Reimagining Ancient Mesoamerican Identities
Claudia Brittenham, The University of Chicago
Ancient Mesoamerican identity was complex and multifaceted. Fiercely local, identity was tied to community, lineage, place, and history. The ways that ancient Mesoamerican people understood difference do not correspond entirely to modern conceptions of race or ethnicity, which were beginning to take shape precisely at the time of the Spanish invasion of the Americas. Using colonial textual and pictorial sources as well as pre-invasion works of art and material culture, I ask how Mesoamerican history might look different if it departed from emic categories of identity rather than the colonial frameworks that we have inherited.
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This event is free, but all participants must register in advance. Space is limited, so please do not request a paper unless you plan to attend.
Register and Request PaperAbout the Premodern Studies Seminar Series
This Center for Renaissance Studies seminar provides a forum for new approaches to classical, medieval, and early modern studies, allowing scholars from a range of disciplines to share works-in-progress. Organized by Timothy Crowley (Northern Illinois University), Megan Heffernan (DePaul University), Lydia Barnett (Northwestern University), and Christopher Fletcher (Newberry Library).
If you have any questions about the submission process or the seminar in general, please email Christopher Fletcher.