DESARROLLO Y LÍMITES DE LA HISTORIA LATINOAMERICANA EN COREA DEL NORTE

Abstract

This paper explores North Korea’s links with the Third World, particularly with Latin America, through its historiography. By analyzing historical works, the paper describes the relationship between political changes in the peninsular country and the development of North Korean historiography about Latin America. The selected works are relevant insofar as they are dogmatic products at the service of North Korean state-building: The Dictionary of History (Ryeoksasajeon) and some articles in Historical Science Journals (Ryeoksagwahak) and Annals of Kim Il-Sung University (Kimilsŏngjonghaptaehak hakbo). To this end, an account is first given of the links of anticolonialist historiography in North Korea with postcolonial theory. This is followed by an analysis of its treatment of Latin America in the era of decolonization and a description of the changes accompanying the last decade of the 20th century. The paper reveals the consequences of a close relationship between political power and historiography, with efforts to overcome colonialist historiography through historical materialism and Juche ideology. Likewise, its view of Latin America is limited by dichotomous interpretations centered on the view of the peninsular country.