Black Latin America
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- Start Date: 21 May 2025End Date: 11 Jun 2025Wed (Evening): 19:30 - 21:00OnlineFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £51.00
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What is the course about?
The history and experiences of blackness in Latin America is complex, nuanced and extremely heterogeneous.
To begin to explore these histories, this course introduces and critically examines the concept of a Black or African Latin America through the region’s history, philosophy, activism, politics, diaspora, memory and culture.
The course will therefore be about:
- The concept of a Black or African Latin America
- The history of the enslavement and forced displacement of African peoples from the 16th century onwards
- The key concepts and debates in the broader field through a range of critical thinkers from Latin America, ranging from political activists to black feminist scholars.
- The present situation of Black and African-descended Latin Americans, including their relationship with the state, key policies, and some of the key social and political movements that have emerged in recent decades.
- The role of collective memory and culture in Black and Afro-descended communities across Latin America.
What will we cover?
The course will run across four sessions of 90 minutes.
The first session will introduce the concept of a Black or African Latin America by looking at the history of the enslavement and forced displacement of African peoples from the 16th century onwards. It will introduce the key concepts and debates in the broader field through a range of critical thinkers from Latin America, ranging from political activists to black feminist scholars.
The second session looks to the present situation of Black and African-descended Latin Americans, including their relationship with the state, key policies, and some of the key social and political movements that have emerged in recent decades.
The third and final sessions analyse the role of collective memory and culture in Black and Afro-descended communities across Latin America. While the sessions will introduce students to various specific examples and countries, we remain conscious that the history and experiences of blackness in Latin America is complex, nuanced and extremely heterogeneous.
The course encourages and supports students to produce their own ideas surrounding these themes and use this to shape their own experiences in collaboration with the course leader and their peers.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Define and apply key concepts and theories from the broader fields of Afro-Latin studies, critical history and post-colonialism;
- Debate key issues such as race, ethnicity, blackness, diaspora, displacement, state-society relations, inequality, power relations and colonialism;
- Draw on a range of artefacts, including texts, artistic production, culture and practices to compare and contrast different experiences of blackness in the context of Latin America;
- Shape your own learning experience by identifying and pursuing an area of interest to develop your own critical position and approach;
- Communicate your critical arguments and ideas effectively and persuasively through verbal presentations and debate.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
An open mind and a willingness to listen to and think about views with which you do not always agree are more important than specific levels of skills. This course is for anyone with an interest in studying Black History, Latin America, Cultural History and/or Colonialism and Slavery. It does not require any in-depth knowledge on any particular subject, but curiosity will be key! Students will be encouraged to use the course to explore a more specific area of their choosing.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
The course will be delivered through ‘blended learning’, meaning that you will be provided optional pre-class readings and exercises to complete. Classroom time will be split between lecture-style delivery and more open discussion. You should expect to set aside around 2-3 hours for the optional weekly readings, although there will be plenty of content should you wish to do more!
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
There are no obligatory additional costs to this course. All core learning content will be provided for free, including reading materials, songs, podcasts, films and videos. However, the course will recommend some useful and affordable books that might be of interest as further reading. All you will need is either a pen and paper and/or a laptop for taking notes.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Please explore our history and politics sections for more courses on Black History, the history of the Americas and Global and Imperial History.
Anna Grimaldi is a lecturer in politics and international relations at the University of Leeds. Her work focuses on themes of dictatorship, political resistance, and transnational solidarity. She has written on exile and solidarity activism in the context of Brazil's military dictatorship of 1964 to 1985, some of which has been published in her recent book - Brazil and the Transnational Human Rights Movement. Anna's more recent research examines solidarity activism and social movements across and between Latin America and the "Global South", particularly the ways in which social movements and political projects of the past are called upon by activists in the present through artistic and cultural production. Anna has taught at City Lit for three years and is keen to teach despite now living in Leeds.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.