http://www.history.umd.edu/Faculty/DWilliams/Spring07/HIST251/paper2.html
The second writing assignment is due on Wednesday, May 9, 2007. Your paper should follow all the conventional formatting guidelines (i.e. typed; double-spaced; reasonable margins and fonts; stapled; numbered pages). Binders are not necessary. Late papers will be subject to the late policy stated in the syllabus.
A thesis sentence and three main argumentative points are due in discussion section the week of April 30.
Rough drafts are actively encouraged. You are encouraged to seek out assistance from the Writing Center.
Do not hesitate to call upon Ted or Professor Williams for guidance.
On February 24, 1947, Argentine President Juan Domingo Perón issued a "Declaration of Workers' Rights." Although the "rights" described in the Declaration applied solely to the Argentine working classes, the document might be seen as typical of the language of labor and social policy throughout Latin America in the 1940s and 1950s.
On February 24, 1947, Argentine President Juan Domingo Perón issued a "Declaration of Workers' Rights." Although the "rights" described in the Declaration applied solely to the Argentine working classes, the document might be seen as representative of the broader phenomenon of Latin American populism in the 1940s and 1950s.
A translation of the "Declaration of Workers' Rights" appears on pp. 234-236 in John Charles Chasteen and James A. Wood, eds. Problems in Modern Latin American History: A Reader. Copies will be distributed in class.
Part I (One page) 20%
Develop a one-to-two sentence thesis that establishes a critical argument about the nature of Peronism.
Identify three main aspects of the Declaration of Workers' Rights that you will use to support this argument.
In developing a thesis about Peronism, consider the following:
The Declaration presents an idealized language about populism. The Declaration may not have corresponded to the actual lived experiences of Argentine workers, nor to the state's actual relationship to "the people," but it provides us with a language to analyze populism.
Using your thesis sentence, develop a critical essay about Peronism, placing Peronism within the historical context of Latin American populism. The essay should make good, critical use of the 1947 Declaration.
In developing your analysis about Peronism, consider the following:
In language typical of populist discourse, the Declaration treats "workers" as a unified whole, largely outside of class, ethnicity, gender, and occupational duty. What does it suggest about the nature of populist politics?
But, as we know from the song lyrics of Los muchachos peronistas and Las muchachas peronistas, populist discourse was not always about an unified, undifferentiated working class fighting for social justice behind their leader. In fact, a language of social difference, such as gender, played an important role in defining populism and the different experiences of social justice. What are the other categories of social difference suggested in the Declaration, and how do these categories help us to better understand the nature of populism?
Part III (1-2 pages) 20%
Imagine that Eva Perón, wife and aide to President Perón and president of the Fundación Eva Perón, issued an addendum to the Declaration during a public rally for women in Buenos Aires. Draft a five-point corollary to the Declaration, using a language that would be consistent with Eva's position as president of the Fundación Eva Perón, with her role as General Perón's "captain," and with her own relationship to "the people."