Dr. Ingrid Robyn, TR 12:30-1:45, Andrews Hall 109 (Guzman Family Classroom)
ETHN/SPAN 313: Race & Empire in Latin America will focus on the issue of race and empire in the Hispanic world since the beginning of modernity to our current era of global capitalism. Our premise is that modernity emerges from three interconnected events: the genocide of Indigenous peoples of the Americas (and elsewhere); the colonization of their territory by European powers; and the massive enslavement of African peoples, forcibly displaced as one of the pillars of European imperialism. We will study how that history is reflected in the cultural production from and on Latin America in order to understand our current historical predicament.
The goal of this course is ambitious. We are set to study one of the most culturally diverse regions of the world in the span of four centuries. Because of this, we will read many historical texts, although this is not a history course, but a class about literature and culture. We will also read many firsthand accounts of the conquest, genocide, and enslavement that happen in Latin America during those centuries, as well as texts that speak about the resistances, insurrections, and rebellions that show us a different path forward, for the creation of a world that is not based on the domination of the other, but rather a world where many worlds can co-exist. We will study the origins of the concepts of race and empire in the 15th and 16th century Spain, the legacy of the worldview of many Indigenous peoples, the spiritual and cultural resistance of the enslaved peoples, and the articulation of other forms of knowledge that question Western rationality within what we call Hispanic Culture.
Prerequisites: SPAN 305 or 306. (Please consult the instructor, Dr. Ingrid Robyn at irobyn2@unl.edu, if you feel you might qualify without having completed the prerequisites. The course will be conducted in Spanish.)