SPAN798T

"What is a Nation?" was a question Ernest Renan asked to read his present and shape the past. It is also a question that has been central to 19th century cultural studies. But really, what is a nation? and who are the "patriots"? This seminar will concentrate on the process of nation formation in Nineteenth-Century Latin America. We will explore the strategies and practices used to construct the nation as a homogenous Patria while examining the emergence of political subjects. Foundational texts from Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Chile, Mexico, and Per will be read along these lines.