“A hedge against revolution". Disney and the Good Neighbor Policy in Bolivia
Abstract
During World War II, the United States launched an ambitious propaganda film program in Latin America through the Office of Inter-American Affairs (OIAA). Disney cartoons were at the center of this program and were screened with portable projectors throughout Latin America, including in countries considered peripheral, such as Bolivia. The study of the Bolivian case reveals that the United States pursued a hegemonic strategy in Latin America under the guise of the Good Neighbor Policy. By a subtle and politically accepted measure, the OIAA sought to influence both elites and the general population. But its audience was not passive; it actively solicited Disney films.Downloads
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