Geometrizing Power: The Use of Spheres in Hispanic Visual Culture

Spheres have been used throughout history to visually represent power. The Habsburg dynasty imitated the Roman emperors by utilizing spheres to visually represent the expansion of their power over the New World. Emblems, Spanish and colonial art, mathematical and scientific treatises, as well as literature from the 16th - to the 18th- century from Spain, the Americas, and the Philippines, utilized spheres to represent not only political, religious, and epistemological power, but also to express resistance to power. Taking into consideration that spheres represented globalization, especially beginning with the discovery of the Americas, we will explore intersections of globalization and colonialism, placing emphasis on issues of race, gender/sexuality, and biopolitics. We will also look at globalized flows and disjunctures represented in contemporary spheres. (At least two Spanish courses at the 0300 level or above, or by waiver) 3 hrs. lect./disc.