The right to represent oneself has always been an important piece of symbolic capital and a source of power.  External representations of Africa have consistently distorted and misinterpreted the peoples and cultures of the continent.  Within Africa, this right--to produce and display particular images--has been inseparable from both secular and sacred power.  The discrepancy in interpretation of various images, whether these are in the form of visual objects or in the form of philosophies or concepts, has produced a misunderstanding of African institutions and art.  In

Over the past two decades, humanitarian aid has been put forward as a mechanism for promoting global change. Foundations such as The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and organizations such as Doctors Without Borders have become household names.

This course focuses on the history and anthropology of Latin America, situating those nations as postcolonial entities invented from the collapse of colonial polities. We will examine the rich history and complex politics of the area, with an emphasis on the last century, to understand what constitutes “nation” and how that has shifted from independence in the early 1800s to the present day with its increased mobility and global connectivity.