Indigenous and African Peoples in Colonial Latin America

Catalog description

This course provides an introductory survey of the social, cultural, political and economic history of colonial Latin America, from the late pre-Columbian period to the early independence period. Lesson plans and discussions will consider the diverse ethnic and gendered backgrounds of Indigenous and African peoples and trace the convergence of cultures and ethnicities that have shaped the Latin American landscape. Subsequent discussions will look at post-conquest society, while outlining the manner in which colonial Latin America was connected with Atlantic and global developments. Lesson plans will analyze the historical voices of Indigenous and African peoples in Latin America, recognizing them as historical actors who at times transcended, negotiated, or contested colonial regimes. The course explores how Indigenous and African peoples resisted and adapted to an exploitative and extractive Iberian colonial regime and economy. While the course is organized chronologically, lesson plans and discussions will also analyze larger thematic frameworks, such as conflict and adaptation, labor systems, race, gender, and religion. Additionally, this course will call attention to the daily interactions between various racial, gendered, and economic groups to determine how ordinary people negotiated, countered, and resisted the basic social and economic parameters of colonial regimes. The course emphasizes the perseverance and recreation of Indigenous and African based cultures and societies.