Exam Questions

  • What is Latin America? Is there “one” Latin America or many? Drawing on specific examples and particular texts where relevant, discuss the ways in which Latin America can be defined or described, and the problems (if any) inherent in such definitions.
  • What has been the legacy of the colonial experience in Latin America? Drawing on specific examples and particular texts where relevant, discuss the ways in which the effects of Spanish and/or Portuguese colonialism can be seen in the postcolonial history of the region, and perhaps even today.
  • What is the history and impact of modernity and modernization in Latin America? Drawing on specific examples and particular texts where relevant, discuss how the region has been affected by modernity (a concept you will have to define), and also perhaps the ways in which it may challenge (some) conceptions of modernization.
  • Discuss the different economic and trade practices, policies, theories, and models that have shaped Latin America. Drawing on specific examples and particular texts, you may want to consider (for example) resource extraction, export-driven modernization, import-substitution industrialization, dependency theory, neoliberalism, and (again) resource extraction. You may also want to consider particularly the paradoxes of “free” trade and “unequal exchange.” Do these help explain why the region has so often apparently struggled to “develop” in economic terms?
  • What has been the role of the state in Latin America? Drawing on specific examples and particular texts where relevant, discuss the history of the state in Latin America, and its relationship to the idea of the “nation,” from the colonial period to the present.
  • Discuss the relationship between technology and politics in Latin America. How has technology and technological change or innovation shaped the ways in which power is exercised, both from above and below? Examples of technologies that you may want to consider include: writing, the book, shipping, radio, cinema, photography, the Internet… Draw on specific examples and particular texts to illustrate your argument.
  • What are the different forms of violence that have affected Latin America? Is this a particularly violent region, and if so, why? Drawing on specific examples and particular texts where relevant, discuss the varieties of violence that have marked Latin America’s history, and draw distinctions between them where possible.
  • What responsibility (if any) do we have–as students, as residents of Canada–when it comes to representing and discussing Latin America? Are there any particular ethical or political issues involved in the ways in which we talk about the object of our study, or the stories that we tell about it? Drawing on specific examples and particular texts, you may want to consider, for instance, whether there is any reason why we might want to favor a more optimistic narrative (that focuses on resistance and creative agency from below, say), over a more pessimistic narrative (that stresses the difficulties the region has suffered over the centuries)?
  • What is Latin America’s future? Drawing on specific examples and particular texts where relevant, discuss the recent history and present situation of the region, the tendencies and trends that are in operation, and assess possible outcomes. Are things looking up or down for Latin America and Latin Americans?
  • Analyze recent events in either Bolivia (surrounding the departure of Evo Morales) or Chile (the widespread social protests), taking into consideration the ways in which they may reflect (or depart from) a longer history of rebellion and/or repression in the region. What are the short- and long-term causes of these events? What do you think will happen next?