Dr. Junge's Blog (Summer 2018)

PART I – Brazil’s Current Crisis Readings Cleuci de Oliveira, “Brazil grapples with lynch mob epidemic: ‘A good criminal is a dead criminal’,” The Guardian (2016) Brian Winters, “Brazil’s Authoritarian Side Makes a Comeback,” Americas Quarterly , November 3, 2016 Benjamin Cowan, “Holy Ghosts of Brazil’s Past,” NACLA 48(4), pp. 346-352 (2016) Tuesday readings describe Brazil’s current socio-political moment —the moment stemming from the August 2016 impeachment of Workers Party president Dilma Rousseff. After the impeachment, Rousseff’s vice president, a center-right businessman named Michel Temer became president. As of this writing (July 2018), the leading contenders for Brazil’s next presidential election (October 2018) are none other than Lula (who is now in prison!) and a conservative congressman named Jair Bolsonaro. A controversial figure in Brazil, he has been known for advocating in favor of far-right political views. In a 2017 opinion poll conducted, Bo

PART 1 . Urban Realities: Favelas and Mega-Sporting Events in the Marvelous City Associated Readings Kees Koonings, “Violence, Crime, and Insecurity since 2000: Local Dynamics and the Limitations of Federal Response,” pp. 150–75 Erika Larkins, selections from The Spectacular Favela , pp. 109-13 Dave Zirin, “Target-Favelas,” pp. 173-20 4. Brian Mier, “Rio’s Olympic Hangover,” NACLA 48(4), pp. 311-314 (2016)   Associated Films “City of God” (2002, 130 minutes; sources: STL, Netflix/DVD, Amazon.com) With the FIFA Soccer World Cup in Brazil in 2014 and the Summer Olympics in August 2016, the city of Rio de Janeiro has been getting a lot of attention these days. Known as "the marvelous city" ( a cidade maravilhosa ), Rio has long functioned in the imagination of outsiders as a symbol for Brazil itself--or rather, for outsiders' fantasies  of Brazil. On the one had, Rio evokes images of beautiful beaches popu

PART 1. Introduction to Brazil; MST Associated Readings Peter Winn, “Capital Sins,” from Americas , pp. 165-199 (2006) Kees Koonings, “Introduction: Brazil under the Workers’ Party,” pp. 1–9 NOTE:  If you find yourself getting interested in Brazil, be aware that SUNY-New Paltz has an excellent study-abroad program in Rio, situated at a world-class university. Check out the details here .   I. Introducing Brazil (Draws from World Scholar/Latin America & the Caribbean, 2011) Introduction Brazil, the largest country in South America, contains twenty-six states and the federal district of Brasília (the nation's capital). Mostly tropical or semitropical in climate, the nation encompasses dense forests, including the Amazon Basin , as well a semiarid region in the northeast , mountains and plains in the southwest, midwestern savannahs, a long Atlantic coastline, and a vast wetland area. Inhabited by numerous Amerindian groups, Brazil was first visited by the

Week 7 - Argentina PART 1. Economic Crisis, Clientelism, and the Legacies of Juan and Eva Perón Associated Readings Peter Winn, “Perón! Perón!” pp. 133-160 (2006) Peter Calvert, “Argentina: Decline and revival,” from Latin America, Its Problems and Its Promise , pp. 524-537 (2011)     Handouts ("Course Documents" on Bb) Handout 5 - Argentina and Perón Associated Films “Memoria del Saqueo" (2004, 113 minutes; Source: http://youtu.be/0CzS6eHqtnQ)   I. Introducing Argentina (Draws from World Scholar/Latin America & the Caribbean, 2011) Argentina, the second-largest country in South America, shares borders with Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Chile. Have a look at the map below to appreciate Argentina's hugeness: Predominantly temperate in climate, the country varies in terrain from highlands in the north, to the tropical forest in the northeast, fertile pampas or plains throughout the central portion, the