Latin American Philosophy 20th Century [2501]

General Information

• Credits: 6 ECTS
• Prerequisites: baccalaureate level or equivalent; proficiency in French
• Learning format: asynchronous distance learning – 100% e-learning
• Language of instruction: French
• Course access: available at any time of year
• Disability liaison officer: Cécile Boucherle

Course Overview

This course explores the major philosophical currents that shaped Latin American identity throughout the 20th century. Going beyond academic philosophy, it examines the intersections of philosophy with literature, anthropology, sociology, and cultural criticism. Through key texts from Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Cuba, students will investigate concepts such as the "American Being," cultural cannibalism (antropofagia), telluric determinism, and the baroque imagination. The course highlights the tensions between utopia and failure, civilization and barbarism, and the search for a distinct yet plural continental identity. Particular attention is given to influential thinkers including Euclides da Cunha, Oswald de Andrade, Gilberto Freyre, Jorge Luis Borges, Octavio Paz, Alejo Carpentier, and José Lezama Lima.

Learning Outcomes

This course enables you to:

• Understand the major philosophical currents that shaped Latin American identity during the twentieth century.
• Analyze the central concepts developed by Latin American thinkers, including the "American Being," antropofagia, telluric determinism, and the baroque imagination.
• Examine the relationships between philosophy, literature, anthropology, sociology, and cultural criticism in the construction of Latin American thought.
• Evaluate the contributions of major Brazilian, Argentine, Mexican, and Cuban authors to the philosophical debates on culture, identity, modernity, and nationhood.

Course Competencies

This course is linked to the following competency:

• Analyse the philosophical foundations of politics, society and law. 

Course Outline

Section 1: Is There a Latin American Philosophical Thought?

Section 2: Brazil: Atavistic Barbarism, Anthropophagy, Creative Lust

Section 3: Argentina: Historical Invariants, Irrational Forces, and the Epic of Failure

Section 4: Mexico: The Mask of Death and the Dialectic of Loneliness

Section 5:  Cuba: Cannibalism and Baroque

Assessment Methods 

Course assessment is based on:

• tracking and completion of the course and of all learning activities. These activities, designed as essential practice and learning exercises, may be completed multiple times and are not factored into the final grade,
• the final assessment quiz, which constitutes the graded evaluation.

Learning Format

The course is taught entirely online via the MyDomuni platform, accessible 24/7.
Learning resources include:

• written course materials;
• supplementary documents and, depending on the content, video resources;
• interactive learning activities (quizzes, exercises);
• a discussion forum with the course instructor and fellow participants.

Prerequisites

This course is open to anyone with a general level of education equivalent to the baccalaureate, or with personal or academic experience related to the topics covered.

A good command of written French is recommended to facilitate understanding of the content and participation in the activities offered.

Accessibility

The course is accessible at any time, from any internet-connected device, via the MyDomuni platform.
For students with disabilities, specific support can be arranged upon request to ensure equitable access to course content and activities.

Disability liaison officer: cecile.boucherle@domuni.eu. 

Selective Bibliography

• Eduardo Devés Valdés, Del Ariel de Rodó a la CEPAL (1900-1950), Buenos Aires, Biblos, 2000.
• Ricardo Salas Astrain (dir.), Pensamiento crítico latinoamericano. Conceptos fundamentales, vol. 1, Santiago du Chili, Universidad Católica Silva Henríquez, 2005.
• Oscar Terán (coord.), Ideas en el siglo. Intelectuales y cultura en el siglo XX latinoamericano, Buenos Aires, Siglo XXI, 2004.
• Pedro Henríquez Ureña, La utopía de América, Caracas, Biblioteca Ayacucho, 1983.
• Darcy Ribeiro, El pueblo brasileño. La formación y el sentido de Brasil, Mexico, Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1999.