Human Rights in Contemporary Spanish-Language Non-Fiction 3305-PCWHL-U
The seminar examines Spanish-language non-fiction literature – reportage (crónica), testimony (testimonio), autobiography, and documentary writing – as forms of political discourse engaging with human rights. Its starting point is the question of what non-fiction literature can do that legal or political discourse cannot: give voice to individual experience, build a community of witnesses, and render visible what is structurally silenced or concealed.
The course draws on texts from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, El Salvador, Spain, and Venezuela. The selection reflects the diversity of generic traditions — from committed reportage and testimony as a political genre to contemporary documentary writing – as well as the diversity of historical and geopolitical contexts: Latin American dictatorships, intra-continental and European migration, mining exploitation, and forced displacement in the context of armed conflict.
Sessions are organised around five thematic blocks — migration, crimes of dictatorship, labour and exploitation, indigenous peoples' rights, and body and identity — though these are not mutually exclusive; their guiding thread is the question of systematic abuse and the universality of the experience of exclusion. The primary texts are supplemented by excerpts from literary and social theory.
Course coordinators
Type of course
Mode
Learning outcomes
Students know and understand:
- the specificity of Spanish-language non-fiction as a field of study, its generic traditions (crónica, testimonio, documentary autobiography), and its connections with the humanities and social sciences, particularly in the context of human rights (K_W01, K_W02);
- the terminology of non-fiction theory and social sciences applied in the analysis of documentary texts in the context of human rights (K_W05);
- cultural, social, and political phenomena in Spanish-speaking countries, with particular attention to the historical and geopolitical contexts of the texts studied (K_W04).
Students are able to:
- conduct an in-depth analysis of a documentary text in its historical, social, and political context, applying close reading techniques (K_U01);
- formulate and argue an analytical position in Spanish, both orally and in writing (K_U03, K_U06);
- independently select relevant scholarly literature and construct a coherent academic argument (K_U02).
Students are ready to:
- critically reflect on the relationships between literature, politics, and human rights (K_K03);
- actively participate in academic discussion, taking into account the complexity of the issues under consideration and the diversity of interpretive perspectives (K_K01, K_K04).
Assessment criteria
Teaching methods: seminar discussion based on close reading of literary and theoretical texts; group work; written assignment.
Assessment criteria:
- active participation in seminar discussion, based on demonstrated engagement with the readings: 40%;
- analytical essay in Spanish (approx. 2,500–3,000 words): 60%.
Requirements for passing:
- A maximum of two unexcused absences is permitted; exceeding this limit results in a failing grade.
- Regardless of the number of excused absences, attendance at a minimum of 51% of classes is required.
- Reading all assigned texts and submitting the essay by the deadline established at the first class are necessary conditions for passing the course.
The use of AI tools to generate any part of the written assignment and present it as one's own work is not permitted. Any breach of this rule will be treated as plagiarism and will result in a failing grade.
Practical placement
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Bibliography
Proposed reading list*:
de Sousa-García, Arianna, Atrás queda la tierra, Seix Barral, 2024
Guerriero, Leila, La llamada, Anagrama, 2024
Izagirre, Ander, Potosí, Libros del K.O., 2017
Luiselli, Valeria, Los niños perdidos, Sexto Piso, 2016
Maleno Garzón, Helena, Mujer de frontera, Península, 2020
Martínez, Óscar, Una historia de violencia, Debate, 2016
Molano, Alfredo, Desterrados: Crónicas del desarraigo, El Áncora, 2001
Rebolledo, Javier, La danza de los cuervos, Ceibo Ediciones, 2012
Schamun, Candelaria, Ese que fui, Penguin Random House, 2023
Turati, Marcela; Rea, Daniela (coords.), Entre las cenizas, Periodistas de a Pie, 2012
Zelko, Dani, Proyecto Reunión / Ediciones Urgentes, reunionreunion.com
*The reading list is subject to change depending on the interests of the group. Texts will be read in excerpts or in their entirety, depending on their length and nature.
CONTENT WARNING
Some course materials may contain content that some students may find difficult, including depictions of violence (including sexual violence), discrimination, forced migration, refugee experiences, and other traumatic events. Students are encouraged to take this into account when deciding whether to enrol. The course instructor will provide content warnings prior to each reading.
Theoretical texts (excerpts):
Beverley, John (2004). Testimonio: On the Politics of Truth. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Butler, Judith (2010). Marcos de guerra: Las vidas lloradas. Barcelona: Paidós.
Ludmer, Josefina (2010). Aquí América Latina: Una especulación. Buenos Aires: Eterna Cadencia.
Mbembe, Achille (2011). Necropolítica. Barcelona: Melusina.
Rancière, Jacques (2011). Política de la literatura. Buenos Aires: Libros del Zorzal.
Rivera Cusicanqui, Silvia (2010). Ch'ixinakax utxiwa: Una reflexión sobre prácticas y discursos descolonizadores. Buenos Aires: Tinta Limón.
Rivera Garza, Cristina (2013). Los muertos indóciles: Necroescrituras y desapropiación. México: Tusquets.
Segato, Rita (2016). La guerra contra las mujeres. Madrid: Traficantes de Sueños.
Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty (2011). ¿Puede hablar el subalterno? Buenos Aires: El Cuenco de Plata.