LAST 201 Latin American Popular Culture: The Southern Cone and Cuba in the 1980s

The 1980s The 1980s in Latin America saw immense cultural, economic and social changes Multiple countries under dictatorial regimes (Chile, Argentina, Cuba, Guatemala) or involved in Civil Conflicts (Nicaragua, El Salvador) Adoption of neoliberal economic policies lead to privatisation and increased foreign debt. (Latin American debt crisis of 1982)

1980s cont’d Privatisation lead to increased commercialization of culture and society. Mass-media became a central tool in the shaping of culture. Globalization invited liberalisation of social relations and social roles. (Gender, sexuality etc.) Conflict between increased cultural/economic liberalisation and regime control.

The course In this course we will explore how this tension between liberalisation and totalitarianism manifests in literature, art, film and music produced in the Southern Cone (Chile and Argentina) and Cuba during or with reference to the decade.

Relationships In this course we are interested in several key relationships: Between art and society, between artistic expression and the market, between culture and political processes, between modern and postmodern forms of social criticism and finally between Latin and Anglo/American cultural influences.