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“This syllabus provides a list of resources for teaching and learning about the current economic crisis in Puerto Rico. Our goal is to contribute to the ongoing public dialogue and rising social activism regarding the debt crisis by providing historical and sociological tools with which to assess its roots and its repercussions. The materials gathered help place the current moment within the larger political, social, and economic history of this U.S. territory and illuminate how both the crisis and its proposed solutions are impacting the daily lives of millions of Puerto Ricans both within the territory and across its growing diaspora.

“Each topic has a few key texts along with some primary documents and multimedia and at times suggestions for further reading. We have included texts in both English and Spanish in order to make this syllabus as accessible as possible to different audiences and are working towards a fully bilingual version. We realize that the topic of debt is intimidating for many, so we we have sought to provide a carefully curated portal with various points of entry, along with a longer extended bibliography that will continue to grow with your suggestions. We hope these materials can help make sense of a context that is still unfolding and which is yet to be fully historicized and analyzed. As events continue to unfold, we expect this syllabus to continue evolving and welcome suggestions emailed to us at PRSyllabus@gmail.com or by using the hashtag #PRSyllabus on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites.

“This project emerges from synergies between the Unpayable Debt working group at Columbia University convened by Frances Negrón-Muntaner and Sarah Muir, and syllabus project leaders Yarimar Bonilla, Marisol Lebrón and Sarah Molinari. The goal of the working group is to raise critical questions about the role of debt in contemporary capitalism; the relationship between debt, migration, and violence; and the emergence of new political and cultural identities. #PRSyllabus is the first in a series of three syllabi on the theme of debt that Unpayable Debt will release between 2017 to 2018 in response to the crippling effect on debt on various regions of the world, including Detroit, the Caribbean, Argentina, and Greece….”

Explore: Puerto Rico Syllabus – Essential tools for critical thinking about the Puerto Rican debt crisis