HST 372 RELIGION AND SOCIETY IN LATIN AMERICA

This course explores religion in Latin America from the pre-Columbian era to modern day. We investigate numerous religions practiced within these societies and changes over time. With European contact, Catholic ideologies were brought to the Americas resulting in the dramatic change of the religious landscape. These changes were not immediate nor uni-directional, and cannot be reduced to assimilated or hybrid forms of Christianity. Rather, a complex matrix of religious beliefs and practices were integrated into the lives of people of all classes and castes in complicated ways. This course tracks the religious milieu of Mexico, Peru, Brazil, and the Caribbean, paying particular attention to Indigenous and African influences on religion giving insight to cultural beliefs and the powerful influence of religion on society at large.