| Unit name | African Presence in Latin America: Nation and Representation |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HISP20100 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Peters |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit focuses on the contribution of African-descended people to the histories, cultures and societies of Latin America from slavery to the present day. Emphasis is on an interdisciplinary and critical engagement with official discourse in national identity formation contrasted with the lived experience of blackness. Through the systematic comparison of several cases, the unit discusses how ideas of race and nation in Latin America have shaped opportunities for mobilisation and public policies. We will also explore the processes of formation and transformation of Afro-Latin cultures and their connections to a wider hemispheric identity. Countries to be explored include Cuba, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Mexico.
By the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. demonstrate broad knowledge and critical understanding of the key issues related to the presence of African-descended peoples in Latin America.
2. respond in a rigorous and analytical manner to the debates raised by the unit and to interrogate these critically.
3. engage in close analysis of literary and visual sources.
4. show a critical awareness of theoretical scholarship on race and nation and be able to explain it in written form as appropriate to level I.
5. carry out independent research appropriate to level I.
1 weekly lecture and 1 weekly seminar hour
One essay of 2000 words (50%), testing ILOs 1-5, and one 2-hour exam (50%), testing ILOs 1-4.
Books
Alejandro de la Fuente, A Nation for All: Race, Inequality, and Politics in Twentieth-Century Cuba, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press (2001)
George Reid Andrews, Afro-Latin-America, 1800-2000, Harvard: Harvard University Press (2004)
Laurence Prescott, Without Hatreds and Fears: Jorge Artel and the Struggle for Black Literary Expression in Colombia, Detriot: Wayne State University Press (2000)
Ernesto Sagas, Race and Politics in the Dominican Republic, Gainesville: University Press of Florida(2000)
Emanuelle Oliveira, Writing Identity: The Politics of Contemporary Afro-Brazilian Literature, Indiana: Purdue University Press (2008)
Films
Carlos Diegues, Quilombo (1984)
Sergio Giral, El otro Francisco (1974)
Sara Gómez, De cierta maneira (1974)
Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Rio Zona Norte (1957)
Poetry
Jorge Artel, Tambores en la noche : poesia, Bogotá : Ministerio de Cultura (2010)
Nicolás Guillén,, Obra poética. [2], 1958-1972, La Habana : Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (1974)
Nancy Morejón, Black Woman and Other Poems, London: Mango Publishing (2001)
