What does it mean to write under empire? In an environment of cultural and linguistic hybridity, how was culture negotiated through writing? How was writing a means of asserting authority? In this course, we will examine how early modern authors used writing as a tool for constructing identity and extending influence under colonial rule. Readings will include texts by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Sor Maria de Agreda, Hernan Cortes, Bartolome De las Casas, among others. We will study how the act of writing among conquistadors, missionaries, mestizos, and Indigenous thinkers was used both as an instrument of domination and as a space for alternative voices to emerge.
3-5 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
What does it mean to write under empire? In an environment of cultural and linguistic hybridity, how was culture negotiated through writing? How was writing a means of asserting authority? In this course, we will examine how early modern authors used writing as a tool for constructing identity and extending influence under colonial rule. Readings will include texts by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Sor Maria de Agreda, Hernan Cortes, Bartolome De las Casas, among others. We will study how the act of writing among conquistadors, missionaries, mestizos, and Indigenous thinkers was used both as an instrument of domination and as a space for alternative voices to emerge.