What can we learn from Argentina’s late 20th century crises, its social movements and their struggle for human rights? As the whole world pays attention to Occupy Wall Street protests and incipient proposals, Purchase College offers an intensive summer program in Buenos Aires that focuses on innovative social, political and artistic organizations that emerged in messy and aching times of Argentina’s late 20th century. These moments are the so-called dirty war (1976-1983), when the “military social cleansing” left 30,000 disappeared; and the 2001 crisis, when, after having been the poster child of the International Monetary Fund and neoliberal reforms, Argentina’s economy collapsed leaving millions unemployed and below the poverty line. These two moments of profound crisis resemble, to a certain extent, the current global crisis, so vividly manifested in the United States, and on Wall Street. But despite its timeliness, the program does not aim at “quick recipes for fast activism.” With experiential learning in the field and theoretical reflection in the classroom, the program explores situated activism, or how activists envisioned hopeful futures to make sense and overcome traumatic contexts. As such, it is a window to study Argentina’s late 20th century history, and collective processes of memory and change.

The three weeks program, recognized with the Chancellor’s Award for Internationalization, gives seven credits in two complementary classes: one in sociology and one in literature and art. Besides the small size classes the program includes experiential learning in human rights organizations, social economy workplaces (known as recovered factories), housing grassroots cooperatives, and art collectives.

There is plenty of time to explore the pleasures of Buenos Aires, a beautiful city, and famous for its local cuisine, cultural offerings, nightlife and tango. The program also offers the opportunity to visit the Museum of Memory, the Malba Museum of Modern Latin American Art, the historic neighborhoods of San Telmo and La Boca; to taste delicious “asados” (grilled beef or veggie alternatives), and to enjoy tango performances and classes.

No Spanish is required. All fieldtrips are translated by bilingual Professors Perera and Brudzinski.