Italian scholarship on Colonial Latin America

Historie del S. D. Fernando Colombo; nelle quali s'ha particolare, et vera relatione della vita, et de’ fatti dell'Ammiraglio D. Christoforo Colombo, suo padre . . . 1571. Edited and introduction by GIUSEPPE BELLINI. Roma: Bulzoni Editore, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 1992. Pp. xxv, 248.

Viaggio e relazione delle Indie (1539–1553). By GALEOTTO CEI. Edited and introduction by FRANCESCO SURDICH. Roma: Bulzoni Editore, 1992. Pp. viii, 172, facs.

I segni del diavolo e i segni di Dio. “La carta al Emperador Carlos V” (2 gennaio 1555) di Fray Toribio Motolinía. Edited and introduction by PIERLUIGI CROVETTO. Roma: Bulzoni Editore, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 1992. Pp. xi, 317.

L'America nei libretti italiani del Settecento. By DONATELLA FERRO. Roma: Bulzoni Editore, 1992. Pp. 89.

Iconografia Colombiana. Introduction, notes and studies by GAETANO FERRO, LUISA FALDINI and MARICA MILANESI. In collaboration with CARLA PAMPALONI, LAURA MONFERDINI and MARIA TERESA DI PALMA. Nuova Raccolta Colombiana. Edited and coordinated by GIANNI EUGENIO VIOLA. Roma: Istituto Poligrafico, 1991. Pp. 655.     

Photography and Latin American Ruins

Ever since the nineteenth century photographers have regularly turned to Latin American ruins to express a diverse range of scientific, colonial, aesthetic and spiritual desires. This article looks at photographs of Latin American ruins from the nineteenth century through several archaeological expeditions in Central and South America over the course of the twentieth century. Focusing in particular on photographs of ruins that include human subjects, I argue that the human-material interactions evident in these images undermine the traditional view of a split between the archaeological subject and the material object, serving as a reminder of the political actuality of ‘classical’ ruins, sites that have sometimes been left out of the West’s contemporary fascination with the dark underbelly of modernity. Acknowledging that such politics is by no means always innocent, sometimes reflecting as it does the embedded power relations of neo-colonial desires, I argue nonetheless that ancient ruins in Latin America continue to be spaces around which social relations can be formed, not least through humour and pleasure.     

The Evolution of American Colonial Assemblies as Legislative Organizations

I examine the organizational evolution of the American colonial assemblies. The assemblies, like their modern progeny, established organizational boundaries, created standing committees, adopted increasingly complex rules and procedures, evolved apprenticeship and seniority norms in regard to leadership positions, and acquired specialized staff and facilities. After documenting the rise of these common legislative features, I turn to the question of how we can explain their existence at a far earlier time than most political scientists realize. I conclude with an examination of the implications of these findings for our understanding of how legislative institutions evolve.     

殖民地时期美国史研究中的若干重要问题

国内美国史学界对殖民地时期研究相对薄弱,而美国学者的研究则至为丰富。在研究中通常会遇到许多棘手的难题：如何确定殖民地时期在美国历史中的地位?如何看待不同种族和族裔群体的历史作用?如何理解英格兰文化与北美文化的关系?如何解释北美13个殖民地从分到合的变化过程?如何借鉴和利用美国学者整理的历史文献和发表的研究成果?这都是研究殖民地时期美国史所必须处理的问题。