This course examines the common and divergent economic trajectories in Latin America from the colonial period to the present. Rather than treating the economy as an autonomous sphere, the course approaches economic life as deeply embedded in social, cultural, political, and environmental contexts. Economic growth, trade, exports, and other quantitative indicators are therefore studied not simply as statistical outcomes, but as the products of complex historical processes shaped by multiple actors, institutions, and forms of power. The course begins by introducing economic history as a field of inquiry, exploring its methods, sources, and debates, as well as the possibilities and limitations of quantitative analysis. Students will critically examine topics such as economic development, inequality, commodity production, labor systems, state formation, and environmental change. Drawing on the concepts and approaches explored throughout the quarter, students will complete an original research paper analyzing an economic question of their choice related to Latin America or the Caribbean, developed in consultation with the instructor.
5 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
This course examines the common and divergent economic trajectories in Latin America from the colonial period to the present. Rather than treating the economy as an autonomous sphere, the course approaches economic life as deeply embedded in social, cultural, political, and environmental contexts. Economic growth, trade, exports, and other quantitative indicators are therefore studied not simply as statistical outcomes, but as the products of complex historical processes shaped by multiple actors, institutions, and forms of power. The course begins by introducing economic history as a field of inquiry, exploring its methods, sources, and debates, as well as the possibilities and limitations of quantitative analysis. Students will critically examine topics such as economic development, inequality, commodity production, labor systems, state formation, and environmental change. Drawing on the concepts and approaches explored throughout the quarter, students will complete an original research paper analyzing an economic question of their choice related to Latin America or the Caribbean, developed in consultation with the instructor.
Offered in Spring 2027 at Stanford University.