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Public intellectuals in Latin America: Writers and politics [and] Quetzalcoatl's Feathers

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Date Issued:
2004
Summary:
The role of the Intellectual in Latin America has been marked by his/her political activism. Whether engaging in nation-building like Sarmiento or Marti; or fighting against corruption and tyranny, like Vargas Llosa or the group of Chilean intellectuals who helped bring democracy back to Chile, intellectuals in Latin America leave the relative isolation of the academic world to enter the political arena. This doctoral work, divided in two parts (an academic essay and a novel), explores the struggle of intellectuals, in particular writers, who are required to function as high level politicians due to structural weaknesses in the political systems of their countries. I argue that Latin American intellectuals feel compelled to serve as politicians to fill in the void left by traditional political parties. Among the reasons I cite to support my claim are inefficient political institutions; government corruption; a weak state unable to support the necessary requirements for democracy; and popular demand, all of which call for public intellectuals to step up to the plate and amend the "perceived" prevailing political chaos. The first part of the dissertation, Public Intellectuals in Latin America: Writers and Politics, compares the achievements of intellectuals in Europe, China and the United States with that of their Latin American counterparts. The second contains an in-depth analysis of Latin American intellectuals focusing on three case studies: Sarmiento, Vargas Llosa and the group of Chilean intellectuals who were key in the transition to democracy in Chile. To round up the discussion, I include an interview with two modern day intellectuals: Dr. Eduardo Gamarra, a political analyst and Dr. Victor Bulmer-Thomas, director of the Royal Institute of Foreign Affairs. The second part, Quetzalcoatl's Feathers, is a satirical work of fiction conceived as a mordant attack on stereotypes. Set in a fictional community of English-speaking Ixil Indians (inhabiting a remote area of the Guatemalan Highlands) the novel addresses issues of ethnicity, cultural imperialism and bilingualism, as it illustrates the misadventures of two misguided, if well intentioned, fictional intellectuals bent on bringing prosperity (with careless disregard for the human cost) to their marginalized community.
Title: Public intellectuals in Latin America: Writers and politics [and] Quetzalcoatl's Feathers.
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Name(s): Canivell, Maria Odette.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Covino, William A., Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 2004
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 311 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: The role of the Intellectual in Latin America has been marked by his/her political activism. Whether engaging in nation-building like Sarmiento or Marti; or fighting against corruption and tyranny, like Vargas Llosa or the group of Chilean intellectuals who helped bring democracy back to Chile, intellectuals in Latin America leave the relative isolation of the academic world to enter the political arena. This doctoral work, divided in two parts (an academic essay and a novel), explores the struggle of intellectuals, in particular writers, who are required to function as high level politicians due to structural weaknesses in the political systems of their countries. I argue that Latin American intellectuals feel compelled to serve as politicians to fill in the void left by traditional political parties. Among the reasons I cite to support my claim are inefficient political institutions; government corruption; a weak state unable to support the necessary requirements for democracy; and popular demand, all of which call for public intellectuals to step up to the plate and amend the "perceived" prevailing political chaos. The first part of the dissertation, Public Intellectuals in Latin America: Writers and Politics, compares the achievements of intellectuals in Europe, China and the United States with that of their Latin American counterparts. The second contains an in-depth analysis of Latin American intellectuals focusing on three case studies: Sarmiento, Vargas Llosa and the group of Chilean intellectuals who were key in the transition to democracy in Chile. To round up the discussion, I include an interview with two modern day intellectuals: Dr. Eduardo Gamarra, a political analyst and Dr. Victor Bulmer-Thomas, director of the Royal Institute of Foreign Affairs. The second part, Quetzalcoatl's Feathers, is a satirical work of fiction conceived as a mordant attack on stereotypes. Set in a fictional community of English-speaking Ixil Indians (inhabiting a remote area of the Guatemalan Highlands) the novel addresses issues of ethnicity, cultural imperialism and bilingualism, as it illustrates the misadventures of two misguided, if well intentioned, fictional intellectuals bent on bringing prosperity (with careless disregard for the human cost) to their marginalized community.
Identifier: 9780496868780 (isbn), 12098 (digitool), FADT12098 (IID), fau:9008 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2004.
Subject(s): Political culture--Latin America
Intellectuals--Latin America--Political activity
Latin America--Social conditions
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12098
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.