Ideology and Power in the History of US-Latin America Relations

This survey course will examine the historical interaction between different forms of power in the construction of the current hegemony of the United States over Latin America. In addition to the traditional political and economic actors that shaped the core of the relations, the construction of the U.S. hegemony also involved non-state actors and various forms of cultural dynamics that strengthened the power discourse: state cultural diplomacy, “money doctors,” or film and media enterprises, among others built references such as “sister nations,” “backyard subordinates,” or “strategic partners,” whose load of elements of identity—gender, ethnicity, tradition—complemented traditional power politics.