Argentine History & Literature

The Romantic spirit of national organization not only impacted the literary works of Argentina´s founder father Domingo Sarmiento but also, and more importantly, it gave rise to a tradition of writers as intellectuals who were to play a central role in Latin American societies and politics. Taking an interdisciplinary approach to Argentine history and literature, this course will focus on ?hybrid? writings such as Facundo by Sarmiento, which is an excellent example of how Argentine literature has been repeatedly contaminated by political debates. Literature provides a backdrop for the epic struggle between civilization and barbarism, but also an arena to discuss modernization and immigration, dictatorships and human rights, democracy and globalization. Working across disciplines, the course proposes a close reading of such texts as Sarmiento´s Facundo, Arlt´s The Seven Madmen, Martínez´ Santa Evita, Walsh´s Operación Masacre and Osorio´s My Name is Light. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the historical and cultural complexities behind these texts.