39443 - America's Indigenous Civilizations (1)

Learning outcomes

The Native Mesoamerican Civilizations course is aimed to offer informations useful to analyze the historical, social and cultural reality of Native Mesoamerican civilization. This requires analytical tools spanning in the fields ofarchaeology, ethnohistory and ethnography in order to investigate elements of continuity and discontinuity between the pre-colonial past and the modern and contemporary eras.

Course contents

Sacrifice in the Mesoamerican Religious Tradition

The course, beside offering information on the history of Mesoamerican Native civilizations from Pre-Hispanic period to modern times, will deal with the theme of sacrifice - particularly human sacrifice - in the Mesoamerican Religious Tradition. Beside exploring the symbolic and political dimensions of sacrifice in pre-colonial times, the analysis of Early Colonial texts will be useful to investigate the European perception of sacrifice and its transformation in one of the main tropes of the Colonial discourse on Otherness and of the juridical legitimation of the Conquest.

Course starts on October, 3rd, 2012

Wednesday, h. 13-15, Aula III, via Zamboni 38

Thursday, h. 13-15, Aula III, via Zamboni 38

Friday, h. 9-11, Aula V, via Zamboni 38

Readings/Bibliography

Domenici Davide , I linguaggi del potere. Arti e propaganda nell'antica Mesoamerica, Jaca Book-Clueb, Milano-Bologna 2005. The PDF of the book can be downloaded in the "Teaching material" section of the website.

Botta Sergio, La religione del Messico antico, Carocci, Roma2006.

Beside the above mentioned texts, the student must choose one of the following texts:

Coe Michael, La soluzione del codice maya, Bologna, La Linea, 2012.

Arnold Philip P., L'occupazione del paesaggio. Aztechi ed Europei nella Valle del Messico, Jaca Book, Milano 2009.

Donattini Massimo, Dal Nuovo Mondo all'America. Scoperte geografiche e colonialismo (secoli XV-XVI), Roma, Carocci, 2004.

Greenblatt Stephen, Meraviglia e possesso. Lo stupore di fronte al Nuovo Mondo, Il Mulino, Bologna 1994.

Livi Bacci Massimo, Conquista. La distruzione degli indios americani, Il Mulino, Bologna 2005.

Pagden Anthony, La caduta dell'uomo naturale. L'indiano d'America e le origini dell'etnologia comparata, Einaudi, Torino 1989.

Todorov Tzvetan, La conquista dell'America. Il problema dell'«altro», Einaudi, Torino 1992.

Note:

There is no additional reading for students not attending the lessons.

Students interested in an English language program,or in a more archeology-focused one, should contact prof. Domenici.

Teaching methods

The frontal lessons, in which discussion of new findings and publication will be stimulated, will be integrated by discussion sessions and speeches aimed to inform the students about the ongoing field researches.

Assessment methods

The final exam will be an oralone, with questionsaimed to verify the student's knowledge of the themes discussed during frontal lessons as well as those treated in the program's texts.

To sign up for the exam, please use the Almaesami website.

Teaching tools

The frontal lessons will be supported by Power Point presentations in order to visualize elements that, due to their "exotic" character, are scarcely known to the students. During the lessons we will use images and data proceeding from the field research project directed by the professor, in order to stimulate students' participation and favour their perception of field research methodologies.

Office hours

See the website of Davide Domenici