CLHUMHI005 - Latin America: Highlights of Politics and Cultural History

Renowned cultural historian Nicolas Shumway, Ph.D., provides a sweeping overview of the history, politics and culture of Latin America, from Hernán Cortés and Pedro Álvares Cabral to the Cold War and contemporary political, religious and social movements. This course shares seven keys to cultivate an understanding of the countries and cultures of Latin America, including the annihilation of the Caribbean Indigenous, the conquest of Mexico, the role of the church in the imperial projects of Spain and Portugal, differences and similarities between the development of Spanish-America and Luso-America (Brazil), relationships between the United States and Latin America, the influence of religion in contemporary Latin America, and the progress and challenges of recent decades. Case studies of key figures illuminate each period including a Spanish knight, a conquistador, political and military leaders, a Mexican nun and poet, and a Brazilian emperor—ordinary and extraordinary people who shaped the Latin America we know today.

Course Details

Nicolas Shumway, Ph.D., is Frances Moody Newman Professor Emeritus of Spanish at Rice University. Before retiring, he served as dean of humanities from 2010 to 2018. Previously, he taught at Yale University, where he chaired the Latin American Studies program for three years and directed the Yale Spanish language program for eight years. Later in his career, Dr. Shumway served as director of The University of Texas at Austin (UT) Teresa Lozano Long Institute for Latin American Studies for 11 years and chair of the UT Department of Spanish and Portuguese for three years. Dr. Shumway has published and lectured widely on Latin American literature and intellectual history throughout the Americas and in Europe. His book “The Invention of Argentina” was chosen as “a notable book of the year” by The New York Times. Dr. Shumway holds a doctoral degree in Hispanic languages and literatures from the University of California, Los Angeles.

On Campus
This course will be delivered on campus / in person. Parking and room information will be sent prior to the class start date.

First Encounters: Indigenous, Europeans and Enslaved Africans in the New World.
- Focus: Nicolás de Ovando and Bartolomé de las Casas
The Conquest of Mexico, the Foundations of a Hybrid Society, and Colonial Arts and Letters.
- Focus: Fray Bernardino de Sahagún and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
Independence, Liberalism and Nation Formation.
- Focus: Simón Bolívar and Domingo Faustino Sarmiento
The Brazilian Difference and the Mexican Revolution.
- Focus: Dom Pedro II, Porfirio Díaz and the rise of the PRI
The Rise of Populism and Relations Between the United States and Latin America Between Independence and the Cold War.
- Focus: Dependency theory, Juan Domingo Perón and Eva Duarte de Perón
Revolution, Liberation Theology, the Cold War and the Dirty Wars.
- Focus: The Cuban Revolution, Rigoberta Menchú and Augusto Pinochet
The Restoration of Democracy, the New Populism and Current Challenges to Liberal Democracy.
- Focus: Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Hugo Chávez, and Andrés Manuel López Obrador

Department of Modern and Classical Literatures and Cultures, Rice University

Thank you for your interest in this program. Unfortunately, this course is either full or not currently accepting registrations.