Amazonian Encounters

Undergraduate / Graduate

Have you ever wondered about the real lives and perspectives behind sensationalized accounts of the Amazon? This course explores Amazonian encounters from an anthropological perspective, equipping you to critically analyze and contextualize representations of radical otherness in the Amazon (and beyond). Drawing on ethnographic, fictional, historical, literary, and multimedia materials, we will examine Amazonian encounters - across cultures and between humans and non-humans. Our approach will be to focus on specific objects, events, or stories, considering them from different perspectives, For example, we will centers on the real-life story behind Werner Herzog's film Fitzcarraldo, examining viewpoints of the filmmaker and Indigenous Peruvians (Awajún and Ashéninka). As we compare these perspectives, we will explore the cultural and historical contexts that shape them, tracing histories of both the Amazon and anthropological theory. We will look at the foundations of anthropological methods and theory, particularly structuralism and perspectivism - two important frameworks emerging from or shaped by Amazonian fieldwork. We will also address the moral responsibilities of researchers working with Indigenous communities, and challenge our assumptions about cultural and human/nonhuman boundaries. Ultimately, this course invites reflection on how popular and academic representations shape encounters with difference and the transformative potential of those encounters.