Courses

This course is intended to offer a survey of the history of a complex and vast region through two centuries. In order to balance the specificity of particular histories and larger processes common to the region, units will start with a general presentation of the main questions and will be followed by lectures devoted to single countries, regions, or themes. Readings, lectures and discussions will center on politics, society and culture. We will look closely at the formation of class, ethnic and gender identities, the struggle around state formation and the increasing links between Latin America and other regions of the world. We will stress the local dimension of these processes: the specific actors, institutions and experiences that shaped the diversity and commonalities of Latin American societies. The assignments, discussion sections and lectures are intended to introduce students to the key conceptual problems and the most innovative historical research on the region and to encourage their own critical reading of Latin American history.