Authoritarianism, Cultural History, and Political Resistance in Latin America

"This volume fills a significant and longstanding gap in English-language scholarship on the cultural and political history of Paraguay. Comprising fourteen innovative scholarly contributions that offer insightful examinations of the historical relation between sovereignty, war and modernity in Paraguay, the book provides us with superb close readings of some of the most important innovations and historical tensions of the Paraguayan past and present. This is a major contribution to an understudied field in the area of Latin American studies, and will be a fundamental resource for scholars of the region for years to come." (Gareth Williams, Professor of Spanish, University of Michigan, USA) "This volume provides an exploration of the complex interrelation between history, culture and politics in modern Paraguay, the roots of its insularity, uniqueness and authoritarian governments. It does so through different angles and lenses, through the analysis of Paraguayan literature (major and minor writers); through a study of cultural institutions such as El museo del Barro; through the interpretation of Paraguayan filmic and other cultural productions. It is an ambitious and well-thought project that encompasses different disciplines and approaches to provide a profound as well as a global understanding of Paraguayan culture and society today. This book is an outstanding contribution to the field of Latin American Studies." (Leila Gomez, Associate Professor in Spanish and Comparative Literature, University of Colorado Boulder, USA)

This book takes on the challenge of conceptually thinking Paraguayan cultural history within the broader field of Latin American studies. It presents original contributions to the study of Paraguayan culture from a variety of perspectives that include visual, literary, and cultural studies;This book takes on the challenge of conceptually thinking Paraguayan cultural history within the broader field of Latin American studies. It presents original contributions to the study of Paraguayan culture from a variety of perspectives that include visual, literary, and cultural studies; gender studies, sociology, and political theory. The essays compiled here focus on the different narratives and political processes that shaped a country decentered from, but also deeply connected to, the rest of Latin America. Structured in four thematic sections, the book reflects upon authoritarianism; the tensions between modern, indigenous, and popular artistic expressions; the legacies of the Stroessner Regime, political resistance, and the struggle for collective memory; as well as the literary framing of historical trauma, particularly in connection with the Roabastian notion of la realidad que delira [delirious reality].