Ethnology of the Americas

The course is organised in two parts that are interconnected. In the first part (Introduction to Ethnology of America), geographical, socio-political, historical and cultural characteristics of the American continent are discussed. Special attention is given to the following thematic areas: period of colonisation (contact of the “New” world with “Old” world; different methods and politics of colonisation), “indigenism”, revitalisation of indigenous identities and dilemmas of multiethnic policies; stereotype of “Indian” in the mass media. Some of the classic and modern anthropological works dealing with American cultures will be presented and analyzed.
The above mentioned topics will be extended in the second part (Cultures of Latin America) of the course. Based on the case of Mapuche (Chile), some of the characteristics of the colonial and neocolonial policies in Latin America will be presented as well as certain aspects of socio-political, religious and economic backgrounds of the past and modern indigenous movements. Furthermore, the relations between national institutions, globalization trends and indigenous organizations will be analyzed; special attention will be given to discussion of the role of various medical systems in the indigenous identity processes and movements as well as the role of the anthropologist as a researcher of the cultures of Latin America and the key advantages/disadvantages related to the methodological issues.