220020 Zwischen Frieden und Krieg: Fuentes hispanas del mundo colonial y republicano en Latinoamérica (Ü) (WiSe 2026/2027)

This highly practice oriented seminar focuses on the direct analysis of historical sources related to conflicts in Latin America during the colonial and republican periods. The seminar will be taught in English, while the primary sources examined in class will be in spanish.

Students will work directly with a wide range of historical documents, including treaties and peace agreements, chronicles, photographs, and videos. The course examines processes of colonization and independence, relations between Indigenous Peoples and the state, and more recent conflicts, including dictatorships and contemporary wars, with particular attention to violence, resistance, negotiation, and peace-making.

The main aim of the seminar is to develop practical skills in working with historical sources. Students will learn how to contextualize, interpret, and critically analyze documents, paying particular attention to authorship, language, production context, power relations, silences, and the perspectives of Indigenous and other historically marginalized actors.