HU Credits: 2

Degree/Cycle: 2nd degree (Master)

Responsible Department: Spanish & Lat. Amer. Studies

Semester: 1st Semester

Teaching Languages: English

Campus: Mt. Scopus

Course/Module Coordinator: Dr. Jorge Gordin

Coordinator Email: jorge.gordin@mail.huji.ac.il

Coordinator Office Hours: Monday 17:00-18:00

Teaching Staff:
Dr. Jorge Gordin

Course/Module description:
Latin America´s political DNA is often associated with authoritarianism and its resulting effects in terms of power abuses and human rights violations. This course sets out to assess this thesis, asking whether it is justified at the light of current developments in the region. It starts with a broad overview of theories of authoritarianism in Latin America and examines their taxonomical implications with reference to its different kinds. We examine particularly the emergence of “new”, post-democratization, patterns of authoritarianism and its diverse manifestations. First, it surveys state authoritarian practices against identitarian and social groups such as indigenous peoples, minorities, women, LGBTQ and young people. Second, it identifies popular support for leaders endorsing authoritarian actions as well as for hard-handed law enforcement policies. This course´s bottom line is that while authoritarian regimes are no longer ubiquitous in the region, the resort to authoritarian practices in democratic times has not only persisted in most countries but also become institutionalized in some cases.

Course/Module aims:
.To provide a general understanding on the main patterns and practices of authoritarianism in Latin America.

.To provide theoretical and conceptual tools for grasping the changing nature of authoritarianism in the region.

.To analyze empirically authoritarian strategies and practices and concomitant challenging and suopportive reactions of social groups and individuals to them.

Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
• Think critically about the nature of authoritarianism in Latin America.

• Analyze its impact on identitarian and social forces and democratic rule at large.

• Identify the key themes, concepts and debates concerning the adaptability of authoritarianism in Latin America and its contemporary bases of support.

Attendance requirements(%):
100 %

Teaching arrangement and method of instruction: Frontal lectures

Course/Module Content:
SECTION 1: Theoretical Approaches and Conceptual Issues

Lecture 1: Introduction: Theories of Authoritarianism

Lecture 2: Varieties of Authoritarianism in Latin America (I): Military and Single-Party Rule

Lecture 3: Varieties of Authoritarianism in Latin America (II): Hybrid “Autho-Democratic” Regimes

Lecture 4: Authoritarian Stability: Institutions, Elections, and (Re)distribution

SECTION 2: Legacies and Resilience of Authoritarianism in Present Times

A) Repressive Practices

Lecture 5: Indigenous Peoples

Lecture 6: Women

Lecture 7: LGBTQ

Lecture 8: Ethnic

Lecture 9: Youth

B) Sources of Popular Support for Authoritarianism

Lecture 10: Top-Down Approaches: Elites Attitudes

Lecture 11: Bottom-Up Approaches: Mass Attitudes

Lecture 12: Crime and
Public Insecurity

Lecture 13: Final Paper Presentations

Required Reading:
Schlumberger, Oliver and Schedler, Tasha (2020) ´Authoritarianism and Authoritarianization,´ In Berg-Schlosser, Dirk, Badie, Bertrand and Leonardo Morlino (eds) The SAGE Handbook of Political Science London: Sage.

Snyder, Richard (2006) ´Beyond Electoral Authoritarianism: The Spectrum of Non-Democratic Regimes´, In Schaedel, Andreas (ed.) Electoral Authoritarianism: The Dynamics of Unfree Competition, Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers

Von Soest, Christian and Grauvogel, Julia (2017) ´Identity, Procedures and Performance: How Authoritarian Regimes Legitimize their Rule, ´ Contemporary Politics 23 (3): 287-305.

Collier, David (2001) ´Bureaucratic Authoritarianism, ´ In Krieger, Joel (ed.) The Oxford Companion to Politics of the World, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Pion Berlin, David (1988) ´The National Security Doctrine, Military Threat Perception, and the “Dirty War” in Argentina, ´ Comparative Political Studies 21 (3): 382-407.

Flores-Macias, Gustavo (2018) ´Mexico´s PRI: The Resilience of an Authoritarian Successor Party and its Consequences for Democracy, ´ In James Loxton and Scott Mainwaring (eds.) Life after Dictatorship: Authoritarian Successor Parties Worldwide, New York: Cambridge University Press.

Levitzky, Steve and Way, Lucan (2002) ´The Rise of Competitive Authoritarianism, ´ Journal of Democracy 13 (2): 51-65.

Corrales, Javier (2015) ´Autocratic Legalism in Venezuela, ´ Journal of Democracy 26 (2): 37-51.

Gibson, Edward (2005) ´Boundary Control: Subnational Authoritarianism in Democratic Countries, ´ World Politics 58: 101-132.

Langston, Joy and Morgenstern, Scott (2009) ´Campaigning in an Electoral Authoritarian Regime: The Case of Mexico, ´ Comparative Politics 41 (2): 1655-182.

Albertus, Michael and Deming, Mark (2021) ´Branching Out: Consequences of the Dispersion of Authoritarian Elites across State and Government in Latin America, ´ Democratization 28 (3): 539-561.

Albertus, Michael and Menaldo, Victor (2012) ´If You Are Against Them, you are with US: The Effect of Expropriation on Autocratic Survival, ´ Comparative Political Studies 45 (8): 973-1003.

Sieder, Rachel (2016) ´Indigenous Peoples´ Rights and the Law in Latin America, ´ In Lennox, Corinne and Short, Damien (eds) Handbook of Indigenous Peoples´ Rights, London: Routledge

Richards, Patricia (2010) ´Of Indians and Terrorists: How the State and Local Elites Construct the Mapuche in Neoliberal Multicultural Chile, ´ Journal of Latin American Studies 42: 59-90.

Hristov, Jasmin (2005) ´Indigenous Struggle for Land and Culture in Cauca, Colombia, ´ Journal of Peasant Studies 32 (1): 88-117.

Sagot, Montserrat (2020) ´Violence against Women: Contributions from Latin America, ´ In Bada, Xochitl and Rivera-Sanchez, Liliana (eds) The Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of Latin America, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Wilson, Tamar (2014) ´Violence against Women in Latin America, ´ Latin American Perspectives 41 (1): 3-18.

Hartviksen, Julia (2021) ´Gendered Violences and Resistances to Development: Body, Land, Territory and Violences against Women in Postwar Guatemala, ´ Gender & Development 29 2-3: 291-312.

Cerullo, Margaret and Valiño, Raziel (2013) ´The Lives of Lupe/Lupín: A Queer Mexican Story in the Time of Neoliberalism, ´ Latin American Perspectives 41 (1): 89-106.

Tschantret, Joshua (2020) ´Revolutionary Homophobia: Explaining State Repression against Sexual Minorities, ´ British Journal of Political Science 50: 1459-1480.

Ocasio, Rafael (2002) ´Gays and the Cuban Revolution: The Case of Reinaldo Arenas, ´ Latin American Perspectives 29 (2): 78-98.

Kahan, Emmanuel and Schenquer, Laura (2016) ´The Use of the Past During the Last Military Dictatorship and Post-Dictatorship: The Holocaust as the Horizon of Identification, alienation and Negotiation for the Jewish Community, 'Temas de Nuestra América 32 (60): 131-148.

Filomeno, Felipe and Vicino, Thomas (2020) ´The Evolution of Authoritarianism and Restrictionism in Brazilian Immigration Policy: Jair Bolsonaro in Historical Perspective, ´ Bulletin of Latin American Research 40 (4): 598-612.

Freier, Luisa and Perez, Leda (2021) ´Nationality-Based Criminalisation of South-South Migration: The Experience of Venezuelan Forced Migrants in Peru, 'European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research 27: 113-133.

Ungar, Mark (2009) ´Policing Youth in Latin America´ In Jones, Gareth and Rodgers, Dennis (eds) Youth Violence in Latin America, London, Studies of the Americas.

Huggins, Martha and
Mesquita, Myriam (1995) ´Scapegoating Outsiders: The Murders of Street Youth in Modern Brazil, Policing and Society 5: 265-280.

Salazar, Guadalupe (2008) ´Second-Class Citizens in the Making: The Rights of Street Children in Chile, ´ Latin American Perspectives 35 (4): 30-44.

Stevens, Daniel, Bishin, Benjamin and Robert Barr (2006) ´Authoritarian Attitudes, Democracy and Policy Preferences among Latin American Elites, ´ American Journal of Political Science 50 (3): 606-620.

Pearce, Jenny (2018) ´Elites and Violence in Latin America: Logics of the Fragmented Security State, ´ LSE Violence, Security and Peace Working Papers, No. 1

Stein, Andrew (1998) ´The Consequences of the Nicaraguan Revolution for Political Tolerance: Explaining Differences among Mass Publics, Catholic Priests and Secular Elites, ´ Comparative Politics 30 (3): 335-353.

Armendariz Miranda, Paula and Cawvey, Matthew (2021) ´Introverted and Closed-Minded: The Psychological Roots of Support for Autocracy in Latin America, ´ Journal of Politics in Latin America 13 (1): 40-66.

Cohen, Molle and Smith, Amy (2016) ´Do Authoritarians Vote for Authoritarians? Evidence from Latin America, ´ Research and Politics 3 (4): 1-8.

Setzler, Mark (2021) ´Did Brazilians Vote for Jair Bolsonaro Because They Share his Most Controversial Views? Brazilian Political Science Review 15 (1): 1-16.

Perez, Orlando (2003) ´Democratic Legitimacy and Public Insecurity: Crime and Democracy in El Salvador and Guatemala, 'Political Science Quarterly 118 (4): 627-644.

Pion Berlin, David and Carreras, Miguel (2017) ´Armed Forces, Police and Crime-Fighting in Latin America, ´ Journal of Politics in Latin America 3: 3-26.

Snyder, Richard and Duran Martinez, Angelica (2009) ´Drugs, Violence and State-Sponsored Protection Rackets in Mexico and Colombia, ´ Colombia International 70: 61-91.

Additional Reading Material:

Grading Scheme :
Essay / Project / Final Assignment / Home Exam / Referat 70 %
Presentation / Poster Presentation / Lecture/ Seminar / Pro-seminar / Research proposal 20 %
Active Participation / Team Assignment 5 %
Attendance / Participation in Field Excursion 5 %

Additional information:
none