Social revolutions constitute exceptional and dramatic events in human history.
They bring about radical and sweeping transformations of the existing political, social, economic, and cultural orders. This course will discuss the causes, course, and outcome of those Latin American revolutions. Besides paying close attention to the political, economic, social, and cultural dimensions of revolutionary transformation, we will also analyze the ways in which revolutions have reshaped collective historical memories and created new forms of national and cultural identities. We will also study two cases of unsuccessful revolutionary movements, the FMLN of El Salvador and the Shining Path of Peru. The following books are available for purchase at the U of O Bookstore.