ICC 102 - Mondays 4-6

Last offered: Spring 2001

Professors Naomi Moniz and Veronica Salles-Reese

The purpose of this course is to reflect on cultural issues that impinge directly or indirectly on the attainment of , preservation of or resistance to hegemonic power. Central to our discussion will be the analysis of how culture is utilized by the hegemonic power to keep the Other at bay. Who this Other is and how it is constituted are inherent to identity issues that are of key importance to our course. The course will study these topics at two different levels: 1. Diachronic : From the establishment of Imperial power during the colonial period to the quasi absence of the State at the dawn of the XXIst century. 2. Theoretical: We will avail ourselves of recent theories of culture to analyze diverse topics in a synchronic way. The texts used for this course will range from historical chronicles to fictional representations , from political or legal documents to popular representations. Each text is intended to be paradigmatic in order to illustrate particular aspects of power or lack thereof, as it applies to race, gender, ethnicity and wealth.

Format of the course: Culture and Power in Latin America will be studied through principally, (but not only), four major themes or issues: 1. Race/ethnicity, 2. Gender/Sex, 3. Class and 4. Nation/State. At the same time, these four major issues will be analyzed from two separate and complementary approaches: 1. theoretical and abstract and 2. textual and concrete. To each one of these approaches will correspond particular readings or films. Some classes will be dedicated to the first approach, others to the second and yet others to the combination of both. Small groups of students will be in charge of presenting readings and leading the discussion of them.

Evaluation:

Participation in class 20%

Presentations 20%

Short papers 40%

Final Paper 20%

100%

Students must prepare assigned readings ahead of time, since class participation is essential. Participation entails active involvement in the discussion of the texts, and occasional brief presentations. More than two unexcused absences will automatically lower final grade. Students are encouraged both to meet with instructor ahead of time to discuss paper topics and to turn in work in progress. Papers must be well thought-out, neatly typed, double-spaced, and turned in on time. Late papers will not be accepted.

Class 1 : Introduction - Different Notions of Culture

OR:

Barthes, Roland. "From Work to Text" In J. Harari, Textual Strategies. (Xerox)

Clifford, James. "Introduction: Partial Truths." and "On Ethnographic Allegory." In James Clifford and George Marcus, Writing Culture: The Poetics and Politics of Ethnography, 1-26 and 98-121 (xerox)

Eisenstadt, S. N. "The Order Mantaining and Order Transforming Dimensions of culture." In Theory of culture. 29-63 (xerox)

Geertz, Clifford. "Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture." The Interpretation of Cultures. 3-30 (xerox)

Schmid, Michael. "The Concept of culture and its Place Within a Theory of Social Action: A Critique of Talcot Parsons's theory of culture." In Theory of culture. 65-88 (xerox)

Smelser, Neil J. "Culture: coherent or Incoherent" In Richard Munch and Smelser, Theory of culture. 3-28 (xerox)

Weiss, Johannes. "Representative Culture and Cultural Representation." In Theory of culture. 89-121 (xerox)

SR:

Ahmad, Aijaz. "Orientalism and After" In Patrick Williams and Laura Chrisman, eds. Colonial Discourse and Post-Colonial Theory. 162-171. (On reserve)

Clifford, James. "On Ethnographic Authority." In The Predicament of culture.21-54 (On reserve)

Fanon, Frantz. "On National Culture." In Colonial Discourse and Post-Colonial Theory. 36-52 (On reserve)

Porter, Dennis. "Orientalism and Its Problems."In Colonial Discourse and Post-Colonial Theory. 150-161 (On reserve)

Said, Edward. Excerpt from "Orientalism." In Colonial Discourse and Post-Colonial Theory. 132-149 (On reserve)

Class 2: Culture

OR:

Gadamer, Hans-George - Excerpt from "Truth and Method" (xerox)

Lotman, Yuij and B.A.. Uspensky - "On the Semiotic Mechanism of Culture" (xerox)

Said, Edward - "Secular Criticism" (xerox)

Class 3: Race/Ethnicity

OR:

Andersen, Margaret L. and Patricia Hill Collins, "Conceptualizing Race, Class and Gender." (Xerox)

Bhabha, Homi K. "Signs Taken for Wonders: Questions of Ambivalence and Authority under a Tree Outside Delhi, May 1817." In Critical Enquire, 12.1, 144-165. (Xerox)

Certeau, Michael. "Walking in the city." "Believing and Making People Believe," and "Ethno-Graphy. Speech, or the Space or the Other: Jean de Lery." in The Certeau Reader. 101-130 (xerox)

Gates, Henry Louis. "Writing 'Race' and the difference it Makes." Critical Enquire, 12.1, 1-20 (xerox)

Class 4: Race/Ethnicity

Video: "Taking Aim" (in class)

GR:

Rigoberta Menchu - Me llamo Rigoberta Menchú y así me nació la conciencia (On reserve)

Jesus, Carolina Maria. Child of the dark (On reserve)

Vaz de Caminha. - Carta de Descobrimento (Blackboard Link)

Colon, Cristobal. "Carta a Santangel" (xerox)

Vieira, Antonio. Escritos instrumentais sobre os indios (On reserve)

Ortiz - "Del fenómeno Social de la transculturación y de su importancia en Cuba" en Contrapunteo cubano del tabaco y el azúcar (On reserve)

Freire, G. The masters and the slaves or Casa-grande & senzala. (On reserve)

Mariategui. Siete ensayos de interpretación de la realidad peruana. (On reserve)

Film: "Como era gostoso meu francês" (In AV- Library)

SR:

Beverly, John. "Siete aproximaciones al "problema indigena" en En Moraña, M.. Indigenismo hacia fin del milenio. 269-284 (Prof. Salles-Reese)

Chang-Rodriguez, Eugenio. "Maríategui y las colaboradoras de Amauta." en En Moraña, M.. Indigenismo hacia fin del milenio. 159-68 (Prof. Salles-Reese)

Martínez, Luz María. "La cultura Africana: Tercera Raíz." In Bonfil Batalla, Simbiosis de culturas: Los inmigrantes en Mexico.111-174 (Prof. Salles-Reese)

Matory, James Lorand. "Purity and Privilege in a Black Atlantic Nation: 1830-1959". (Prof. Salles-Reese)

Monsiváis, Carlos. "Tantos millones de hombres no hablamos ingles? (La cultura norteamericana y Mexico). In Bonfil Batalla, Simbiosis, 455-516 (Prof. Salles-Reese)

Morales, Mario Roberto. "Cuestión étnica y debate interétnico: qué ha pasado y qué pasa ahora en Guatemala?." En Indigenismo hacia, 299-330 (Prof. Salles-Reese)

Ota Mishima, Maria Lena. "El Japón en México." In Bonfil Batalla, Simbiosis, 181-216 (Prof. Salles-Reese)

Class 5: Gender/Sex

OR:

Buarque de Hollanda, Heloisa. "Feminismo em tempos pós-modernos." In Tendensias e Impasse. O feminismo como critica de cultura. (Xerox)

Franco, Jean. "Beyond Ethnocentrism: Gender, Power and the Third-World Intelligentsia." In Colonial Discourse and Post-Colonial Theory. 359-69 (On reserve)

Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. "Three Women's Texts and a Critique of Imperialism." In Critical Enquire, 12.1, 243-261 (xerox)

Class 6: Gender/Sex

GR:

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. "Respuesta a sor Filotea" (Prof. Salles-Reese)

Sánchez, Luis Rafael. La Guaracha del Macho Camacho (On reserve)

Films:

"Banana is my business" (In AV - Library)

"Evita" (In AV - Library)

"Fresa y chocolate" (Blockbuster)

"El beso de la mujer araña" (Language Lab - ICC)

Class 7: Gender/Sex

SR:

Butler, Judith. "Subjects of Sex/Gender/Desire." In Gender Trouble, 1-34 (On reserve)

Llanos, Bernardita. "Machismo: Mitificación de la experiencia social." In Poética de la poblaciórn marginal. 365-394 (Prof. Salles-Reese)

Weil, Connie, ed. Lucha: The Struggles of latin American Women. Minnesota Latin American Series 2. (Prof. Salles-Reese)

Class 8: Class/New Social Movements

OR:

Bordieu, Pierre. "The Social Conditions of the International Circulation of Ideas." In Bordieu: A Critical Reader, 220-228

Buttler, Judith. "Performativity's Social Magic."In Bordieu: A Critical Reader, 112-28

Jameson, Frederick. "The cultural logic of late Capitalism." In Postmodernism, 1-54 (On reserve)

Pinto, Louis. "Theory in Practice."In Bordieu: A Critical Reader, 94-112

Ribeiro, Darcy. "Estratificação Social." In Os Brasileiros: Teoria do Brasil.87-99 (xerox)

Saffioti, Heleieth Iara Bongiovani . A mulher na sociedade de classes : mito e realidade.

Also Women in Class Society (On reserve) (For those who want to read an English translation check Amazon.com)

Class 9: Class/New Social Movements

GR:

Chungara, Domitila Si me permiten hablar (On reserve)

Gutiérrez, Miguel - Poderes Secretos (Prof. Salles-Reese)

Rama, Angel Literatua y clase social (On reserve)

Rama, Angel . La ciudad letrada (On reserve)

Rodó, Jose Enrique. Ariel (On reserve)

Machado de Assis. Don Casmurro (On reserve)

Film: "Eles não usam Black tie"

Class 10: Class/New Social Movements

SR:

Bueno, Raul. "Sobre la heterogeneidad literaria y cultural de America Latina." En Mazzotti y Zevallos, eds. Asedios a la Heterogeneidad Cultural. (Prof. Salles-Reese)

Moraña, Mabel. "Ideología de la transculturación." En Moraña, Mabel . Angel Rama y los estudios Latinoamericanos. (Prof. Salles-Reese)

Noriega, Julio - "La poética quechua del migrante andino." En Mazzotti y Zevallos (Prof. Salles-Reese)

Class 11: Nation/State

OR

Alonso, Carlos. "The closing of the circle: The End of Modernity in Spanish America." In The Burden of Modernity.152-171 (On reserve)

Alvarez, Sonia y Evelina Dagnino and Arturo Escobar. "The Cultural and the Political in Latin American Social Movements." In Cultures of politics/politics of cultures : re-visioning Latin American social movements. 1-29 (xerox)

Anderson, Benedict R. O'G. Imagined communities (On reserve)

Hobsbawm, E. J. Nations and nationalism since 1780. (On reserve)

Class 12: Nation/State

GR:

Sarmiento, Domingo Faustino. Facundo:Civilización y Barbarie. Primera Parte.(On reserve)

Cunha, Euclides. Os sertoes. (On reserve)

Azuela, Mariano. Los de abajo. (On reserve)

Marti, José. "Nuestra América." (Xerox)

Bolivar, Simón. "Carta de Jamaica" (xerox)

García Márquez - El coronel no tiene quien le escriba (On reserve)

Films: "La otra conquista"

"La Historia Oficial" (Language Lab - ICC)

"Bye, Bye Brazil" (Language Lab - ICC)

SR:

Bartra, Roger. "Sangre y tinta del Kitsch Tropical" En La Sangre y la Tinta.15-42 (On reserve)

Bonfill Batalla, Guillermo. México Profundo: Una civilización negada. (Prof. Salles-Reese)

Masiello, Francine. "Las politicas del texto." En Mazzotti y Zevallos (Prof. Salles-Reese)

Romano, James V. "Chile the other side of the Surreal." In Poética de la poblaciórn marginal: Sensibilidades Determinates. 7-90 (Prof. Salles-Reese)

Tan, Zhongshu. "La estética de la mercancía y la telenovela hispanoamericana."In Poética de la poblaciórn marginal, 335-364 (Prof. Salles-Reese)

Vidal, Hernan. Política cultural de la memoria histórica. (Prof. Salles-Reese)