PHIL 262 - Latin American Philosophy

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

(Same as LALS 262) In 1942, Leopoldo Zea wrote that, “What belongs to us, what is properly Latin American, is not to be found in pre-Columbian culture […] our way of thinking, our worldview, is similar to the European. […] Still, we do not feel it to be our own”. The purpose of this course is to examine the root of this claim and its status, as well as the anxiety it provokes. We begin by studying available pre-colonial sources from the Americas, including a peek into Aztec and Mayan philosophy, with a goal both toward adequate interpretation and toward seeking echoes of this early thinking in later Latin American writing. We then move into colonial-era philosophy, where the issues of emancipation and the rights of indigenous groups and women were playing out on a global scale. This unit includes readings on Bartolomé de las Casas, Sor Juana, Toussaint Louverture, and Simón Bolívar. We then do a unit on the identity movement in the 19th and 20th century, where various minds were grappling with the existentialist problem and (im)possibility of forging a national, racial, or ethnic identity. Readings might include José Martí, Samuel Ramos, Leopoldo Zea, Franz Fanon, Ofelia Schutte, and Gloria Anzaldúa. We end with a discussion of whether there is a distinctive Latinx philosophy, and what philosophy in Latin America looks like today. Sofia Ortiz-Hinojosa.

Prerequisite(s): At least one course in Philosophy, or permission of the instructor.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS