The Colonization of Individuals and Social Bodies in Europe, America, Africa, and Oceania: Building Histories from a Decolonial Perspective

Abstract

The colonization processes of the 15th–16th centuries across different continents were shaped by the policies of each empire and their strategies of domination. However, at the center of all of them were the subjugated populations—particularly their bodies—which were subjected to various forms of oppression that we now understand as intersectionalities. This panel aims to discuss these strategies of bodily domination using diverse sources of information that go beyond classical historiography, such as human remains and archaeological materials. Similarly, we seek sources of information on the resistance responses of the subjugated. In this sense, we consider it essential to understand the nuances of colonial policies and their consequences on diverse populations, bodies, and cultures. By centering embodied experiences and incorporating biological sources, this approach seeks to highlight the physical and psychological impacts of colonization on the bodies. It aims to renew historical perspectives on colonial history by broadening both its methodological and epistemological frameworks.

Papers

Colonization Strategies of the Body under the Portuguese Empire in Asia-Pacific

João Vicente Melo

The Impact on the Social Body of Pixoy During the Caste War of Yucatán, Mexico

Isabelle Séguy

Courtship and Marriage: Gendered Bodies in Colonial New Spain

Lourdes Villafuerte

The Vulnerables bodies of Mexico City: Paleodemography of the Deceased from San Juan de Dios Hospital (17th-18th Centuries)

Geraldine Granados

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