HIST 309: Banned! Histories of Censorship in the Americas

In this course we start with an exploration of some of the formal prohibitions of "subversive" texts, images, and sounds. We then move on to identify multiple types of censorship aimed at controlling the circulation of information within different societies. We compare changing historical contexts in which political or religious leaders banned information or activities of individuals and groups and examine the usefulness of dichotomies that juxtapose censorship and freedom. How can the lens of censorship help us explore constructions of political power? What were some of the changing political interest or fears that triggered acts of censorship? What were different forms of violence that accompanied such acts? How can we identify the gendered aspect of censorship, and in what way was censorship shaped by such categories as race, ethnicity, class, geography, age, and experience? Under what circumstances were people prepared to resist censorship, either individually or collectively? Themes include censorship and self-censorship in people's religious practices, politics, and corporate censorship. We will examine evidence from the worlds of art, humor, public rituals, mass media, and education.