HIS441H1

The Politics of Race in Latin America

The course explores the histories of race-making in Latin America from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. Students will investigate the long-lasting impacts of slavery and colonialism in Latin America and how these processes shaped nation-building, social and economic inequalities, and popular political mobilization. It moves chronologically from the colonial period to nation-building discourses in the nineteenth century, and authoritarian regimes in the twentieth century to prepare students for theoretical discussions on race. Some of the themes explored are law, class and gender, social movements, and intellectual/academic production. Students interested in race in the North American contexts will find the politics of race in Latin America as a generative point of contrast and comparison.