Drug War in the Americas

Catalog description

How did nations in the Western Hemisphere come to wage a War on Drugs? In this course, we will study the political and social history of drug production, trade, prohibition, and deterrence in the Americas. We will examine the origins of the international narcotics trade, focusing of the cultivation, commodification, and consumption of marijuana, cocaine, and opiates—three drugs that have seen the greatest consumer use in the Americas. We will consider how Latin American countries, including Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, became sites of cultivation and export for these substances. Through a sustained examination of primary sources and secondary literature, we will trace the rise of narcotrafficking networks and their relationship to state policies of prohibition and deterrence, studying how criminalization and militarization have impacted communities in countries where these substances are cultivated, transported, and consumed. We will consider the many consequences of the War on Drugs, which include state violence, prison expansion, community displacement, and the erosion of democratic institutions, among others. We will analyze how Latin American governments and civil societies have both collaborated with and resisted US counternarcotics efforts and how the War on Drugs has intersected with issues of race, class, and national sovereignty. In the concluding sessions, students will explore concepts and policies such as decriminalization, harm reduction, and regional self-determination, prompting them to consider possible contemporary alternatives to the War on Drugs. World War II in Europe: A Cultural History