This thesis analyzes the political essays of critically-acclaimed and best-selling Colombian author William Ospina (b. March 2, 1954) within the context of the contemporary political Spanish American essays published post 1989. Taking into account his original Romantic answer to the Spanish American left ideological crisis at the end of the 20th century, and the debate which arose among his commentators on the merits of his rhetorical and argumentative techniques used to justify his theses, I examine Ospina´s main political essays using Belgian philosopher Chaïm Perelman's argumentation theory. I claim that, despite his prominence as one of Colombia´s public opinion leaders and most politically engaged intellectuals, his originality within recent Spanish American essay and thought, and the relevance of his warnings against modern society's biggest problems and contradictions, the author’s controversial rhetoric and argumentation fell short of supporting his critique of Western civilization and promoting his Romantic alternatives to current problems. I also claim that Ospina's preference for certain argumentative devices results in literary texts which struggle between the essay and the pamphlet, and oversimplifies the Romantic ideas he tries to defend. Finally, my work has allowed me to point out the lack of academic studies and concrete textual analysis on Ospina´s essays and literary works, the recent Spanish American essay after 1989, and the study of the Spanish American essay’s argumentative purpose, structure and techniques, making this study a first step in the further development of these fields.

In this dissertation, I address the relationship between the content and design of governmental websites and the ideological interests of the overseeing political administrations. Three case studies contrast the contemporary political climates in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Republic of Colombia, and the United Stastes with the form and function of their respective military recruitment homepages. Through a semiotic, and specifically multimodal lens, I aim to determine to what degree there is evidence of the governing poltical party’s ideological perspective on the websites. To accomplish this task, each case study is introduced by a brief contemporary history in order to provide a summary of key political events within state. Each case study then includes a detailed analysis of 3-4 governmental homepages. Within those analyses, a comprehensive multimodal analysis is conducted for the most evocative content on each homepage. Finally, conclusions are reached for each case study, paying special attention to the content found along the reading path.

[À l'origine dans / Was originally part of : Thèses et mémoires - FAS - Département de littératures et de langues modernes] / Ce mémoire de maîtrise a pour objectif de réaliser l’analyse de l’œuvre La Trilogía de Urabá des cinéastes colombiens Marta Rodríguez et Fernando Restrepo en considérant la notion de « mémoire » et comment celle-ci se développe dans ces documentaires à travers des témoignages et des pratiques culturelles comme les chroniques chantées, le dessin et la danse. Dans les films qui composent la trilogie, la mémoire se présente comme un mécanisme de résistance contre la violence subie par la population civile pendant le conflit armé en Colombie, époque durant laquelle la population civile a été sans cesse massacrée et forcée à abandonner son territoire. Notre analyse considère notamment le rôle que les documentaires attribuent aux femmes afro-colombiennes dans la construction de la mémoire culturelle et historique, étant donné que leurs témoignages dévoilent leur grand effort de résistance contre la violence. En second lieu, notre analyse vise à montrer comment La Trilogía de Urabá inscrit la mémoire culturelle dans la mémoire historique colombienne. / In this master's thesis we examine a trilogy of documentary films entitled: La Trilogía de Urabá by Colombian filmmakers Marta Rodriguez and Fernando Restrepo, and consider how “memory” is developed in these documentaries through testimonies and cultural practices such as sung chronicles, drawing and dance. In this trilogy, memory appears as a mechanism of resistance against widespread violence suffered by millions during the armed conflict in Colombia, a period in which civilians were massacred and forced to abandon their lands. Our analysis highlights the role of Afro-Colombian women in the construction of historical and cultural memory, and displays how their testimonies constitute acts of resistance against violence. In addition, this thesis shows how La Trilogía de Urabá inscribes cultural memory into the collective Colombian historical memory. / Esta memoria tiene como principal objetivo analizar la obra La Trilogía de Urabá de los documentalistas Marta Rodríguez y Fernando Restrepo considerando la noción de “memoria” y cómo ésta se desarrolla en ella a través de testimonios y prácticas culturales (crónicas cantadas, dibujo y danza). En las cintas que componen la trilogía, la memoria se presenta como una forma de resistencia contra la violencia sufrida por la población civil durante los años de conflicto armado en Colombia, época en la que la población civil fue repetidamente masacrada y forzada a abandonar sus territorios. Nuestro análisis considera especialmente el papel que los documentales otorgan a las mujeres afro-colombianas en la construcción de la memoria cultural e histórica, pues sus testimonios revelan su importante labor de resistencia contra la violencia. En segundo lugar, nuestro análisis apunta a cómo La Trilogía de Urabá inscribe esta memoria cultural en la memoria histórica colombiana.

abstract: This dissertation proposes a re-evaluation of the films of Caliwood—a close-knit group of film fanatics who produced socially-minded independent cinema in Cali, Colombia—and the group’s contribution towards a national film industry. Focusing primarily on the works of Luis Ospina and Carlos Mayolo during the period ranging between 1971 and 1991, this study analyzes six key films—Oiga vea! (1972), Cali de Película (1973), Agarrando Pueblo (1977), Pura Sangre (1982), Carne de tu carne (1983)—which showcase the evolution of the group’s production from experimental documentaries to pseudo-documentaries and fictional films. Additionally, It All Started at the End (2015) is analyzed because it is the last film produced by Luis Ospina and it showcases the history of the group from his own perspective. In totality, these films represent a political stance derived from the tenets of the Third Cinema movement—a call for a revolutionary cinema which reverberated throughout Latin America—which denounces neocolonialism, the capitalist system, and the Hollywood model of cinema as mere entertainment for profit. Furthermore, this comprehensive analysis of Caliwood’s films covers a representative sample of their film legacy, as well as their critique of socio-political and cultural issues in Colombia. The reflections yielded from this study propose a reframing of Colombian film history and acknowledges the importance of Ospina’s and Mayolo’s contribution to the development of a “national” film tradition in Colombia. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Spanish 2020

While the increasing importance of water security has been widely recognised, little is known about why and when water is likely to become the target of rebel groups in civil war. This study aims to contribute to this knowledge gap and asks the question: Why do non-state actors sometimes weaponise water? Based on bargaining theory and insights from terrorism literature, this study contends that military necessity and political costs constitute the dilemma that a rebel group faces in deciding whether or not to weaponise water. Hence, the more a rebel group is faced with a need to pressure the government, the more likely the rebel group is to target water systems when the political costs are low. Through a qualitative case study involving process tracing and structured focused comparison, this thesis explores the suggested hypothesis for the case of the FARC in the Colombian conflict by comparing two periods of peace negotiations during 1991-1992 and 1998-2002. The findings suggest that political costs are a critical factor while military necessity seems of less importance in the decision to weaponise or not to weaponise. Future research is warranted and this study suggests several directions.

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Antonio María Valencia (1902-1952) was one of the leading Colombian composers, pianists, and educators of his generation. His Dúo en forma de sonata (1926) for violin and piano serves as an early example of the composer's aesthetic. According to the programmatic description he sent to his mother, the Dúo depicts Valencia's "indelible impressions" of his homeland. Through structural and harmonic analysis, I examine the piece in relation to the composer's informal programmatic description. The analysis argues that the work poetically re-creates the landscape of Valencia's birthplace region through an international language, devoid of Colombian folk rhythms and melodies. Valencia proposes a different perspective on Colombian music as an alternative to the use of folk-based music elements that were predominant to Colombian music during his lifetime.

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