Environment and Global Capitalism in Latin America

Global capitalism relies on the ever increasing extraction and displacement of natural resources around the world. The discovery and subsequent colonization of Latin America by European powers meant the massive circulation of organisms (from germs to human beings) and natural resources (organic and mineral) across continents with lasting consequences for humans, animals and landscapes. Focusing on Latin America, this course analyzes the environmental history of global capitalism. Our aim will be to explore what happens when massive amounts of natural resources are relocated from one place to another.