HISTORY 340G The Minority Experience in Latin America
Dr. Jeff H. Lesser Telephone: 439-2229 Winthrop 110 Class Meetings: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:05 - 11:20 Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 2:30 - 4:00 or by appointment
Latin America, contrary to popular belief, has a diverse racial and ethnic population. Although biological and cultural mixing has created seemingly new cultures, many continue to feel as if they were "others," and somehow not part of dominant Latin American society.
The Minority Experience in Latin America will analyze the complex societies of Latin America by examining the African, Asian and Jewish experiences in the region. By concentrating on four distinctly different countries, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico and Argentina, students will study the historical role of these groups on the development of Latin America. Furthermore, the complex process of accommodation, integration and acculturation will be examined from a historical perspective.
The course will begin with an overview of key concepts such as minority, ethnicity, and race from a Latin American perspective. We will also discuss the concept of "ethnic history" and how it differs from other types of historical analysis. We will then proceed to examine each of the three different groups within a national perspective so that we may closely analyze how ethnic and racial groups affect and relate to national interests and historical change.
Although this is not an introductory seminar, no prior knowledge of Latin America, or its languages, is assumed. Students who are able to speak or read Portuguese, Spanish, or any other Latin American language should inform me immediately. Race, culture, ethnicity and religion will be examined from theoretical, economic, social, political and policy perspectives. We will use different types of documents in order to examine these topics including monographs, films, videos, oral histories and photographs.
Since interaction is crucial to the learning process, and since this is a seminar, classes will be generally student-led. Seminar participation will be worth 20% of the final grade. Students will be expected to participate in all discussions and keep up with the weekly reading assignments, which will average about 200 pages per week. Two five page analytical papers will be due and the average of these papers will be worth 40 per cent of the final grade. A final research paper will be worth 40%.
Required Readings: All available at the Connecticut College Bookstore. Readings packet available from Dr. Lesser.
SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS, READINGS AND EVALUATIONS:
JAN 21 Introduction
23 What is Race, What is Ethnicity?
READ: Pierre L. van den Berghe, "Introduction" from Race
and Racism. [RP]
28 What is a Minority?
READ: Rex, John. "Race and Ethnicity in Sociological
Theory"; from Race and Ethnicity. [RP]
READ: Yinger, J. Milton. "Intersecting Strands in the
theorisation of race
and ethnic relations." [RP]
30 Historical Theories of Race and Ethnicity I
READ: Stone, John. Race relations without races?" and
"Minority Groups and Power." from Racial Conflict in
Contemporary Society. [RP]
FEB 4 Historical Theories of Race and Ethnicity II
READ: Van den Berghe, Pierre L. "Ethnicity and Other Bases of
Sociality" and "The Dynamics of Ethnicity." from
The Ethnic Phenomenon. [RP]
READ: Ianni, Octavio. "Race and Class in Latin
America." from Readings
in Race and Ethnic Relations. Richmond, Anthony H. ed.
Oxford, Pergamon, 1972. [RP]
6 Race and Ethnicity in Latin American and Caribbean
History
READ: Jeff Lesser, "Are African-Americans African or
American? Brazilian Immigration Policy in the
1920's." Review of Latin American Studies [RP]
READ: Wally Look Lai, "Chinese Indentured Labor:
Migrations to the British West Indies in the 19th Century.
Amerasia 15:2 (1989), 117-138.
BRAZIL--------------------BRAZIL--------------------BRAZIL------
FEB. 11 A Brazilian Perspective on Race
READ: Gilberto Freyre "Brazilian Melting Pot" [RP]
READ: Esther R. Largman and Robert M. Levine, "Jews in
the Tropics," The Americas [RP]
VIDEO: Robert Levine, The Faces of Slavery
13 The Idea of Race in Brazil
READ: Skidmore, Thomas E. "Racial Ideas and Social Policy
in Brazil, 1870-1940" [RG]
READ: Van den Berghe, Pierre L. "Brazil" Ch. 3 in Race
and Racism: A Comparative Perspective.[RP]
BEGIN READING: Moacyr Scliar, The Centaur in the Garden
18 African Experience in Brazil
READ: Mahomman G. Baquaqua, "Recollections of a Slave's
Life" [RP]
READ: Author unknown "Who shall be a slave and why?" [RP]
READ:Saunders, John. "Class, Color, and Prejudice: A
Brazilian Counterpoint." from Racial Tensions and
National Identity. [RP]
20 Minority Experience in Brazil
READ: Jeff Lesser, "Continuity and Change in an Immigrant
Community: The Jews of Sao Paulo, " Luso-Brazilian Review [RP]
READ: Anani Didizienyo, "The Position of Blacks in
Brazilian Society." From A. Dzidzienyo and L. Casal, The
Position of Blacks in Brazilian and Cuban Society, pp. 2-10.
25 Library Research in History
Have Moacyr Scliar, The Centaur in the Garden finished.
27 The racial definition of ethnicity II
READ: Jeff Lesser, Exodus to the Land of the Future:
Brazil and the Jewish Question, 1900-1945, chapter 7 "The Pope,
The Dictator and The Refugees who never came."
Mexico--------------------Mexico--------------------Mexico------
MAR 3 Who is the Other in a bi-racial society? - Old Views
READ: Van den Berghe, Pierre L. Mexico. Ch. 2 in Race
and Racism [RP]
5 Who is the Other in a bi-racial society? - New Views
READ: Knight, Alan. "Racism, Revolution and Indigenismo:
Mexico,1910-1940 [RG]
SPRING BREAK -- SPRING BREAK --SPRING BREAK --
MAR 24 Coolies or Chinese???
READ: Evelyn Hu DeHart, "Coolies, Shopkeepers, Pioneers:
The Chinese of Mexico and Peru." Amerasia 15:2 (1989), 91-116.
Cuba--------------------Cuba--------------------Cuba------
MAR 26 The Colonial Experience
READ: Stanley M. Hordes, "The Inquisition as Economic
and Political Agent: The Campaign of the Mexican Holy
Office Against the Crypto-Jews
in the Mid-Seventeenth Century." The Americas. [RP]
30 FILM: El Otro Francisco
Begin reading Nicolas Guillen, APatria o Muerte!
APR 2 FILM: El Otro Francisco
7 Revolution and Minority Society I
READ: Lourdes Casal, Race Relations in Contemporary
Cuba. From A. Dzidzienyo and L. Casal, The Position of Blacks
in Brazilian and Cuban Society, pp. 11-25.
9 Revolution and Minority Society II
VIDEO: Hotel Cuba
Finish reading Nicolas Guillen, Patria o Muerte!
Argentina--------------------Argentina--------------------Argentina-
14 Gobernar es poplar, to govern is to populate
READ: Aline Helg, "Race in Argentina and Cuba, 1880-1930" (RG)
16 A European Other: Jewish Argentina
READ: Victor A. Mirelman, " Attitudes Towards Jews in
Argentina" and "The Semana Tragica of 1919 and the Jews of
Argentina." Jewish Social Studies. [RP]
VIDEO: Mark Freeman, The Yidishe Gauchos
21 Afro-Argentina
READ: G. Reid Andrews. "Race versus class association:
the Afro-Argentines of Buenos Aires, 1850-1900" Journal of
Latin American Studies [RP]
April 23 Class Presentations
28 Class Presentations
30 Class Presentations
MAY 2 Class Presentations
7 Class Presentations
Information provider:
Unit: H-Net program at UIC History Department
Email: H-Net@uicvm.uic.edu
Posted: 17 Apr 1995