Last semester, I took a class called Decolonial Philosophy with Dr. McBride. The first two weeks of the course we spent talking about how different regions had wildly different histories with colonization that shaped current world economies, political structures, and social hierarchies. Therefore, the process of decolonization in each of these regions began differently and should still be approached differently. As a class taking place in the United States, we spent a lot of time talking about how decolonial philosophy affects our lives in the US. I look forward to spending a semester specifically focusing on the colonial history of Latin America.

A big theme of that class was on the definition of “man”, as defined by western hegemonic powers. Sylvia Wynter said that the original definition of “man” was a Christian-European man and that allowed for the dehumanization of the rest of the world. She then says the definition changed with what we now call eugenics. This changing definition of what it meant to be human affected the way imperialism developed in the 19th century. In my last class with Professor Holt, Latin America & the US, we talked about how ethnic and economic classes looked different in colonial Latin American than in the rest of the world. I want to learn more about how people were categorized and defined by colonial powers in Latin America and where we can see remnants of these ideologies today.

Last semester I took the course Readings in Latin America/ Spanish 224. A majority of the readings that were assigned for that class had to do with the topic of colonization of Latin America. We specifically discussed Bartolome de Las Casas and Sepulveda, and their arguments for and against colonizing Latin America. I found this portion of the class to be extremely interesting, and I’d love to learn more about their impact on colonial Latin America.

On a different note, I am studying abroad this spring in Argentina. The program that I am participating in is called Social Movements and Human Rights in Argentina. I thought that with taking this class I would better understand the history of Latin America as a whole, and specifically Argentina. Therefore, a research topic relating to Argentinian historical social movements would be a great fit for me.

One historical event I am interested in learning more about is the Túpac Amaru Rebellion that occurred in Peru in the late eighteenth century. I took an interest in this rebellion last spring, after it was discussed in Dr. Welsch’s History 201 course Rulers & Rebels in European Empires. I would love to investigate this event more deeply because Túpac Amaru II, despite his upper-class position in society, helped to spark an uprising against Spain. I am also interested in looking at the high levels of both colonial and rebel violence during this time. Overall, I am curious about the motivations of various people that were involved and — after learning more about this event — I hope to identify parallels between the actions, reactions, and incentives of the Túpac Amaru Rebellion and other uprisings that have occurred in Latin America.

Another idea I am interested in exploring is how indigenous peoples were represented in written texts, especially those from the late medieval period. I found the first chapter of Anthony Grafton’s New Worlds, Ancient Texts: The Power of Tradition and the Shock of Discovery to be fascinating because I love learning about the Middle Ages. Furthermore, Grafton’s discussion of scholarly perspectives piqued my interest, so that I now wish to learn more about this topic. Ultimately, I would love to learn more about medieval perspectives as they are presented within a variety of written works.

Throughout my years in school, Latin America is one topic that was not covered much. A few of my history classes may have skimmed the topic, but we never went in depth. This is the main reason why I decided to take this class. First and foremost, I would like to learn about the people who comprise Latin America. I would like to learn about their rich histories and various different Latin American cultures.

Another topic I would like to learn about is the interactions between Native Americans and the Europeans. I have mostly only seen these interactions from the European perspective, so I think it would be interesting to see it from a different point of view. I want to know what life was like for these individuals before the arrival of the Europeans and how much life has changed since their arrival.

Throughout my academic career I have spent very little time learning about Latin America which was my main motivation for taking this class. I vaguely remember reading about the conquistadors in elementary school but we never went into the specifics. I am hoping that in this class I will be able to expand my knowledge of Latin America, its culture and how colonization has influenced modern life in the region. I look forward to reading accounts from both Natives and europeans to hopefully paint a full picture of the events that took place.

Most of my little knowledge about colonial Latin American history was told by the point of view of the conquistadors and others who invaded the region giving me a false impression of the damage that they caused. This course will hopefully change that and give multiple accounts about the colonization of Latin America. Finally, I am looking forward to learning about how colonization may have influenced the modern culture in Latin America, what if any were the positive impacts and what were the negative impacts.

One of the reasons I decided to take this class was because I feel that we are taught only about North America during the time of colonization in the New World. I would like to learn about colonization in Latin America and how it differed from more Northern parts of America. How the native cultures were affected and how the newcomers responded to these new people seems like it could be very different compared. When I think of Native Americans and how they faired, unfortunately, a lot of cultures was lost and they were pushed and forced to live on smaller and smaller reservations. I would like to learn about how the cultures of the natives in South and Latin America faired when faced with the conquistadors, how much survived, how it survived, and partly how the present South and Latin America view these native cultures now.

Along the same lines of culture, I would also like to learn how the cultures of the New World natives and the culture of the colonizers mixed. Like what parts were shared and continued to be included in each other’s cultures. For example, I know that Catholicism is still very prevalent across South and Latin America. But what other aspects combined with each other. We can learn how South and Latin America is a unique place becuase of the cultural combinations from this period of time. I would also like to see what still remains as common practice today.

Latin America is one of those areas of the world that I have encountered multiple times throughout my life, but have never understood well. As a history major, my focus has mainly been in areas across the Atlantic. I feel that, by taking this course, I will gain a more well-rounded understanding of the Americas, especially Central and South America. For my research project, I am interested in trade networks and how different societies managed diplomatic relations over land, across the Carribean, and with Europeans.

Some questions I might ask are: was there a specific society, like the Aztecs, Mayans, Incas etc., who dominated trade and commerce? If so, how did they do so? When and for how long? These are all preliminary questions, but they could be questions I ask in the final project. I might also delve into the ways Europeans began trading with the indigenous populations and how trade or gift-giving became a way to spark dialogue. Was it a prejudiced system meant to take advantage of the indigenous people? Or were there some instances where Europeans were just interested in learning about foreign societies outside of a colonial context?

As a Theatre major in a research-oriented program and with a plan to pursue directing, I am interested in learning not only the historical facts behind many of what we call “conquest narratives” in Latin American theatrical traditions, but the impact that colonialism has/had on the spread of Latin American cultural traditions in performance. I think that the concept of “high art” versus “low art” are informed by who the supposed winners and losers of history were. This in and of itself is important when considering the study of these performance traditions.

I will be the first to admit fault in the performing arts and arts academia in being Eurocentrically aligned. If you still don’t believe me, tell me why you probably can’t name any plays written by not only Latine people, but people of color beyond the tokens that are included in the curriculum, forced by the rise of exceptional liberalism in education? I’ll wait. My goal is to focus on historical research in addressing the misrepresentations of “low art” (sometimes lovingly called, “folk art” by well-meaning white people) and realigning the theatrical narrative to refocus on a transcultural Theatre. This, in turn, should inform creators and practitioners to create more meaningful, historically accurate content that speaks to more than just wealthy white folk.

Latin America holds a wide variety of history that I have not yet learned or been exposed to. I am excited to immerse myself in a new culture and land that I have not yet previously explored. I would like to learn about the development of the many urban centers of the region. I have heard that most of the citizens live in urban centers and I am interested to learn how this occurred. I am looking to redefine the way I look at colonialism as well. I have always approached colonialism as occurring in the United States only. My past history courses have always defined Colonialism as Europeans coming to the United States and hardly, if ever, mentioned Latin America. I am excited to change and broaden my understanding of the topic as it pertains to a different country and culture!

I would also like to learn about women in Colonial Latin America and how their lives were shaped and impacted from the start of sailing over from Europe to the development of the society. I would like to learn how women were treated; if they were seen as equal in any sense of the word or if they had to be submissive to men. I wonder about the roles of women, in Latin American society, were. I also would like to learn about the development of the government system(s) used throughout Latin America. I wonder what influenced government formation and if they are structurally sound governments.

One of the major areas of Colonial Latin American History that I am interested in, and would like to learn more about throughout this semester is race relations. For example, I’m interested in learning about the history of how different areas navigated biracial children, and how racial hierarchies differed across regions.  I am also interested in learning about how racial hierarchies that were developed during the Colonial Era have affected modern race relations throughout Latin America. Specifically, I’d like to explore how slavery as an institution in Latin America created a hierarchy different from that of the institution of slavery in North America.

Along these same lines, I am particularly interested in learning about the Haitian Revolution. Although this Revolution was the first successful anti-slavery and anti-colonial revolution in the world, I know very little about it. I’m interested in learning about the precipitating factors, but also about how this Revolution shaped Hispaniola, particularly in regard to race relations on the island. While I know some about El Corte in the 1900s from previous courses, I’m interested in learning about how and if its roots can traced back to racial tensions that developed following the Haitian Revolution.