| Lehrinhalt |
This course examines the three northernmost countries of the Central American isthmus: Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, and their role in Latin American and hemispheric politics, as well as the impact that worldwide economic trends exercise on their societies. El Salvador and Guatemala underwent parallel processes of civil war, left wing guerrillas, state repression and finally peace processes throughout the second half of the 20th century. Honduras, while never experiencing an internal conflict as preeminent, also experienced decades of military dominance, coups, and the intervention of the United States to fight off left-wing insurgency in Nicaragua and El Salvador. Later, after the return to civilian rule in the last decade of the 20th century, all three countries had to deal with the rise in delinquency, civil insecurity and the challenge of organized crime in the form of the Maras and other drug trafficking groups. This background sets the stage for this seminar, which deals with the recent erosion in civil rights and state controlling institutions in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, as the fragile post-war consensus on a undoubtedly imperfect liberal framing has shown signs of fatigue and accountability resources are questioned by personalistic leaderships, private interest groups and other authoritarian actors. |
