کورس بارے معلومات

Lecturers: Agustina Carrizo de Reiman (carrizo@uni-leipzig.de)

Seminar: Weekly, Mondays 1:15 - 2:45 pm

Start: 09.10.23, Room 3.15, Emil-Fuchs-Straße 1, 04105 Leipzig (GESI)

Consultation hours: Weekly, Thursdays 10 – 11:30 am.

The course material will be made available on Moodle.

Contrary to long-standing North-centric master narratives, Latin America has played, from an early stage, a key role in globalisation: as the initial site of European colonialism, as a pioneering region of popular republican experiments and liberal modernisation, as a producer of critical knowledge and promoter of politico-cultural alliances across the Global South. In line with a multi-centred global perspective, the seminar proposes to examine the connections and disconnections that have characterised the integration of the macro-region under the global condition. To this end, the reading programme will introduce decolonial approaches, shared histories and challenges across the South. The first part of the seminar will focus on salient moments of Latin American globalisation, such as the emergence of the matrix of coloniality, Afro-descendant projects of emancipation, Mexican revolutionary internationalism, and the Third World's anti-imperialist alliances. In the second part of the seminar, participants will learn about and discuss challenges faced by feminist and urban movements, post-development projects, and global governance organisations of the Global South. The final sessions will focus on conceptual and methodological strategies to decentering academic knowledge production.

Course Goals:

The shared readings and discussions will allow participants to approach Latin America from a global perspective and identify divergences, connections, and parallels within the subcontinent and with other regions of the world. Ultimately, the critical approach to political and academic discourses seeks to stimulate the reflection on the impact of power asymmetries on global orders and the knowledge produced about them.

Course Format and Assignments:

The course is structured around weekly seminars and readings. Students will be expected to participate actively in discussions. Participants will choose one session to give a short keynote presentation based on the recommended further reading. The purpose of the 15-minute presentation is to link and contextualise the session topic within broader discussions. For the course assignment, students will submit an essay of no more than 3500 words on a relevant topic by 29 February 2024. On 8 January, participants will have the opportunity to discuss and receive feedback on their chosen topic and approach. For this purpose, they are asked to submit a short proposal by 5 January.