Building America S Might

This volume provides readings from the works of eighteen Latin American thinkers of the nineteenth century who were engaged in articulating and examining the problems that Spanish and Portuguese America faced in the one hundred years after securing independence. The selections represent all major regions of Latin America. Although these regions differ significantly with regard to indigenous background, geography, climate, and available resources, their people confronted the common problems that surround the intractable challenges of statecraft and nation building: issues of race, international relations, economics, education, and self-understanding. Burke and Humphrey provide fresh, accessible translations of key works, a majority of which appear for the first time in English; a General Introduction that sets the works in historical and intellectual context; detailed headnotes for each selection; a Guide to Themes; and bibliographic references.

Why do some cities grow and expand, while others dwindle and decline? Why is Milwaukee a town of the past, while Minneapolis-St. Paul seems reborn and infused with future dynamism? And what do Milwaukee and the Twin Cities have to tell us about other cities' prospects, the trials and destinies of industrial Cleveland and post-industrial Austin? Anthony Orum's new book tells the story of these cities and, at the same time, of all cities. Here the urban past, present, and future are woven into one compelling tale. Orum traces the shift in the sources of urban growth from entrepreneurs to institutions and highlights the emergence of local government as a prominent force—indeed, as an institution—in shaping the trajectory of the urban industrial heartland. This complex trajectory includes all aspects of urban boom and bust: population trends, economic prosperity, politics and culture, as well as hard-to-pin-down qualities like a city's collective hope and vision. Interspersing social theory, historical ethnography, and comparative analysis to help explain the fates of different cities, Orum lucidly portrays factory openings, labor strikes, elections, evictions, urban blight, white flight, recession, and rejuvenation to show the core histories—and future shape—of cities beyond the particulars presented in these pages. The reader will discover the key people and politics of cities along with the forces that direct them. With a rich variety of sources including newspapers, diaries, census materials, maps, photo essays, and, perhaps most captivating, original oral histories, City-Building in America is ideal for anyone interested in urban transformation and for courses in urban sociology, urban politics, industrial sociology, social change, and social mobility.

Students and health practitioners traveling abroad seek insightful, culturally relevant background material to orient them to the environment in which they will be living and working. No single book currently provides this contextual background and global health perspective. These essays emphasize building partnerships and were written by United States medical and dental professionals, in collaboration with social scientists and Latin American medical personnel. The authors provide the historical, political, and cultural background for contemporary health care challenges, especially related to poverty. Combining personal insights with broader discussion of country contexts, this volume serves as an essential guide for anyone--from medical professionals to undergraduate students--heading to Mexico, Central America, or the Caribbean to do health care-related work.