Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Revolution
Revolution
1. Dependency theory
– “Underdevelopment” in global South not a
consequence of backwardness but of unequal power
relations between North/South
– global economic structures privilege North at expense
of South; wealth of North dependent on poverty of
South
Social and intellectual
movements for reform
2. Liberation theology
– Christianity demands church involvement in
liberating people from oppression both
spiritual, economic, and political
– Faith compels action, and action should be
based on “preferential option for the poor”
– Critique of church focusing on spiritual
practices as if divorced from urgent human
needs
Oscar Romero
• “The word that bothers many, liberation, is a reality of the
redemption of Christ. Liberation means the redemption
of humankind, not only after death so that they are told
to ‘resign yourselves in this life.’ No, liberation means
that there is no exploitation in this world of human beings
by other human beings. Liberation means redemption
that wants to free humankind from so many kinds of
slavery: the slavery of illiteracy, the slavery of being
hungry because of not having enough to buy food; the
slavery of not having a roof over your head, of not having
anywhere to live.” November 25, 1977
Oscar Romero
• “It scares me, brothers and sisters, when repressive laws
or violent attitudes are denying the legitimate avenues
[of expression] of a people that needs to be able to
protest. What happens with the kettle that is boiling and
has no escape valves? It can explode. There is still time
to let our people express themselves as they wish. As
long as, at the same time, justice rules. Because
naturally, brothers and sisters, when we defend these
aspirations we are not taking the side of terrorist
demands. The church does not agree with any kind of
violence, not that which springs forth as the fruit of
repression, nor that which oppresses in such barbarous
ways. It simply calls for understanding one another, for
dialogue, for justice, for love.” March 19, 1978
Carlos Mejia Godoy, “Cristo de
Palacaguina”
Por el cerro de la Iguana, Near the Iguana Hill, beyond
montaña adentro de la the cegovia (tree),
cegobia,
se oyó un resplandor extraño there was a sudden flash of
como una aurora de media lightning,
noche. that lit up the midnight sky as if
Los maizales se prendieron, it were dawn.
los quiebraplatas se The cornfields were alight,
estremecieron,
llovió luz por Muyugalpa, por The quiebraplatas (plant)
Telpaneca, trembled,
por Chichigalpa. Light rained down at
Muyugalpa, at Telpaneca, at
Chichigalpa (names of
places)
Cristo ya nació en Christ was born in Palacaguina,
Palacaguina, To Joey Pavón and some girl
de Chepe Pavón (Pavón) y named Mary.
una tal María, She works humbly, ironing the
ella va a planchar muy clothes that the beautiful wife
humildemente, of the landowner enjoys.
la ropa que goza la mujer
hermosa del
terrateniente. In order to see him, the people
La gente para mirarlo se gathered together in a crowd,
rejuntaron en un molote, And Joaquin the Indian brought
y el indio Joaquin le trajo him quesillo (traditional sweet)
quesillo en trenza de wrapped in a cornhusk braid.
nagarote, Instead of gold, incense and
en vez de oro, incienso y myrrh,
mirra, I heard they brought him diriomo
le regalaron según yo (indigenous perfume) and
supe, Guadalupe buns (traditional
cajetita de diriomo y hasta sweets).
buñuelos de Guadalupe.
Cristo ya nació en Christ was born in
Palacaguina, Palacaguina,
de Chepe Pavón (Pavon) y To Joey Pavón and some
una tal María, girl named Mary.
ella va a planchar muy She works humbly, ironing
humildemente, the clothes that the
la ropa que goza la mujer landowners’s beautiful
hermosa del terrateniente. wife enjoys.
Joseph, the poor worker, he
slaves away all day long.
José pobre jornalero se
mecateya todito el dia, The banging work of
lo tiene con reumatismo el carpentry has given him
tequio de la carpintería, rheumatism.
Maria sueña que el hijo, igual Mary dreams that her son
might grow up to be a
que el tata sea carpintero, carpenter, just like his
pero el Zipotillo piensa, dad,
“mañana quiero ser But the kid thinks, “When I
guerrillero”. grow up I want to be a
guerrilla.”
Guerrilla movements in Latin
America
• Some on the left supported armed struggle
• The denial of political freedoms led many to join to
guerrilla movements in Latin America in the 1970s/80s
(why?)
– Cold War logic conflated most social justice movements with
communism/socialism
– failed to perceive difference between moderate social reformers
and radical revolutionaries, prohibiting both
– this left violent revolution as the only means to promote change
– Countries where those in power allowed some reform avoided
violent guerrilla movements (Costa Rica, Mexico to a lesser
extent)
“Che” Guevara
• Foquismo:
-Marxist ideas applied to Latin America
-Idea that a small group of
revolutionaries could ally themselves
with rural peasantry and overthrow
wealthy elites
-Guerrilla leaders often well-educated,
from cities, recruited from universities