Vinson Syllabus Atlantic History Seminar

Conceptualizing Race in Latin America: Historical Perspectives and Evolution
Barnard College
Professor Vinson
Spring 2001

Course Requirements and Description:

Race has been both a silent issue in Latin American societies, as well as a highly discussed topic
for debate in these countries, on par with the most impassioned discussions found in the United
States. This course explores the background for such a seemingly contradictory statement, and
places the Latin American discussion of race into an evolutionary, historical perspective. Focusing
primarily on the colonial period, the course traces the contours of racial discourse alongside the
royal government’s desire to maintain stiff separation between Spaniards, Indians, and African
slaves. The independent and shared colonial heritage of the Indian and black populations are
presented in detail. The impact of race mixture is assessed in the colonial framework.

With the articulation of independence in the 19th century, strides for nationhood in the new Latin American states helped define the social space that the region’s racial groups would occupy. Attention will be given as to how blacks, mestizos, and Indians fared in the transitional process from colony to statehood. Positivism, eugenics, and the search for "order and progress" led to different conceptualizations of individual racial heritages throughout the region, particularly at the outset of the 20th century. Some specific case examples will be examined. The development of racially/ethnically inspired social movements, as well as the emergence of African revival movements, brings into question the supposed harmony that has long been attributed to Latin American racial affairs. Although comprehensive in scope, this course gives special attention and emphasis to African-based populations and their racially mixed descendants.

Each student will be responsible for submitting a 5-8 page paper which will compare/contrast the themes of race and ethnicity in two books: Juan the Chamula and Child of the Dark. In addition to the term paper, there will be an in-class debate that will evaluate the work of José Vasconcelos. All students will submit a 1-2 page position paper on this book one day prior to the debate. The position paper will either support or reject the claims of the author. It is important to specify why you have chosen your stance, supported with evidence. These ideas will be articulated in more developed form during the debates. All position papers will be deposited in my mailbox at the History Department’s main office before 5 p.m. In addition to your written work, there will be both a mid-term and final exam in this course.

Class attendance is required. Much of the material presented in the lectures cannot be easily found in textbooks and monographs. Furthermore, the aim of the course is to build a critical framework by which to evaluate racial thought in Latin America. This means that many of the connections and interpretations presented in the lectures simply cannot be found elsewhere. Classroom insights, questions, and dialogue also factor into the overall learning process. Therefore, to be fully prepared for the exams, attendance and attentive note-taking are essential.

My policy on late submissions is simple. Except in the most serious of circumstances, late work will not be accepted. All unsubmitted work will receive a failing grade. Unexcused make-up exams will be dropped by a full letter-grade.

The grade distribution will be as follows: mid-term 20%, position paper and debate 10%, term paper 30%, final exam 40%.

Extra credit is available to those who choose to write a two-page movie review on either of the movies scheduled for this semester. Those writing on one movie will have the weight of their final exam reduced by 5%. Those writing on both movies will reduce the weight of both their final and mid-term exams by 5%. In turn, the grades given to the movie reviews will count for up to 10% of the your final grade, depending on how many movies you have chosen to write about.

Required Texts:

Required Books, available at Labyrinth Bookstore:
Juan the Chamula - Ricardo Pozas
Child of the Dark - Carolina Maria de Jesus
The Cosmic Race - José Vasconcelos
African Slavery in Latin America and the Caribbean - Herbert S. Klein (--Note that this book may
not be available in Labyrinth. Please use the copies on Reserve, both at Barnard College and at
Columbia University. The text is also being used for Latin American Civilization II, being taught
by Herbert Klein. This text should be found under his name).
Slavery and Beyond - Darién Davis, ed.
The Indian in Latin American History - John Kicza, ed.

Additional Reading on Reserve at Barnard College:
Race Mixture in the History of Latin America - Magnus Mörner
Race and Class in Latin America - Magnus Mörner, ed.
Slavery and Race Relations in Latin America - Robert Brent Toplin, ed.
Colonial Spanish America, A Documentary History - Kenneth Mills and William B. Taylor, eds.
The Idea of Race in Latin America - Richard Graham, ed.
Decline of the West - Oswald Spengler

All reading materials, including optional reading, will also be placed on reserve.

Lectures and Reading:

Section I: Jan. 16 - 25
Class Introduction - Race and Ethnicity, A Theoretical Framework

Section II: Jan. 25 - Feb. 13
Ideas of Pre-Columbian African Contact; African Slavery in Latin America, Black Slave Life
and Resistance
*Reading: African Slavery in Latin America and the Caribbean - Herb Klein, pgs. 21-88, 163-215,
Slavery and Beyond, Darién Davis, pgs. 1-28; (Optional Reading on Reserve: Colonial Spanish
America, A Documentary History - Kenneth Mills and William Taylor, pgs. 274-281). SPECIAL
EVENING SESSION: Movie: Cimarrones (30 min); or Quilombo (90 min).

Section III: Feb. 15 - March 1
Encounter the Indian - Aztec, Mayan, and Incan Society Under the Conquest
*Reading: The Indian in Latin American History - John Kicza, pgs. 1-68, 89-108; (Optional
Reading on Reserve: Colonial Spanish America, A Documentary History - Kenneth Mills and
William Taylor, pgs. 81-89).

March 6: MIDTERM!!!!!

Section IV: March 8 - 29
Colonial Race Mixture
*Reading (on Reserve): Race Mixture in the History of Latin America - Magnus Mörner, pgs. 1-9,
21-73. (Optional Reading on Reserve: Colonial Spanish America, A Documentary History -
Kenneth Mills and William Taylor, pgs. 147-149, 178-184, 322-327).

**March 10 - 18 SPRING BREAK !!! Relax, but keep working!!!

Section V: April 3 - 10
The Racial Effects of Independence
*Reading (on Reserve): Race and Class in Latin America - Magnus Mörner, pgs. 11-59. (Optional
Reading on Reserve: Race and Class in Latin America - Magnus Mörner, pgs. 145-169).

**IN CLASS DEBATE ON JOSÉ VASCONCELOS - THE COSMIC RACE, APRIL 12

Section VI: April 17 - 26
Racial Oscillations - The 19th Century; A 20th Century Example of Blackness, Mexico Revisited

(Optional Reading on Reserve - for your interest, these sources examine 19th and 20th century
experiences of select case studies - Brazil -- The Idea of Race in Latin America, 1870-1940 -
Richard Graham, pgs. 6-36 -- Indigenismo -- Race and Class in Latin America - Magnus Mörner,
pgs. 184-196; The Idea of Race in Latin America, 1870-1940 - Richard Graham, pgs. 71-113; --
Yucatan Caste Wars -- The Indian in Latin American History - John Kicza, pgs. 141-169; --
Colombia, Cuba, and Venezuela -- The Idea of Race in Latin America, 1870-1940 - Richard
Graham, pgs. 37-69; Slavery and Race Relations in Latin America - Robert Brent Toplin, pgs.
228-252, 204-227, 325-384; Slavery and Beyond - Darién Davis, pgs. 121-146; -- Afro-Argentines
and Afro-Peruvians -- Slavery and Beyond - Darién Davis, pgs. 55-80; Race and Class in Latin
America - Magnus Mörner, pgs. 73-95).

SPECIAL EVENING SESSION: Movie: The Aymara: A Case Study in Social
Stratification (30 min); or The Earth is Our Mother (55 min).

*TERM PAPER DUE APRIL 26!!!!!

**FINAL EXAM MAY 4-11