collective memory, cultural diversity and indigenous peoples, and multiculturalism. Furthermore, we will try to establish a historical framework that facilitates cross-country comparisons and addresses Latin America within a world-system perspective.