Middlebury

SOAN 0221

Indigenous Peoples of Americas

Indigenous Peoples of the Americas
This course introduces students to the indigenous peoples of North and South America, from before European conquest to the present. Following a brief look at the mound-builders of North America, we will explore the connection between social stratification, religious ideology, and imperial expansion in the political economy of the Aztecs and the Incas. Ethnographies of Quechua peasants in the Peruvian Andes, Yanomami Indians in the Amazon, and Oglala Sioux in the Dakotas will show how contemporary Native Americans are dealing with the never-ending process of colonialism. How Europeans have imagined indigenous peoples has had a profound impact on how the latter defend themselves. The resulting images of authenticity and resistance have always been double-edged. The course will conclude with the debate over the reservation paradigm in the U.S. Limited places available for students to satisfy the College writing requirement. (Formerly SOAN 0321) 3 hrs. lect./disc. (Anthropology)
Subject:
Sociology/Anthropology
Department:
Sociology/Anthropology
Division:
Social Sciences
Requirements Fulfilled:
AAL AMR CMP SOC
Equivalent Courses:

Sections in Spring 2017

Spring 2017

SOAN0221A-S17 Lecture (Stoll)
SOAN0221B-S17 Lecture (Stoll)