HSPST-350/450 The Spanish Inquisition

For centuries, the Spanish Inquisition (1478-1834) stood as a powerful instrument of persecution and social control across the Iberian Peninsula and colonial Latin America. This course examines the history and impact of this institution, addressing its medieval precedents and strategies; the construction of heresy and witchcraft; the control of gender, sexuality, race, and the body, as well as censorship and the suppression of knowledge. Course materials include trial records, legal treatises, representations in literature and film, alongside contemporary theoretical studies on state violence and structures of oppression. We explore not only what the Inquisition was, but also what has shaped its legend and whether its logic of repression still endures today.

Maximum Enrollment

Language Course not in English (16)

Credits

1

Prerequisite

Three courses in HSPST or SPAIN at the 200-level or above, or consent of instructor.

Notes

Taught in Spanish.