Latin America In Books

This "composite view of the present-day situation in Latin America" seeks to convey an understanding and appreciation of the problems and temper, history and culture, aspirations and attitudes of today's Latin Americans.

This text offers a comprehensive entry point to Latin America. The early chapters of the book survey the essentials of Latin American history; historical narratives; and the region's languages, religions, and global connections. The second half of the book features interdisciplinary case studies.

Compilation of general studies of the Latin American developing countries - covers historical and geographical aspects, demographic aspects and social structures, economic structures, political aspects, political problems, living conditions, education, labour force, economic development trends, nationalist movements, foreign policies, trade, etc.

Latin America in the Modern World is the first text to situate the history of Latin American into a wider, global narrative, and it does so without de-emphasizing the distinctive experiences of each of the Latin American countries. Focusing on five themes - state formation; the construction ofnational identity through popular culture and religion; economics and commodities; race, class, and gender; and the environment, and written by leading scholars, Latin America in the Modern World provides students today with an entry point into understanding this vital region. The authors emphasizethe distictive experiences of each of the Latin American countries. Instead of suggesting that all Latin American nations have an interchangeable heritage, the authors seek to clearly identify themes, topics, people and intellectual currents that help to knit the history of modern Latin America intoa coherent category of study. The book would not serve students well if it focused primarily on the history of the three largest countries (Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina) to the neglect of others like the Central American and Andean nations. As a consequence, case studies from almost all of the countries are included at somepoint in the narrative when their history seems to illuminate a theme or idea particularly effectively. In this fashion, students will come to appreciate the great diversity of history and culture within the Latin American region, while simultaneously understanding how it fits into the streams andcurrents of world history and events more broadly.

Brazil and Latin America: Between the Separation and Integration Paths challenges the “separatist” bias in the vision of Brazilian relations with its Latin American neighbors. By exploring the parallel existence of a path of integration, the focus of this study is on those forces which have intended to forge different forms of alignment, integration, and, sometimes, rightward union between Brazil and different Latin American countries. The authors analyze the ideas and projects inherent in the mindset of elites even before independence. They show that the path of integration has been more influential than is generally known. Ultimately, this book demonstrates the complexity around policy-making, debates on foreign policy, and the history of shaping the Brazilian self.

With a section on Hugo Chavez, this work focuses on the social history and the analysis of the spectrum of revolutionary change since Bolivar. It also includes sections such as: Simon Bolivar - The Liberator; The Age of Caudillos - Juan Manuel de Rosas; and, Hugo Chavez - A Venezuelan Populist in the Era of Globalization.