History 693D - S-Colonialsm&Imperlsm/ModWorld

Fall
2014
01
4.00
Heidi Scott
M 2:30PM 5:00PM
UMass Amherst
78701
78702
European colonial and imperial ventures in Africa, Asia and the Americas played a central role in the shaping of the modern world and the economic, political, and cultural geographies that characterize it. European colonialism, however, was by no means a monolithic phenomenon but took on varied forms in diverse times and places and was shaped as well as challenged by the cultures and societies that were affected by it in different parts of the globe.
This course introduces students to key contemporary scholarship on the histories and historiography of colonial and imperial ventures since 1492 and aims to develop students? critical understanding of the concepts of colonialism and imperialism through the comparison of varied colonial societies as well as of varied approaches to their study. The first section of the course is organized chronologically and geographically around key studies relating to colonial cultures in particular regions of the world, beginning with the Iberian conquest and colonization of the Americas. The second section is organized thematically and explores a variety of themes (including gender, space, the idea of the tropics, science, and the imperial archive) that are prominent in contemporary scholarship of colonialism and imperialism. A final section will consider the legacies and continuities of colonialism in the recent past and present.
Open to Doctoral and Masters History students only. Open to Doctoral and Masters History students and by permission of instructor.
Permission is required for interchange registration during the add/drop period only.