Harvest: A Social History of Agriculture in Latin America

Two irrepressible conflicts run through the history of agriculture in Latin America: first, between the men and women who work the soil and those who own and control the land; and second, between, on the one hand, the growing of food and fiber for the farmers’ own use and trade and, on the other, the production of cash crops for export to a world market. This course looks at various forms of agricultural production that have had important impacts on Latin American history: pre-colonial agriculture in the Andes; plantation economies based on African slave labor in the Caribbean and Brazil; the introduction of European livestock and the development of huge ranches and haciendas in the colonial period; extractive industries (“plunder agriculture”) such as rubber and lumber; peasant production and how it has changed over time; modern agribusiness and its relationship to globalization and imperialism. We will look at the impact of these different forms of production on the environment and on rural cultural practices, including religion, family relations and popular art. We will study the relationship between the landowning classes and the state, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the role of peasants and other rural workers in movements for national liberation and social revolution. Sources will include theoretical articles, historical monographs, and primary sources. Open to sophomores and above with some background in Latin American history, geography, or literature.