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 inclass 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” HeinrichW. 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
th
27 )
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