In Buenos Aires, Tango music and its trademark dance moves were invented in the 1920s. Since tango was frowned upon, places that played tango were brothels and poorer suburbs.
Buenos Aires, known as the "Paris of the South," is one of the mythic cities of the world. Containing nearly one-third of Argentina's population, the city has had an inordinate impact not only on Argentina, but on Latin American consciousness and identity. This three-week course traces the evolution of the political theorists, educational reformers, and creative artists whose works have shaped the culture, art, and politics of Buenos Aires and Argentina.
For immigrants arriving in Argentina in the 19th century, the search for opportunity required a narrative that would justify identification with the nation state. A mythology that celebrated the independent—and mestizo—"gauchos" of the pampas was slowly replaced by a philosophy that excluded peoples of color and redefined "whiteness” as a desired objective in repopulating the entire nation. The "Generation of 1880” played an important role in shaping this new identity, and its impact is still felt in Buenos Aires, where the African population has been subsumed by other ethnic groups. Yet the Africanist heritage is apparent in such cultural artifacts as the tango, a dance of African derivation but whose origins are sometimes contested in Argentine discourse.
In the 21st century, the upheavals of the "dirty war," the trauma of the desaparecidos (the disappeared), the Malvinas War, and the economic crisis of 2001 all occasioned not only political but artistic responses. Argentina’s political and economic fortunes have created a unique dialogue between the arts and politics. In Buenos Aires, the national capital, arts inform and influence the national debate to a great extent. We examine this phenomenon and its effect on Argentine society.
Readings may include excerpts from the works of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, José Enrique Rodó, Robert Ferris Thompson, and George Reid Andrews; fiction by Jorge Luís Borges, Silvina Ocampo, Julio Cortázar, Roberto Arlt, and Adolfo Bioy Casares; such documents as "Nunca Más” and the film The Afro-Argentines.
Field trips encompass the rich resources of the city's museums, historical sites, fútbol games, and ethnic neighborhoods. Sessions with leading Argentine jurists, educators, and artists are an important component of this course. In addition, students will take a short trip to Montevideo, Uruguay.
Students are required to live in program housing provided by NYU Gallatin.
Faculty: Michael Dinwiddie, Associate Professor, NYU Gallatin
Tuition for 4 points: $3000
Deposit (applied to program costs, non-refundable): $400
Program Fee (includes some meals, entrance fees): $450
Housing Fee: $850
Incidental Costs: Round–trip Airfare (student purchases his/her own airfare)
NYU Registration and Services Fee: $510
APPLICATION HAS CLOSED; we are no longer accepting applications
Admission decisions are based on strength of academic performance, interview, personal statement, and space remaining in the program. Program is filled on a rolling basis and may fill without notice. After you have been notified of acceptance, an initial deposit is due in order to secure your place in the program.
All application materials should be submitted to Melissa Daniel, Gallatin Office of Global Programs: 411 Lafayette St., 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10003
For more information regarding the application process, please contact Melissa Daniel at 212-998-7316 or email@example.com.
Course Notes: This course is open to undergraduate students of all NYU and non-NYU schools and fulfills 4 credits.
Michael D. Dinwiddie, Professor, Buenos Aires: In and of the City
Michael D. Dinwiddie’s teaching interests include cultural studies, African American theater history, dramatic writing, filmmaking and ragtime music. A dramatist whose works have been produced in New York, regional and educational theater, he has been playwright-in-residence at Michigan State University more>