An interesting and timely EJP course, Latin American Studies 395: Latin American Insurgencies, is being taught this spring at Danville prison by instructor Liliana Lule. The course studies uprisings in Latin America from pre/colonial era to the present, with the goal of understanding how historical events influence contemporary examples of resistance.
“Classes like this one do not come around often,” says Ernesto Alonso, EJP student in the class. “As a first-generation Mexican American/Chicano, it is interesting to learn about my history through a different lens, specifically Indigenous and mestizo literature pre-colonial period. It is empowering.”
One of the challenges of this course is that Latin America as a concept is imprecise. For example, where does Puerto Rico, first a colony and then a commonwealth, fit into the conversation? What about French-speaking countries like Haiti? Students identified key points that the class will revisit in new iterations later on: the role of foreign powers, the role of religion, and differing gender roles.
The class started with a review of pre-Conquest Indigenous cultures that existed in Latin America, which covered the Caribbean (Arawak and Carib), Mesoamerica (primarily Aztec, but including others), and Andean (Inkan) histories. Students then watched a documentary on the Haitian Revolution, which focused primarily on leader Toussaint Louverture. This was the first successful slave revolt in the “New World,” and in fact the only successful slave revolt in the Americas.
Students learned more about Haiti’s influence on the rest of Latin America. They were especially shocked at the longevity of Haiti’s debt (paid off in 1947). EJP students were interested in making connections between motivations in this independence-era context to examples of resistance in the present. Many modern-day policies mirror some of the choices made in the 18th/19th centuries.
“This class taught about the rebellions against white rule,” EJP student Dwan Jenifor observed. “It also shows the strategies of the Europeans that are still being implemented today.”
This is the second class taught for EJP by Liliana Lule. Before coming to EJP, she worked with the Emerson Prison Initiative at Emerson College in Boston. Teaching in prison, she says, “has been the result of my broader investment in prison reform and abolition.”
“The relationship between the carceral state and immigration policy has gotten much more intertwined,” as she has seen in recent decades. “I consider this work a natural extension of my personal and professional interests.”
Thank you, Liliana, for teaching for EJP. Our students are benefiting greatly from your expertise!
