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In all of the social revolutions in twentieth-century Latin America, cultural change was conceived as an intrinsic part of creating a new society, not merely a desirable side-effect of political and economic restructuring. 鈥淎 revolution is always religious鈥�, wrote Jos茅 Carlos Mari谩tegui, one of Latin America鈥檚 leading Marxist thinkers of the 1920s, by which he meant that a genuine revolution could only happen through a process of spiritual transformation. Even in Mexico, where the revolution of 1910-20 was primarily bourgeois in outcome, cultural policy was vigorously debated and arguably led to a radicalisation of social policy. After the Cuban Revolution of 1959, a pioneering literacy campaign transformed the educational prospects of rural Cubans and was promoted by UNICEF as a model throughout the developing world. Moreover, the support of a transnational network of intellectuals advocating cultural freedom was crucial to sustaining the credibility of the revolutionary government as it established an alliance with the repressive Soviet Union.
Over the next five decades, the successful opening up of access to culture for a wide range of Cubans was one of the factors contributing to the enduringly high levels of support for the Revolution. In Nicaragua, during the 1970s, cultural practice was seen in itself as a revolutionary tactic in the struggle to overthrow the existing dictatorship. Experiments in collective learning were rolled out across the country after the Sandinistas came to power in 1979.
This module will explore the relationship between culture and revolution, focussing on the revolutions in Mexico, Cuba and Nicaragua, but students will be encouraged to explore experiences in other countries of the region (e.g. Guatemala or Bolivia) if they wish.
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 8th April 2024.
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