Anth: 3100A

Central America: Memory, Machos and Machilas

Key concepts:

• Colonialism: The control of one nation by “transplanted” people of another nation—often a geographically distant nation that has a different culture and dominant racial or ethnic group

Neo-colonialism: The dominance of strong nations over

weak nations, not by direct political control (as in traditional

colonialism), but by economic and cultural influence. Control that is economic and cultural, rather than political, is often

called neo-colonialism.

Imperialism: Acquisition by a government of other

governments or territories, or of economic or cultural power over other nations or territories, often by force. Colonialism is a form

of imperialism.

Machismo: Exaggerated pride in masculinity, perceived as power,

often coupled with a minimal sense of responsibility and disregard of consequences

Objectives

• to briefly familiarise students with the histories of Central America

• to provide students with an in-depth understanding of two case studies (Nicaragua and Guatemala)

• to critically evaluate representations of regional issues though anthropological critical tools.

Methodology and Evaluation

• Lectures, readings, films and discussions

• Two in-class exams, one paper and four in-class exercises

Readings

• Roger Lancaster (1992) “Life is Hard: Machismo, Danger, and the Intimacy of Power in Nicaragua”

• Elisabeth Burgos-Debray, Editor (1984) “I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala”

• Additional readings

Examinations

• First exam (May 27) 25%

• Final exam (June 22) 30%

• Ethnographic Review Paper (June 10th) 25%

• Class participation and attendance 20%

Schedule

• 1. WELCOME TO CENTRAL AMERICA

• Introduction to the Course

• Overview of The Region

2. LEGACIES AND CENTRAL AMERICAN CONTEXTS

• Readings: 1. “Mestizaje, Hybridity, and the Cultural Politics of Difference in Post-Revolutionary Central America” Charles r. Hale, 1996

• 2. “The Central American Crisis” (1 to 24) John A. Booth and Thomas W. Walker, 1989

• 3. “ An Overview: 50 Years of Revolution and Intervention in Central America” Susane Jonas. In Revolution and Intervention in Central America. Marlene Dixon and Susane Jonas, Editors, 1981

• 4. “Regimes and Revolution in Central America” Heinrich-W. Krumwiede, 1984

• Film 1: The World is Watching,

3. MEMORIES, HISTORY AND MACHISMO IN NICARAGUA

• Readings: Introduction, chapters 1,2,3 and 4 (Life is Hard) xiii to 68

• Additional readings: “The Home Front: Family Life and Sexuality”. Helen Collinson, 1990

• “ Guto’s Performance” Roger Lancaster, 1997

4. SOCIAL NETWORKING, GOSSIP AND THE ANTHROPOLOGIST

• Readings: Chapters, 5, and 6(Life is Hard) 69 to 106

• Additional readings: “Gender, Politics, and the Triumph of Mestizaje in Early 20th Century Nicaragua” Jeffrey Gould, 1996

• Film 2: Pictures From a Revolution by Susan Meiselas

5. SOME NICARAGUAN LIVES: THE IMPACT OF REVOLUTION

• Readings: Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and Conclusion (Life is Hard) 107- 299

• Additional Readings: “ Introduction and Chapter One”, in The Undermining of the Sandinista Revolution. Gary Prevost and Harry E. Vanden, 1997

• Review for first exam

6. First Exam (May 27th)

7. AFTERMATH OF REVOLUTION: LABOR CONDITIONS AND AFTERTHOUGHTS

• Readings: “Democracy Derailed: The 1990 Elections and After”, Harry E. Vanden. ”, In The Undermining of the Sandinista Revolution. Gary Prevost and Harry E. Vanden, 1997

• “Nicaragua’s Transition of State Power: Through Feminist Lenses” Cynthia Chavez Metoyer. ”, In The Undermining of the Sandinista Revolution. Gary Prevost and Harry E. Vanden, 1997

• Additional Readings: “Regional GSP efforts in Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua” Henry J. Frundt. In Trade Conditions and Labor Rights: U.S Initiatives, Dominican and Central American Response. 1998.

• “Hard Copy” Exposes Nicaraguan Sweatshops At Sweatshop Watch. Org: www.compugraph.com/clr

8. NATIONALISM AND VIOLENCE IN GUATEMALA

• Readings: Intro, Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 (I Rigoberta) xi to 58

• Additional Readings: “Between Two Armies…” Chapter One and Two. David Stoll, 1993.

• Film: TBA (probably “El Norte”)

9. MEMORIES, REALITY AND POLITICAL STRUGGLE

• Chapters 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 (I Rigoberta) 59 to 140

• Additional Readings: “Entitling Ethnicities: Land, Locality, and Identity in Two Maya Land Titles from Western Guatemala, 1879-1891” By John M. Watanabe, in Indigenous Perceptions of the Nation-State in Latin America. 1995.

• Introduction“ Searching for the Living Among the Dead” (1 t0 19) In The Blood of Guatemala: A history of Race and Nation. Greg Grandin 2000

10. DEMOCRACY, MARGINALITY AND ETHNIC RESISTANCE

• Chapters 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27. and 28 (I Rigoberta) 141 to 203

• Additional Readings: “Democracy, Marginality, and Ethnic Resurgence” in Indigenous Movements and their Critics: Pan-Maya Activism in Guatemala. Kay Warren, 1998

• Film: Haunted Land

11.WOMEN, STRUGGLES, AND THE

POLITICS OF DISCOURSE • Chapters 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, and 34 (I

Rigoberta) 204 to 247

• Additional Readings: “Indian Giver or Nobel Savage: Duping Assumptions of Identity, and other Double Entendres in Rigoberta Menchu Tum’s Stoll/en Past” Diane M. Nelson, 2001

12: AFTERTHOUGHTS AND UPDATE: ANTHROPOLOGICAL INQUIRIES IN

CENTRAL AMERICA

• READINGS: TBA

• Review for Final

13: FINAL EXAM