History of Spain and Latin America
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
The course aims to point out the different features of the history of Spain and Latin America from the year 1492 to the present time (Unit A), emphasizing the specificity of the different periods, contexts and concepts through in-depth monographic analyses (Unit B and Unit C).
Expected learning outcomes
Through the initial lectures, the discussion with the instructor and the individual work on the materials examined during the course (sources, historiography, literary texts, iconography, films and documentaries) and/or the autonomous study of the scheduled bibliography, students will be able to:
· 1) acquire a sure knowledge of the profile of the history of Spain and Latin America from the end of the fifteenth century to the presentday, identifying its fundamental connections and the main aspects;
· 2) understand, from a European, American, transatlantic and global perspective, the underlying dynamics of political-institutional, socio-cultural, economic and demographic phenomena that characterize the history of Spain and Latin America over the centuries under consideration;
· 3) learn to examine critically, and with close attention, the past-present relationship, sources and documents of different nature concerning wide-ranging phenomena within the general history of Spain and Latin America;
· 4) learn how to expose oral and/or written knowledge through individually submitted/redacted reports;
· 5) integrate the knowledge gained in the field of general history and analysis of sources and interpretations by establishing links with the other disciplines covered by the study path.
· Language of teaching: Italian
· Teaching method: face-to-face lessons
· 1) acquire a sure knowledge of the profile of the history of Spain and Latin America from the end of the fifteenth century to the presentday, identifying its fundamental connections and the main aspects;
· 2) understand, from a European, American, transatlantic and global perspective, the underlying dynamics of political-institutional, socio-cultural, economic and demographic phenomena that characterize the history of Spain and Latin America over the centuries under consideration;
· 3) learn to examine critically, and with close attention, the past-present relationship, sources and documents of different nature concerning wide-ranging phenomena within the general history of Spain and Latin America;
· 4) learn how to expose oral and/or written knowledge through individually submitted/redacted reports;
· 5) integrate the knowledge gained in the field of general history and analysis of sources and interpretations by establishing links with the other disciplines covered by the study path.
· Language of teaching: Italian
· Teaching method: face-to-face lessons
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
Course Title: Spain and Latin America from the 16th century to the present
Part 1: History of Spain and Latin America (16th-21st century). An Introduction
Part 2: Spain and Latin America. Sources and Interpretations.
Part 3: Italy-Spanish/Latin America. Historical Contexts and Research Perspectives (16th-21st century)
In the first part, the course will introduce an overview of the history of Spain and Latin America (16th-21st century) from a transatlantic and global perspective. The second part will explain and discuss official documents, literary texts, iconography, movies, and docufilms to deepen the knowledge of prominent historical figures and phenomena. Finally, the third part will focus on the historical relations between the Italian world and Spanish/Latin America from the Renaissance to the present.
The syllabus is valid until February 2026.
Part 1: History of Spain and Latin America (16th-21st century). An Introduction
Part 2: Spain and Latin America. Sources and Interpretations.
Part 3: Italy-Spanish/Latin America. Historical Contexts and Research Perspectives (16th-21st century)
In the first part, the course will introduce an overview of the history of Spain and Latin America (16th-21st century) from a transatlantic and global perspective. The second part will explain and discuss official documents, literary texts, iconography, movies, and docufilms to deepen the knowledge of prominent historical figures and phenomena. Finally, the third part will focus on the historical relations between the Italian world and Spanish/Latin America from the Renaissance to the present.
The syllabus is valid until February 2026.
Prerequisites for admission
There are no specific requirements different from those requested for the degree admission.
Teaching methods
Attendance is strongly recommended but not compulsory. Lectures aim at fostering the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and the language of the discipline. The discussion in the classroom with the teacher is an integral part of the teaching method. It aims to train critical thinking and the ability to apply the skills and knowledge acquired.
Alongside the lectures, group work and or individual reports may be established.
Course language: Italian.
Alongside the lectures, group work and or individual reports may be established.
Course language: Italian.
Teaching Resources
9 CFU
Attending students
Knowledge of the topics treated in the lectures.
Part 1
Knowledge of one of the following options:
- M. M. Benzoni, Americhe e modernità. Un itinerario fra storia e storiografia dal 1492 ad oggi, FrancoAngeli, Milano 2012 (prima sezione), L. Zanatta, Storia dell'America latina contemporanea, Laterza, Roma 2021 (7), S. Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, intervista a cura di Maria Matilde Benzoni, 2015: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/embedmedia?mid=478
-M. De Giuseppe - Gianni La Bella, Storia dell'America latina contemporanea, Il Mulino, Bologna 2019, S. Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, intervista a cura di Maria Matilde Benzoni, 2015: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/embedmedia?mid=478
-J. H. Elliott, La Spagna imperiale 1469-1716, Il Mulino, Bologna 2006, S. Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, intervista a cura di Maria Matilde Benzoni, 2015: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/embedmedia?mid=478
-G. Hermet, Storia della Spagna nel Novecento, Il Mulino, Bologna 1999, S. Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, intervista a cura di Maria Matilde Benzoni, 2015: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/embedmedia?mid=478
Part 2:
Knowledge of the materials discussed in lectures and preparation of a dossier with oral presentation
Part 3:
Knowledge of the themes treated in lectures and the essay by M. M. Benzoni, Italia e America Latina. Contesti storici e prospettive di ricerca (secoli XVI-XXI),
The materials examined will be uploaded on the course website.
9CFU
Non-attending students
Part 1
Knowledge of one of the following options:
- M. M. Benzoni, Americhe e modernità. Un itinerario fra storia e storiografia dal 1492 ad oggi, FrancoAngeli, Milano 2012 (Part I), L. Zanatta, Storia dell'America latina contemporanea, Laterza, Roma 2021 (7), S. Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, intervista a cura di Maria Matilde Benzoni, 2015: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/embedmedia?mid=478
-M. De Giuseppe - Gianni La Bella, Storia dell'America latina contemporanea, Il Mulino, Bologna 2019, S. Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, intervista a cura di Maria Matilde Benzoni, 2015: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/embedmedia?mid=478
-J. H. Elliott, La Spagna imperiale 1469-1716, Il Mulino, Bologna 2006, S. Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, intervista a cura di Maria Matilde Benzoni, 2015: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/embedmedia?mid=478
-G. Hermet, Storia della Spagna nel Novecento, Il Mulino, Bologna 1999, S. Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, intervista a cura di Maria Matilde Benzoni, 2015: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/embedmedia?mid=478
Part 2:
Knowledge of two of the following options:
- AA. VV., Breve storia del Messico. Dall'antichità al Duemila, Donzelli, Roma 2024
- G. Albanese, Dittature mediterranee, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2016
- M. M. Benzoni, Italia-America latina: contesti storici e prospettive di ricerca (secoli XVI-XXI), in S. Ferrari -E. Leonardi (coord.), Rutas atlánticas. Redes narrativas entre América latina y Europa, Milano University Press 2021, pp. 537-575, https://libri.unimi.it/index.php/texturas/catalog/book/59 e M. De Giuseppe
- H. Browne, La guerra civile spagnola, Laterza, Bari-Roma 2013
- E. Calamai, Niente asilo politico. Diplomazia, diritti umani, desaparecidos, Feltrinelli, Milano 2016 e M. Novaro, La dittatura argentina(1976-1983), Carocci, Roma 2005 (the two texts correspond to a in-depth study proposal)
-J. Canal, Storia minima della Catalogna, Viella, Roma 2018
- J. H. Elliott, Imperi dell'Atlantico. America britannica e America spagnola, Einaudi, Torino 2017 (a part of the text, to be agreed with the lecturer)
- Historias minimas, El Colégio de México (a book of your choice) https://libros.colmex.mx/categoria-producto/historias-minimas/)
- G. La Bella (a cura di), America Latina: le sfide del XXI secolo. Verso il terzo decennio, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli 2020
- M. Livi Bacci, Conquista. La distruzione degli indios americani, il Mulino, Bologna 2009
-J. G. Parker, Un solo re. Un solo impero. Filippo II, il Mulino, Bologna 2005
- L. Pompeo D'Alessandro, Guadalajara 1937. I volontari italiani fascisti e antifascisti nella guerra di Spagna, Carocci, Roma 2017
- H. Rawlings, L'inquisizione spagnola, il Mulino, Bologna 2008
- D. Salomoni, Magellano. Il primo viaggio intorno al mondo, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2022
- M. Tenorio Trillo, Latin America. The Allure and Power of an Idea, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 2017
- T. Todorov, La conquista dell'America. Il problema dell'altro, Einaudi, Torino varie edizioni e B. Las Casas, La brevissima relazione della distruzione delle Indie, ed. italiana a cura di F. Fiorani, Marsilio, Venezia 2012 (the two texts correspond to a in-depth study proposal)
The course uses teaching materials, including multimedia, available on the Ariel platform.
Incoming international or Erasmus students should contact the lecturer in good time to arrange the examination program, if necessary, in English.
Attending students
Knowledge of the topics treated in the lectures.
Part 1
Knowledge of one of the following options:
- M. M. Benzoni, Americhe e modernità. Un itinerario fra storia e storiografia dal 1492 ad oggi, FrancoAngeli, Milano 2012 (prima sezione), L. Zanatta, Storia dell'America latina contemporanea, Laterza, Roma 2021 (7), S. Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, intervista a cura di Maria Matilde Benzoni, 2015: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/embedmedia?mid=478
-M. De Giuseppe - Gianni La Bella, Storia dell'America latina contemporanea, Il Mulino, Bologna 2019, S. Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, intervista a cura di Maria Matilde Benzoni, 2015: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/embedmedia?mid=478
-J. H. Elliott, La Spagna imperiale 1469-1716, Il Mulino, Bologna 2006, S. Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, intervista a cura di Maria Matilde Benzoni, 2015: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/embedmedia?mid=478
-G. Hermet, Storia della Spagna nel Novecento, Il Mulino, Bologna 1999, S. Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, intervista a cura di Maria Matilde Benzoni, 2015: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/embedmedia?mid=478
Part 2:
Knowledge of the materials discussed in lectures and preparation of a dossier with oral presentation
Part 3:
Knowledge of the themes treated in lectures and the essay by M. M. Benzoni, Italia e America Latina. Contesti storici e prospettive di ricerca (secoli XVI-XXI),
The materials examined will be uploaded on the course website.
9CFU
Non-attending students
Part 1
Knowledge of one of the following options:
- M. M. Benzoni, Americhe e modernità. Un itinerario fra storia e storiografia dal 1492 ad oggi, FrancoAngeli, Milano 2012 (Part I), L. Zanatta, Storia dell'America latina contemporanea, Laterza, Roma 2021 (7), S. Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, intervista a cura di Maria Matilde Benzoni, 2015: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/embedmedia?mid=478
-M. De Giuseppe - Gianni La Bella, Storia dell'America latina contemporanea, Il Mulino, Bologna 2019, S. Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, intervista a cura di Maria Matilde Benzoni, 2015: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/embedmedia?mid=478
-J. H. Elliott, La Spagna imperiale 1469-1716, Il Mulino, Bologna 2006, S. Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, intervista a cura di Maria Matilde Benzoni, 2015: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/embedmedia?mid=478
-G. Hermet, Storia della Spagna nel Novecento, Il Mulino, Bologna 1999, S. Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, intervista a cura di Maria Matilde Benzoni, 2015: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/embedmedia?mid=478
Part 2:
Knowledge of two of the following options:
- AA. VV., Breve storia del Messico. Dall'antichità al Duemila, Donzelli, Roma 2024
- G. Albanese, Dittature mediterranee, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2016
- M. M. Benzoni, Italia-America latina: contesti storici e prospettive di ricerca (secoli XVI-XXI), in S. Ferrari -E. Leonardi (coord.), Rutas atlánticas. Redes narrativas entre América latina y Europa, Milano University Press 2021, pp. 537-575, https://libri.unimi.it/index.php/texturas/catalog/book/59 e M. De Giuseppe
- H. Browne, La guerra civile spagnola, Laterza, Bari-Roma 2013
- E. Calamai, Niente asilo politico. Diplomazia, diritti umani, desaparecidos, Feltrinelli, Milano 2016 e M. Novaro, La dittatura argentina(1976-1983), Carocci, Roma 2005 (the two texts correspond to a in-depth study proposal)
-J. Canal, Storia minima della Catalogna, Viella, Roma 2018
- J. H. Elliott, Imperi dell'Atlantico. America britannica e America spagnola, Einaudi, Torino 2017 (a part of the text, to be agreed with the lecturer)
- Historias minimas, El Colégio de México (a book of your choice) https://libros.colmex.mx/categoria-producto/historias-minimas/)
- G. La Bella (a cura di), America Latina: le sfide del XXI secolo. Verso il terzo decennio, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli 2020
- M. Livi Bacci, Conquista. La distruzione degli indios americani, il Mulino, Bologna 2009
-J. G. Parker, Un solo re. Un solo impero. Filippo II, il Mulino, Bologna 2005
- L. Pompeo D'Alessandro, Guadalajara 1937. I volontari italiani fascisti e antifascisti nella guerra di Spagna, Carocci, Roma 2017
- H. Rawlings, L'inquisizione spagnola, il Mulino, Bologna 2008
- D. Salomoni, Magellano. Il primo viaggio intorno al mondo, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2022
- M. Tenorio Trillo, Latin America. The Allure and Power of an Idea, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 2017
- T. Todorov, La conquista dell'America. Il problema dell'altro, Einaudi, Torino varie edizioni e B. Las Casas, La brevissima relazione della distruzione delle Indie, ed. italiana a cura di F. Fiorani, Marsilio, Venezia 2012 (the two texts correspond to a in-depth study proposal)
The course uses teaching materials, including multimedia, available on the Ariel platform.
Incoming international or Erasmus students should contact the lecturer in good time to arrange the examination program, if necessary, in English.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Mode of examination: oral test.
Type of test: oral question (Italian).
Assessment parameters: ability to discursively organize the acquired knowledge and to reason critically about the study undertaken, quality of the exposition (content, effectiveness, and linearity), and competence in using the specialist vocabulary.
The assessment used: grade in thirtieths.
Examination arrangements for students with disabilities and DSA students: students have to define the program with the teacher in agreement with the relevant office.
Type of test: oral question (Italian).
Assessment parameters: ability to discursively organize the acquired knowledge and to reason critically about the study undertaken, quality of the exposition (content, effectiveness, and linearity), and competence in using the specialist vocabulary.
The assessment used: grade in thirtieths.
Examination arrangements for students with disabilities and DSA students: students have to define the program with the teacher in agreement with the relevant office.
Unita' didattica A
M-STO/02 - MODERN HISTORY - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Benzoni Maria Matilde Luisa
Unita' didattica B
M-STO/02 - MODERN HISTORY - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Benzoni Maria Matilde Luisa
Unita' didattica C
M-STO/02 - MODERN HISTORY - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Benzoni Maria Matilde Luisa
Educational website(s)
Professor(s)
Reception:
To make an appointment, please contact [email protected]. For information: https://ariel.unimi.it/
Room 5018, Unimi Campus, Piazza Montanelli 1 - 2099 Sesto San Giovanni (Mi)