The State and the Individual in Latin America:

Margaret Crahan’s “The State and the Individual in Latin America: A Historical Overview” summarizes the relationship between the government and the rights of its citizens over time.  I found it fascinating to be presented with a chronological assessment of how the changing political structure in Latin America has determined and affected the way in which rights are granted to Latinoamericanos.  It seems that Latin America’s colonial heritage led to a highly bureaucratic system meant to satisfy goals of the elite with very limited political involvement or rights of the majority.  I found it again hideous, just as in de La Casa’s writing, the description of the indigenous peoples being less able to act morally. 

Crahan continues to mentions that during the Neocolonial state military became emphasized and rights were limited not because of direct action of the government but because people lacked influence on politics.  She also writes that during the development of the modern state, the violation of civil rights and the worsening of the conditions of the poor were viewed as justified by the need to restructure society for growth.  Overall, this paper re-emphasized that the acknowledgement of rights depends heavily on the political structure and ideology of the reigning political power.