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Introductory Post

Hello! I am a third year student in the Latin American Studies department. I hope to be a documentary film-maker one day and I think there are many stories to be discovered from the region of Latin America. I grew up in Colorado, which had a large Mexican population which may be where my interest was sparked. My mom is Canadian so I have my dual citizenship, making UBC a great choice for me.

I watched the video “Commerce, Coercion, and America’s Empire II”. I find this topic particularly interesting, having grown up in the United States. I think they did a good job of breaking down their argument and explanation of America’s influence in the region and how it changed over time. They basically explained the situation in alignment with the Dependency Theory. Their graphics were interesting and relevant but maybe some more text would have been helpful, as they went through things pretty quickly.

I also watched the video “Towards an Uncertain Future” and thought it was executed very clearly. It was easy to follow and they had a good balance of text and visuals. I wasn’t aware of the extensive damage the earthquake had caused on Mexico’s economy before watching the video, and it gave insight into the workings of the government and political structures. It helped me understand the rationale behind the shift to more right-leaning politics when the people no longer felt they could rely on their government.

The students  in “Modernity in Latin America” did a good job of explaining what was preventing democracy from being attained in Latin American countries and how the government viewed the nation’s capacity for successful democracy. They also showed the importance of understanding that the rate of modernization was not being met with the proper changes necessary to the society, which resulted in slave labour for the coffee industry. The video had a balance between explaining what leaders did towards modernization but also the negative effects of their choices.

 

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