Courses Taught
Political Change in Latin America
This course focuses on the contours of political change in Latin America. Local, domestic, and international phenomena will be covered. Four broad issue areas will be covered: the breakdown of democracy across the region, transitions from authoritarian rule in South and Central America, the construction of citizenship and political participation, and the political economy of Latin American countries (we will pay specific attention to the international setting in which the region’s economies operate as well as to the debt crisis and efforts to address it).
Within these areas, several cases will be explored. The experiences of regime breakdown in the Southern Cone will be analyzed in detail. The transitions from authoritarian rule to be studied include: Brazil, Chile, Mexico and El Salvador. The issue of citizenship construction and political participation will highlight: the rise of social movements and their current status, debates about civil society, and the increasing activity of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their capacity to execute development and environmental projects. The political economy section will explore key issues in detail: the origins of and responses to the Latin American debt crisis (particular attention will be paid to the experiences of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile), the implications of globalization for the region (special attention will be paid to NAFTA and the rise of regional trading blocks), the relationships between the region and international organizations such as the World Bank with respect to development, and finally, topics in environmental politics.
Social Movements in Latin America
Since the 1980s, the societies of Latin America have been profoundly reshaped by the epochal forces of neoliberalism, globalization, and redemocratization. In the process, people who have long been politically marginalized – indigenous groups, women, peasants, blacks – have struggled to assert their rights and make their voices heard. In this course, you will learn about several of the most important of these social movements, focusing especially on their origins, dynamics, and ongoing social and cultural impact. In addition, you will develop tools to analyze not only these struggles, but other social movements in Latin America and elsewhere in the world.
Political Economy of Latin America
The recent history of Latin America has been consumed by one dominating paradox: the region is more developed economically, technologically, and more democratic now than ever; yet Latin American society is today more unequal and the region’s economic crises are deeper than they have ever been in the past. This research seminar is designed to train students in the investigation of issues emerging from this persistent paradox in the political economy of Latin America.
The seminar begins with a thorough review of the developmentalist period of Latin America and its crisis during the 1980s and 1990s. Students will assess the political, economic, and social impact of the crisis while they review competing theories in the literature to explain the causes. In the second section, students will examine in greater depth a number of critical issues in the study of Latin American political economy in recent years: globalization and regionalization of trade and production, decentralization and state reform, and poverty alleviation.
Global Civil Society
This course explores the role international organizations play in the contemporary global political and economic system, and the ways in which they influence or contribute to major international policy issues. This is necessary in order to understand the ways in which global civil society interacts with these institutions. Movements against Third World debt, the environmental movement, and the international human rights and women’s movements have all surged in recent years, in response to the policy choices and actions of global institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, United Nations, etc. We begin by reviewing contending perspectives on the importance and impact of international organizations. The course then examines the historical development, activities, and performance of specific major international organizations in the areas of economic development, security, international trade, the environment, international law, and humanitarian assistance. The central questions we will ask about these institutions are: why were they created, and by whom? What roles were they originally expected to play in the international system, and if these roles have changed over time, how and why? What contributions have these institutions made in their particular policy areas; and, what factors shape the depth, scope and effectiveness of these contributions? The second part of the course addresses the interactions between international organizations and global civil society. In recent years, social movements have organized transnationally to challenge the policies and practices of international organizations. The goal of many of these movements is to democratize these institutions and to make them more amenable to the concerns of an increasingly well-organized and politically connected global civil society. What has generated global organizing in response to these institutions? What gains has global civil society made? To what extent have international organizations responded? What are the ways in which these two sets of actors are changing one another?
Sustaining Development
This course examines the political economy of development. Traditionally, the field has focused rather narrowly on the intersection between economics and politics – specifically the political determinants of economic decisionmaking. Moreover, there has been a concern with how to explain the variation in the patterns of underdevelopment observed in non-Northern countries. This course seeks to integrate more recent concerns that address the sustainability of development-related decisions in the so-called Third World. Issues such as global governance, the role of international financial institutions, and environmental politics guide the class.
It begins by discussing the context in which efforts at development happen: globalization. Then, it lays out alternative conceptions of development. After reviewing alternative explanations of development and underdevelopment, it assesses whether good government is an indispensable requisite for development—and why it is such a rare commodity. A good part of this course, then, seeks to identify the economic and political conditions that encourage politicians to invest in education, health, and social programs and to create honest and accountable public institutions. The course involves lectures, discussions, videos, and readings about development theory and draws upon case materials from Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
From Colonies to Independent States: Decolonization in Historical and Comparative Perspective (freshman seminar)
The middle of the 20th century was a time of political, social, and economic upheaval globally. The end of World War II marked the beginning of the era of decolonization. Colonies of European powers embarked on the path to independence, struggling to define new identities, even as elements of their colonial masters remained intact. As newly emerging states, these societies confronted defining a national identity, amid internal struggles over power, identity, race, and class. These economic, cultural, social, and political conflicts characterize the decolonization experience of developing countries. The experiences of these new states generated euphoria, confusion, and terror for their inhabitants, as well as watchfulness by their former colonial masters.