Ibero-American History
(Hans Blumenberg)
About Us
Iberian and Latin-American History has been an important part of research and teaching at our department ever since it was
founded in 1973. The integration of the geographic areas of both the Iberian Peninsula and the Middle and South American
continent into one unit accommodates for the special interconnection of these regions in the course of history.
The combination of European and Non-European History allows us to substitute regionally focused research with studies in
Comparative History, Entangled Histories and History of Relationships.
We are part of the interdisciplinary Center for InterAmerican Studies
(CIAS) at Bielefeld University.
The CIAS is a joint project comprising studies of History, Literature, Culture, Media and Linguistics as well as Sociology and
Theology. We attach great importance to an intimate interlinking of research and teaching.
With view to intercultural competencies we maintain ERASMUS partnerships with several European universities. Furthermore,
we cooperate with selected universities in North and Latin America.
*English translation by Diana González.
Entangled Americas

Aktuelles
In memoriam Josef Raab (1960 - 2019)
The International Association of Inter-American Studies (IAS) and the Center for InterAmerican Studies (CIAS) at Bielefeld University share the sad duty to announce the passing of Josef Raab, the Founding President of the International Association of Inter-American Studies. On behalf of the IAS and the CIAS, we respectfully offer our sincere condolences to Josef's family for the passing of this charming and remarkable man.
Conference
UNIVERSITIES IN CRISIS OR CRISIS OF THE UNIVERSITY?: Modes of Organizing Knowledge Production and Higher Education in the 21st Century, November 28. - 29. 2019, Bielefeld University, X-Building, Room B2-103
with Keynote from: Ramón Grosfoguel
Program
Geld macht weiß
Interview with Olaf Kaltmeier, in which the refeudalization of Latin America, the Maria Sybilla Merian Center for Advanced Latin American Studies, CALAS and the significance of music as an object of research are discussed.
Call for Papers
As part of the joint project CALAS, it is possible to apply for various funding formats! For more information please read the visiting professors Cátedra Alemania and Plataforma para el Diálogo . The deadlines are set on Nov 15th, 2019 (Cátedra Alemania) or Nov 3rd, 2019 (Plataforma para el Diálogo).
Bookrelease
The colonial heritage and its renewed aftermaths ? expressed in the inter-American experiences of slavery, indigeneity, dependence, and freedom movements, to mention only a few aspects ? form a common ground of experience in the Western Hemisphere. The flow of peoples, goods, knowledge and finances have promoted interdependence and integration that cut across borders and link the countries of North and South America together. The nature of this transversally related and multiply interconnected region can only be captured through a transnational, multidisciplinary, and comprehensive approach.
The Routledge Handbook to the History and Society of the Americas explores the history and society of the Americas, placing particular emphasis on collective and intertwined experiences. It covers a range of concepts and dynamics in the Americas:
- The shared histories and dynamics of Inter-American relationships are considered through pre-Hispanic empires, colonization, European hegemony, migration, multiculturalism, and political and economic interdependences.
- Key concepts are selected and explored from different geopolitical, disciplinary, and epistemological perspectives.
- Highlighting the contested character of key concepts that are usually defined in strict disciplinary terms, the Handbook provides the basis for a better and deeper understanding of inter-American entanglements.
For further information please click here and if you are eager in purchasing the book click here.
Sonic Politics: Music and Social Movements in the Americas
The anthology
Sonic Politics: Music and Social Movements in the Americas
, edited by Olaf Kaltmeier and Wilfried Raussert, will be published in June 2019.
This publication is accompanied by a web page and a YouTube channel with playlists created for the individual chapters, where corresponding songs and artists can be found. These special addition provides the opportunity to listen to the songs at hand, while reading the essays, thus making the topic acoustically more "tangible". This adds a musically refreshing note to the intellectual content of the essays.
Please forward this message if you like the music channel!