This class looks at the birth and international expansion of an American industry of political marketing, with a special emphasis on Latin America. We will focus our attention on the cultural processes, sociopolitical contexts and moral utopias that shape the practice of political marketing in the U.S. and in different Latin American countries. By looking at the debates and expert practices at the core of the business of politics, we will explore how the "universal" concept of democracy is interpreted and reworked as it travels through space and time. Specifically, we will study how different groups experimenting with political marketing in different cultural contexts understand the role of citizens in a democracy.
This syllabus project contributes to tribal organizations' work in resisting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline and is explored through readings, articles, and follows a set of teachings from Indigenous scholars and activists looking through a historical, political, and economical scholarly lens. This syllabus can be a tool to access research usually kept behind paywalls, or a resource package for those unfamiliar with Indigenous histories and politics.
In the videos at Teach In at Columbia on the Standing Rock Syllabus you will see how you can start to teach the different sections of the syllabus, or how they can help ground discussions of Standing Rock and resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline.