Latinskaya Amerika

This article examines narratives that highlight the transformation of the foundations of Brazilian national identity, which manifest at the level of political decisions, legislative initiatives, and public discourse. Public strategies concerning collective memory, particularly commemoration practices, are considered as fundamental elements in constructing collective identity. Using the methodological tools of memory studies, the article identifies memory frameworks formed around two dates in Brazil's holiday calendar, both tied to the shared historical theme of slavery abolition—a pivotal event shaping modern Brazil.

While the May 13 holiday conveys a narrative of national reconciliation and unity by emphasizing the efforts of abolitionists and the political gesture of Brazil's monarchy in voluntarily abolishing slavery, Black Consciousness Day on November 20 focuses on the resistance of enslaved people themselves, imbuing the date with heroic and partly mythologized content.

These commemorative practices reflect two mutually exclusive national identity projects constructed around the category of race. The first is based on the ideology of racial democracy, which centers on the theory that the Brazilian people emerged from a harmonious process of miscegenation. In contrast, the second project, rooted in the concept of Black consciousness, attributes a distinct identity to descendants of African slaves, positioning them as claimants to a unique national status.

Aim. This article aims to examine Cuba’s medical diplomacy in historical retrospect and at the present stage.

Methods. The study is based on an interdisciplinary approach. When working with scientific literature methods of critical and comparative analysis are applied. The author also analyzes the primary sources – documents of international organizations, government papers, statistical data, statements and speeches by officials, media publications, etc.

Results. The development of Cuban medical internationalism in the 20^th century is characterized. The changes in the 21^st century are revealed, when the health services exports are becoming a driver of economic growth and a key tool of soft power, bringing political dividends. Assessments of Cuban medical diplomacy are systematized. Possible options for Havana’s further actions in the context of the ongoing confrontation with Washington are discussed.

Conclusion. Based on the results of the study, it is concluded that through cooperation in healthcare Cuba accumulates symbolic capital, which contributes to improving its international image, primarily in the Global South. At the same time, there is a clear tendency towards commercialization of health services, so the question of further development of Cuban medical diplomacy remains open.

Bolivia's independence was won as a result of years of war, in which the liberation campaign of the Simon Bolivar and Antonio José Sucre armies was the final chord. The right of Upper Peru to an independent state existence was won not only by fighting Spanish troops, but also in a complex diplomatic confrontation with the claims of neighboring countries to the territory. The last period of the War of Independence was characterized by the complete collapse of all colonial structures, including the army. As a result of internal struggles within the royalist ranks in Upper Peru, an internecine “house war” began that dealt a mortal blow to colonial rule in Upper Peru. This article covers the events leading up to Bolivia's declaration of independence, in which the liberators Bolivar and Sucre played a major role. The positions of the leaders of the liberation armies, the local elite, and the governments of neighboring countries are analyzed. As a result, Bolivia became an independent country, despite the opposition of Bolivar, the Peruvian authorities and part of the local elite.

The article examines the role of the Council of Ministers in Spain during the period of early Francoism (1939–1957). The author analyzes how the dictator, despite formally holding absolute power, maintained a balance among various political groups (the Falangists, Carlists, Catholics, Monarchists) through the distribution of ministerial portfolios and the structure of the state apparatus. Particular attention is given to the functions of the government as a tool for elite control, the neutralization of opposition, and the creation of the illusion of participation in power. Drawing on legislative acts and ministers’ memoirs, the study reveals the contradiction between the formal centralization of authority and the practical autonomy of individual ministries.

Field researches, realized in 2013-2024 in Guatemala, allowed to identify the causes and prerequisites for the special religious behavior of Maya-speaking communities, observed in recent decades. For the first time in historiography it is analyzed how historical events and local syncretic beliefs, combined with the traditional kinship system, have lead Maya-speaking indigenous communities to religious, economic and social “encapsulation”, as well as the formation of a specific identity.

The reviewed book (written by Andrey Varlamov) is the result of a study of the biography of an amazing person Georgy Vladimirovich Tsebrikov, a writer, a priest, a white emigrant, a diplomat and, very likely, an illegal intelligence officer. He played a key role in organizing Mikhail Borodin's mission to Mexico in 1919 (and not only in this). The author, based his research on previously unknown archival documents and literature, and was able to explore the vicissitudes of the life of G.V.Tsebrikov (known also as Jorge Villardo), showing various interpretations of complex episodes of his relationship with the Comintern, diplomacy, the White immigrant community, the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. The author has successfully restored unknown episodes of the interwar history of Soviet Russia, Mexico, Spain and a number of other countries.