Politique de l'Amérique latine

This course studies the different regimes of Latin America, enlightened by the heritage of colonialism, independence movements and agro-exportation oligarchies: populism, socialist and revolutionary alternatives, authoritarian and military regimes, transitions to democracy, neo-liberalism and the recomposition of the Social State, neo-populism and emergence of the Lefts. The course is also concerned by the different systems of representation of interests (corporatism and clientelism) and by the social movements (urban, rural, women and feminist, indigenous), in their relation to the construction of citizenship. It retraces the major orientations of Latin American political history and focuses on several case studies which illustrate those orientations. The Latin American policy is also put into perspective with the socio-economical transformations in the region: the agro-exportation model, the substitution of exportations model, the neo-liberalism and the regional integration.

General objectives: 1. The course tries to familiarize students with the social and political relationships characteristic of Latin America, by insisting on the diversity and on the interdependence of the region; 2. It gives students the opportunity to grasp he socio-political issues which have dominated Latin America from the 1930's to the present day, putting them into perspective with the various modes of development the region has known. Specific objective: to acquire a global knowledge of the concepts and models of analysis that have influenced Latin American studies in socio-political sciences. Students should be able at the end of the course to grasp the socio-political issues that are necessary to engage in a research work on Latin America at a graduate level.

The course contains 12 two-hours lectures, each made of two parts. The first part is taught ex-cathedra while the second consists in discussions on the subjects previously treated. The ex-cathedra part is based essentially on two books, the reading of which is compulsory and on an overhead projection of the course detailed plan. The discussion of the different themes treated ex-cathedra is based on the questions raised by the students. Each lecture provides a specific bibliography available to those who want to make further readings.

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

A specific bibliography shall be given for each chapter, as well as the references to two mandatory readings

Contacts

bmarques@ulb.ac.be S14.208

Method(s) of evaluation

• Other

Other

A written "open book" examination of two hours. Evaluation criteria: quality of expression (10%), capacity of synthesis (45%), capacity of argumentation (45%).