In concluding this course, I feel like it has been a very sad course. At the beginning of the course we see the white superiority of colonization over indigenous peoples, the era of Lieutenant Nun, and the low class lives of most of the non-elitists in Latin America. There never seemed to be a happy part f this course, which is kind of surprising because many times we think of current day Latin America to be happy. The sunny weather and vacation spots that scatter this region, seems to glare over the true identity of the region; geographically and culturally. This chapter seemed to be a fitting end because there are uncertainties within the region.
In an increasing world of globalization, I believe we are going to see further inequality between the Global North and the Global South, which doesn’t bode well for many Latin American countries. These countries are not the typical periphery countries when applying migration theories because of the amount of natural resources within the countries. It makes sense for many of these people to try to make a living within their homeland, however because of global powers they are still stuck in developing economies as developing countries.
Through much of the violence and civil wars and the episodes of hard realities, the people of Latin America have become socialized into a culture where government can not always be counted upon, and politics, most definitely is not the answer. Dawson uses Mexico as an example with the earthquake, and how people had already given up on the government to make any sort of response useful. A lack of a government direction to this incident has had lasting impressions because of the economic butt-kicking/crisis the country faced at the time, and how it has affected the future generation.
Critical question…Why? Many countries face war and violence and democratic issues, but WHY has many Latin American countries still not have been able to recover?
How will these countries recover; can they fully?
I agree with your comment about Latin America having this happy aura despite social issues. I admire that despite hardships, the people continue enjoying their vibrant cultures. Latin America has so much to offer in terms of culture, history, diversity, natural wonders, art etc…I think that one of the main reasons for economic/social hardships in the area is multi-level corruption.
For your question of why Latin American countries have not been able to recover while other countries, I think it is important to pay attention which countries have recovered. Latin America has a history of colonialism and although it is independent now there is still heavy influence from foreign powers such as the US. The repercussions of colonialism are still in play and Latin America has not had the opportunity to change this. Countries that “recover” from war, violence, and issues of democracy are usually developed countries and countries that were stable prior to these issues. If we look at regions that have been colonized, many of these are still experiences problems of violence, war, and democracy. It is also not a question of “recovery”, because recovery suggests that there was a point after colonization where Latin was democratic and free of violence and war. I think this a big indicator of whether a country can recover after war and violence, if the nation is already unstable before the war and violence then it is unlikely they will every become stable. Latin America has never been free of these problems since the point of colonization, thus it is not the same as comparing to Western countries that can easily recover from conflict.
I really enjoyed your insight and analysis of Latin America. I especially agree that “there never seems to be a happy ending for this course”! And I think despite the sad history and current political situation in many Latin America, for the majority, people are in good spirits. Partly, I think, due to a defence mechanism that they developed to get through hard times like war, violence and crisis. Although I do hope that one day Latin Americans truly recover and there would be an end to their crises.