Anthropology 269 - INDIG CLT & STATE IN MESOAMER

This course is a general introduction to the relationship between indigenous societies and the state in Mesoamerica. Taking a broad historical perspective, we will explore the rise of native state-level societies, the transformations that marked the process of European colonization, and of the relationship of local indigenous communities to post-colonial states and trans-national social movements. Texts used in the course will place special emphasis on continuities and changes in language, social organization, cosmology and identity that have marked the historical experience of native groups in the region.