Spring 2008

LAS 384L • LATIN AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT

Course Description

This course is an introductory overview of the various traditions in the history of Latin American political thought. It will examine the answers key thinkers in the history of political thought in Latin America have given to the fundamental preoccupations of political theory (i.e. who should rule? what is justice?) from the perspective of Latin American social and political realities. The goal is to familiarize students with the main authors, texts, and debates in this area of political theory. Some of the thinkers to be read include: Bartolomé de las Casas, Francisco de Vitoria, Simon Bolivar, Domingo F. Sarmiento, José Martí, José Enrique Rodó, José Vasconcelos, José Carlos Mariátegui, Ernesto 'Ché' Guevara, Paulo Freire, and Gustavo Gutiérrez.

back