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.