#latin american studies

[diaryofaphilosopher]

For those who see history as a competition, Latin America's backwardness and poverty are merely the result of its failure. We lost; others won. But the winners happen to have won thanks to our losing: the history of Latin America's underdevelopment is, as someone has said, an integral part of the history of world capitalism's development. Our defeat was always implicit in the victory of others; our wealth has always generated our poverty by nourishing the prosperity of others— the empires and their native overseers. In the colonial and neocolonial alchemy, gold changes into scrap metal and food into poison.

— Eduardo Galeano, Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent.

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[iwoll]

Imperialism in Latin America: Complied Research on the U.S. Coup in Guatemala, 1954

The 1954 U.S.-backed overthrow of Guatemala’s democratically elected president was not about freedom, democracy, or even communism—it was about fruit. Specifically, it was about the United Fruit Company, a corporate juggernaut that managed to turn Cold War paranoia into a business strategy. What followed was less "land of opportunity" and more "land of opportunists," as economic interests in banana exports reshaped Guatemala’s fate, leaving a bitter aftertaste that lingers to this day. The 1954 U.S.-backed coup in Guatemala epitomizes this principle, as it irreversibly altered the nation’s trajectory. The United States justified its actions as a defense against communism, but in reality, economic interests, particularly those of the United Fruit Company, dictated this intervention (x). The overthrow of democratically elected President, Jacobo Árbenz, not only protected U.S. corporate assets but also cemented a legacy of destabilization and violence. The 1954 Guatemalan coup demonstrates the United States' imperialistic entitlement to control Latin American nations, driven by Cold War paranoia and corporate greed. This intervention set a dangerous precedent, leaving behind enduring political and economic instability.

The roots of the Guatemalan coup lie in both Guatemala’s internal struggles and the United States’ Cold War strategies. After a 1944 revolution ousted the dictatorship of Jorge Ubico, Guatemala transitioned toward democracy, culminating in the election of President Jacobo Árbenz in 1951. Árbenz’s administration sought to modernize the nation through progressive reforms, including labor protections, universal suffrage, and, most controversially, land redistribution. His government aimed to address Guatemala’s extreme economic inequality, where 2% of landowners controlled 70% of arable land (x).

The United Fruit Company (UFCO), a powerful American corporation, owned vast tracts of unused land in Guatemala. Árbenz’s land reform policies expropriated this idle land and compensated UFCO based on its tax-declared value, which the company had previously undervalued to reduce its tax burden. Outraged by these reforms, UFCO leveraged its significant political influence in the U.S. government. High-ranking officials like Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and CIA Director Allen Dulles, who had financial ties to UFCO, framed Árbenz as a communist threat (x).

Amid Cold War tensions, the U.S. feared Soviet influence in the Western Hemisphere. Despite scant evidence connecting Árbenz to communism, the Eisenhower administration launched Operation PBSUCCESS in 1954. This covert CIA operation orchestrated a propaganda campaign, psychological warfare, and the support of a small rebel force led by Carlos Castillo Armas. Árbenz resigned under mounting pressure, and Castillo Armas assumed power, marking the beginning of decades of political instability.

The United States’ primary motivation for intervention was economic, not ideological. The United Fruit Company’s monopoly in Guatemala symbolized American corporate dominance in Latin America. UFCO controlled extensive infrastructure, including railroads, ports, and telecommunications, granting it immense power over Guatemala’s economy. Árbenz’s land reforms directly challenged this dominance, threatening UFCO’s profitability and broader U.S. business interests in the region.

Evidence reveals that the Dulles brothers, who played pivotal roles in the U.S. government, had personal and professional ties to UFCO. Their law firm had represented the company, and they held significant financial stakes. This conflict of interest transformed Guatemala’s internal reform efforts into an existential threat to U.S. corporate hegemony. Historian Richard J. Barnet notes that such interventions were imperialistic, advancing neither democratic ideals nor national security but rather serving corporate agendas (x).

The Guatemalan coup was not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War. As Gonzalez notes, “wherever social democratic or radical leftist regimes came to power and threatened the business climate for U.S. companies, Washington responded by backing right-wing opponents to overthrow them. In 1954, the CIA helped oust the liberal reform government of Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala. In 1961, the agency organized the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. Four years later, the marines invaded the Dominican Republic again” (Gonzalez, 77). This reveals how the U.S. routinely prioritized corporate interests over the sovereignty and democratic aspirations of Latin American nations.

The Eisenhower administration rationalized its actions in Guatemala by invoking Cold War fears of communism. However, Árbenz’s policies were primarily nationalist, not communist. Scholar Nick Cullather highlights that U.S. intelligence reports found little evidence of Soviet involvement in Guatemala, yet the administration exaggerated the threat to garner public and Congressional support (x). This pattern of overstating communist influence justified U.S. interventions in numerous Latin American countries during the Cold War, from Chile to Nicaragua, perpetuating a cycle of destabilization.

The aftermath of the coup was catastrophic for Guatemala. Castillo Armas dismantled Árbenz’s reforms, returning land to UFCO and suppressing political opposition. His assassination in 1957 initiated a series of U.S.-backed authoritarian regimes that plunged Guatemala into a 36-year civil war. This conflict, marked by systematic violence against Indigenous communities and political dissidents, resulted in over 200,000 deaths and disappearances. The United States’ role in training and funding Guatemalan military forces exacerbated these atrocities.

The long-term impact of the coup extended beyond human rights abuses. Political instability, economic underdevelopment, and deep societal divisions continue to plague Guatemala. By placing corporate profits above national sovereignty, the U.S. intervention severely damaged Guatemala’s democratic ambitions and hindered its economic potential.

Some argue that the United States’ actions in Guatemala were necessary to prevent the spread of communism in the Western Hemisphere. At the time, the domino theory—a belief that one country’s fall to communism would trigger a chain reaction—dominated U.S. foreign policy. Advocates of the coup maintain that Árbenz’s ties to the Guatemalan Communist Party posed a genuine threat. However, these claims are largely unfounded. Árbenz’s reforms were consistent with nationalist efforts to modernize Guatemala, not Soviet-aligned communism. As historian Max Getchell explains, U.S. intelligence inflated the communist threat to justify intervention (x). Furthermore, the consequences of the coup—decades of violence and instability—far outweighed any perceived short-term benefit of countering communism. The coup’s primary beneficiaries were American corporations, not the Guatemalan people or global democracy.

The 1954 Guatemalan coup stands as a chilling testament to the destructive consequences of U.S. imperialism, where Cold War paranoia and corporate greed eclipsed the democratic aspirations of an entire nation. By overthrowing Jacobo Árbenz’s government under the guise of combating communism, the United States safeguarded the economic interests of the United Fruit Company while destabilizing Guatemala for generations. This intervention not only dismantled progressive reforms but also plunged the nation into decades of authoritarianism, civil war, and human rights atrocities. The long-term impact—a legacy of political instability, economic underdevelopment, and societal divisions—reveals the costs of prioritizing profit over sovereignty. As Ann Van Wynen Thomas observed in her 1969 book review (x), such interventions rarely advance democratic ideals, serving instead as tools of corporate imperialism. Reflecting on Guatemala’s tragedy, we are reminded of the enduring need to challenge exploitative foreign policies and prioritize the autonomy and well-being of nations over corporate interests.

extra source: (x)

[caribbeanart]

Caribbean Studies & Art History Blog

Students and researchers, please feel free to use this blog for research - I am always updating the tags to make it easier to find things and the blog is very searchable on desktop. For summaries written on this blog check out this blurb on how to cite these.

Some summaries I'm proud of include

Ways of Thinking About Art

Key Themes in Caribbean Art

Themes in Contemporary Caribbean Art

Performance Art in Latin America (en español)

Other useful summaries to check out

Is it naïve art or illustration?

What is Magical Realism? (en español)

Understanding Abstract Art

Plagiarism & Copyright in the Arts

Plus a few article reviews I'm proud of

On Mestizaje in Latin America

On Anti-Blackness in Latinx Communities

On Cultural Appropriation to Cultural Appreciation

If you've found this blog valuable in any way, you can support me here and on ko-fi - I accept tips in any size (it's the little things that count).

[dandelion-wine-arts]

Bird Bath (1974)

By Leonora Carrington

[eesirachs]

i know that this is a wide scope question but what philosophy books/authors do you think are necessary for a theological self study with a liberation slant?

if i were composing an undergraduate intro class to liberation theology i would include gutierrez, romero, cone, gaudium et spes, ateek, dolores williams, wariboko, khumalo’s chapter in life under the baobab tree, althaus-reid, saidiya hartman, grace cho, and hortense spillers. this covers liberation theology done from the following frameworks: black theology, womanism, latin american theology, palestinian theology, african theology, korean feminist theology, and generally, post-colonialism

[mango-peach-strawberry]

Oh yeah I never mentioned it here but the Spanish version of Uprising is so fun. They name drop all kinds of Greek mythology (off the top of my head I remember them mentioning: Morpheus, Olympus, Tartarus, nyphms, and other things) and the nicknames the characters give to one another are pretty different.

I was translating a bit of the Spanish version in the 25 Years discord for funsies and was pleasantly surprised by the changes made in the localization!

[cars3s]

do you even understand how bad it is to turn the brutal and violent spanish colonization of south america into a father/child dynamic?

dude, i am half mexican, I know a lot about the history of Spain and Latin America (I am a student of Hispanic Literature/Linguistics) I've been in the Hetalia fandom for 8 years in spanish speaking side of the fandom.

English colonization was brutal as well (i mean, all European colonization in the Global South) however in Hetalia we still have England and several countries that represent its ex-colonies (Australia, the United States, Canada and even India and more) also the same happens with Portugal that has coexisted with Macau and the most recent example was with the introduction of Indonesia, which he had certain vignettes with Netherlands. But why would there be a problem with Spain and showing his relationship with his ex-colonies? I understand that Himaruya has never really been very interested in world history beyond the Western perspective.

I've been in the Hetalia latino fandom for more than 8 years, mainly Spanish speaking, and you should explore the "Latin Hetalia" hashtag here on tumblr or on FanFiction.net/Ao3 and there's so much fan-made material, mainly from people from Latin American countries that wanted representation of their countries in Hetalia, often making amazing OCs (I seriously love the design they did of Argentina, tqm Martín Hernández) and this whole fandom of PEOPLE FROM LATIN AMERICA made their own fanfics, OCs of their own story with representatives of their countries and often within this material they included Antonio/ Spain.

Hetalia has dealt with much more controversial topics in a comical way, I mean the protagonists literally ARE the axis powers in World War II, but we understand that this is A HISTORICAL PARODY, not the reality, so believe me that the Latin American fandom has been creating their fanfics/their videos/fanarts of our countries for years BECAUSE WE WANT REPRESENTATION OF OUR HISTORY and also because we love Hetalia, so believe me, we would not be offended if they mentioned more the historical relationship we had with Spain and all the content we have created in the fandom shows it.

My main point is with England, he can have this "pseudo fraternal/paternal-half awkward-half "affectionate-half son/father/big brother"" relationship with America, Australia, Canada, India, etc. Even France with Canada, Netherlands in some fanarts with Indonesia, China with Japan... Why not Spain? In the end this is what many people from the Latino fandom have done or created AND WANT (the people who mainly "should be offended")

Anyway, this is just a sample of the lack of representation of Latin America in Hetalia and that's it.

[judejuggs]

jumping through linguistic hoops trying to write a native english speaker speaking botched latin in a story written in english.

[intotheescape]

this semester's reads (spring '24)

[sefaradweb]

Medianoche (Kehos Kliguer)

«Sombras sobre el mar ¿De dónde brotarán tantas sombras sobre el mar sin luna? El barco lleva sus luces apagadas. En la medianoche duermen las cabinas. Mis ojos posados sobre el enorme océano aterrador se beben las sombras. ¿Y no serán todas las sombras, una sola, yo mismo? ¿Y hasta cuándo habrán de perseguir al barco por las altas aguas del Ecuador? Todo alrededor, encima y debajo, oscura, secreta abisalidad. Hümedo trópico en la profunda garganta negra de la noche. El cielo sin estrellas se vuelve nube cercana, lluviosa. Sombras sobre el mar. Sueños rasgados en la espesa oscufidad cargada de oleaje. Mis ojos sueñan en el mar y se beben las sombras.��

Midnight (Kehos Kliguer)

“Shadows on the sea. From where do so many shadows come on the moonless waters? The ship lights are out. At midnight the cabins sleep. My eyes gazing at the enormous terrifying ocean and drown in the shadows. And might not all the shadows be only one. I, myself? And until when will they chase the ship on the high Equator waters? All above, above and below dark, secret abyss. Humid tropic in the deep black gorge of the night The starless sky becomes a nearby rain cloud. Shadows on the sea. Dreams rent in the thick darkness riding on waves. My eyes dream in the sea and drown in the shadows.”

[diaryofaphilosopher]

Underdevelopment in Latin America is a consequence of development elsewhere, that we Latin Americans are poor because the ground we tread is rich, and that places privileged by nature have been cursed by history.

— Eduardo Galeano, Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent.

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[orlamccools]

finally declared a minor w three semesters left to go.......!!!

[caribbeanart]

Wishlist: Liquid Ecologies in Latin American and Caribbean Art

An ideal resource for those of you interested in newer, non-traditional mediums such as multimedia, performance, installation art, photography and film; performance being an art form that one of the editors, Lisa Blackmore, describes as being more central to black and indigenous art traditions and hence a key form of knowledge when sentipensando or "thinking through feeling" to create newer structural relationships between humans, animals and our natural environment.

In this way we might say that feeling or experience, through our own senses immersed in our daily surroundings, is also an important form of knowledge akin to reason and thought; a concept fishermen in the Caribbean Colombian coast used to describe their way of living as sentipensantes in sync with their environment. For more on this, Canal22 does a great job of summarizing this concept. (For non-Spanish speakers, turn on captions and set to automatic translation.)

Additionally, this book is also a great resource for exploring indigenous art, environmental and interdisciplinary studies in the region. If you're new and feeling a little lost on some of these concepts, I'd highly recommend you check out the summary linked below.

(See also: Themes in Contemporary Caribbean Art)

[killmymind]

taking spanish literature this semester….. let’s see how that goes

[mikichko]

What's your greatest dream in life?

woof this is a hard one anon! i actually have two and i'm not sure which one i'll accomplish.

become a good enough engineer that i can finally make it to the space agencies and write software that helps us learn about space

finally become a writer after doing this for ten years and write a story heavily influenced by my home country

i feel like they go in opposite directions and I've yet to decide which path I'm sticking to so :)

[movietonight]

"do you by chance speak one of the Romance languages?"

Once again asking Charles to elaborate on which Romance language he speaks because it surely isn't French or Latin and he hates Italians too much for it to be Italian