Women s contributions to the process of nation-building in Latin America will be studied, not only during Spanish and Portuguese colonialism, but also during major 20 th century revolutions, such as the Mexican, Cuban and Nicaraguan Revolutions. We will also analyze women s involvement in various social movements, such as in Chile and Argentina, and the class will explore methods of popular mobilizations. The course will consider concepts of ethnicity and race, and will highlight the participation of indigenous women and women of color in its explorations of Latin American women s identity. Gender will also be a key component of analysis throughout the course, as will women s position in a transnational environment, including the working conditions of women on the U.S.-Mexico border. The course will require active class participation and discussion by every student for each class, as well as several brief presentations and quizzes over the assigned readings.
Attendance is required for each session.
We will proceed both chronologically and topically, focusing on five or six dominant themes and significant historiographical issues, including the Reformation and religious diversity, overseas expansion and contact with non-European peoples, the witchcraft hysteria, ideologies and practices of absolutism, and Enlightenment and culture in the ancien regime. We will read select primary sources as well as traditional and revisionist works of cultural, intellectual, political, and religious historiography, and pay particular attention to constructions of identity in early modern Europe. Each student will lead discussion of one of the course readings. In addition, students will write one 8-10 page paper. For PhD, MA and MAT students.