This course explores Argentine popular culture by focusing on the interplay between race and nation. We will follow a long-term chronological approach from the nineteenth century to the present, examining the formation of a plebeian culture from gauchesca poetry to sports icons like Diego Maradona, from early-twentieth-century tango recordings to contemporary cumbia villera. We will cover a broad spectrum of cultural production —literature, music, cinema, comics, and television— as well as other dimensions of popular culture such as soccer/fútbol. The course will delve into major historical developments in Argentina: the formation of the Nation-State, capitalist modernization, populism (with special attention to the case of Peronism), Cold War dictatorships, and contemporary political struggles. We will also analyze the specificities of racial formation in Argentina and compare it with other Latin American contexts. In doing so, the course engages with notions such as mestizaje, indigeneity, whiteness, color blindness, and negritud, which will help us better understand the history of Argentina’s popular culture. Taught in Spanish.
Prerequisite: SPAN 228 or consent of instructor
MWF 02:00PM - 02:50PM ; 205 Gregory Hall
CRN: 49959
Instructor: Rodrigo Viqueira