Tales of the Amazon

Catalog description

This course examines the many ways the Amazon-the world;s most biodiverse region, spanning nine countries-has been imagined and represented, from a "green hell" that consumes explorers to a realm of enchanted beings like the giant snake Cobra Grande and the pink river dolphin, and from the mythical El Dorado to industrial utopias and environmental dystopias. We will explore how extractive activities and deforestation have shaped the region, while also highlighting its role as a cradle of indigenous epistemologies, technologies, and medicines, and as a space of encounter between humans and countless other forms of life. Materials include novels, films, photography, documentaries, songs visual art, and travelogues. The class is conducted in Spanish.