ANTH 348 - Anthropology of Curanderismo in Latin America

This course will explore the origins, practices and significance of curanderismo, a syncretic form of healing and care related to Indigenous lifeways in Latin America with African and European influences. As specialized healers, curanderxs serve important roles in their communities and can provide different practices, such as hueseros (chiropractors), parteras (midwives) or brujxs (witches). Some draw on powerful plants like ayahuasca/yagé, peyote, San Pedro or vilca. Curanderismo resisted and adapted to European colonialization, maintaining a critical role in health, wellness and spiritual care among Latin American communities. Today, the practice of curanderismo is facing a popularized resurgence, especially among decolonialization and revitalization movements. However, like many traditional practices, capitalist-driven pharmaceuticals and New Age spiritualism pose threats to Latin American curanderismo. Drawing on an array of archaeological materials, ethnographic studies, historical accounts, oral narratives, and lived experiences, we will trace curanderismo and related, diverse shamanistic practices in Latin America from precolonial times. Case studies extending from the high mountains to arid deserts to the lush rainforests will illustrate myriad ways that people engage with their environments through interactions with plants, animals and other non or super humans. Topics will include herbalism and medicinal plants, psychoactive substances, sorcery and curses, everyday cures and spells, ailments like mal de ojo or susto, supernatural creatures and shapeshifting, sacrifice, tourism and trustafarians. By applying an anthropological approach in this course, we will unravel the nuances of the curanderx identity and practice in relation to current discussions of decolonization and appropriation, Indigeneity and mestizaje, sustainability and extraction, care and restoration. As such, curanderismo provides lens to examine issues of gender, race, colonialism and environmental relations throughout Abya Yala (Latin America).

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group II
Prerequisite(s): ANTH 201 or ANTH 211
Instructional Method: Conference
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Analyze institutions, formations, languages, structures, or processes, whether social, political, religious, economic, cultural, intellectual or other.
Think in sophisticated ways about causation, social and/or historical change, human cognition, or the relationship between individuals and society, or engage with social, political, religious or economic theory in other areas.