Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, c1350-1650

Module code: HS3691

This module examines the indigenous societies of the Americas prior to and during the onset of European conquest and colonisation. You’ll challenge your understandings of American history by thinking about the development of American societies from multiple indigenous perspectives.

You’ll be exploring the problem of studying history through sources that were mostly produced by the relations of colonialism, while considering material and visual culture sources as well as written documents. You'll be looking at the cultural, social, economic and political dynamics of several indigenous societies such as the Aztec, Inca, Maya and the Cahokia.

Applying a non-Eurocentric framework to the processes of conquest and colonisation in the Americas will be integral to the module. You’ll be focusing on identifying patterns and differences within large-scale processes of cultural interaction, exchange, and transformation to construct your own understanding of Indigenous Peoples.