Latin American Politics (Bard, undergraduate)

¡Bienvenidos! Bemvindo! Welcome to Latin American Politics. Over the next semester, we will explore the political, economic and social factors which shape this region. Over the past four decades, the majority of Latin American countries entered a period of electoral democracy that is largely unprecedented. Yet, in many countries, the state of democracy has proven uneven and unstable. Together, we will explore changes in political systems through from transitions to democracy which marked the 1980s, the pro-market reforms of the 1990s, the surge of leftist leadership in the 2000s and finally, the state of governance and representation today. Drawing from studies in the field of Comparative Politics, International Relations and Latin American Studies, this course charts the interactions of actors drawing on varying conceptual and analytical frameworks. Our aim is to understand how political institutions, economic conditions and social networks shape modern states.