HIST 691A Portugal and Brazil,1415-1806
The course explores central themes in the history of Portugal and Brazil from the foundation of the Portuguese empire to Brazilian independence. Topics will include Portuguese social and political history under the Aviz, Habsburg, and Braganca dynasties; European perceptions of Brazil during the colonial period; the missionary church and its relations with Portuguese settlers, Indians and Africans in Brazil; the Portuguese Inquisition; the bandeirantes and the exploration of the Brazilian interior; the history of slavery in the Luso-Brazilian empire; and the comparative history of colonial Brazil and Spanish America.