Life of Objects in the Early Modern Spanish World

Crosslistings: LACS 23827

What can objects tell us about the people who made them, the cultures they passed through, and the histories they helped shape? This interdisciplinary course examines the rich and complex lives of objects in the Early Modern world as they traversed and shaped cultures and spaces. We will study how these objects are portrayed in colonial texts and paintings —relics, featherwork paintings, textiles, biombos (folding screens), ceramics, and books—all products of cultural contact in the Iberian World. How did these objects shape identities, influence worldviews, and contribute to the formation of ideas about race, gender, and empire? Special attention will be given to the global networks of the Spanish Habsburg Empire across the Americas, Africa, and Asia, and how these objects functioned within the systems of colonial rule, religious conversion, and trade. A central question will be: How do objects propel or, at times, resist colonial rule? 

Students will develop tools for interpreting the political and cultural lives of objects and gain a deeper understanding of how material culture shaped—and was shaped by—the global dynamics of the Early Modern period. Course materials include colonial texts, visual and material sources, and case studies from cities such as Acapulco, Mexico City, Seville, Cartagena, Cuzco, and Manila.

In this course, students will participate in class discussions, write weekly responses, lead one class session, and complete a final research project.