Join us for a guided reading discussion of Eduardo Galeano’s Open Veins of Latin America, which turns 55 this year, paired with texts by Christina Heatherton and Harsha Walia, that together shed light on how imperialism in Latin America and the Caribbean has been foundational to the U.S.
Underneath the pageantry of the U.S. semi quincentennial celebration is an unprecedented ethnic cleansing campaign against migrants in the name of homeland security. But the United States has only ever been able to maintain its power and influence through the imperial hemispheric dominance of Latino America and the Caribbean, its economic exploitation, looting, terrorism and mass murder. Sugar, bananas, rubber, gold, oil, and finally, cheap exploited labor continue to prop up this decaying empire. Through a series of vignettes from chosen texts, this course, which is led by The Walter Rodney / Flores Magón Library & Commons, will look to El Sur to deflate the bloated self-image of the U.S. empire. The course is open to all, but registration is required; readings will be shared with all registrants in advance of the event.
This guided reading discussion is the first in a four-session series that the Center for the Study of Social Difference is organizing in 2026-2027. The series responds to the U.S. semiquincentenial and its accompanying officially sanctioned celebratory accounts of the past. It offers a counternarrative to these accounts through study sessions dedicated to works with alternative anniversaries that undertake a critical appraisal of U.S. history and historical struggles and that reflect the experiences of minoritized communities.
Photograph: “Solidarity With Puerto Rico Rally Chicago Illinois 5-7-18 1434” by www.cemillerphotography.com, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
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