SPAN408B

This course will address a major problem in Latin America-- the construction and representation of violence, exclusion, and resistance in South American slums-- through various approaches (to include ecocriticism, gender studies, and more) to cultural products such as literary texts, films, music, photographs, and graffiti. Since the mid-20th century, many Latin American cities have experienced the emergence, development, and expansion of these informal settlements as an improvised response to the housing problem. Names such as "villas miseria" in Argentina, "campamentos" in Chile, and "cantegriles" in Uruguay have changed over time, but regardless of their title, they continue to highlight urban inequality. Taught in Spanish.