Synopses & Reviews
Now in a fifth edition,
Latin America has been updated to reflect the regions growing optimism as economies stabilize, trade diversifies, and political systems become more participatory. This multidisciplinary survey of Latin American history, politics, and society features invited contributions from authorities in a variety of fields. New sections address current events including deforestation in Costa Rica and Brazil, emerging social movements, Ecuadors new constitution, and Obamas stated objectives to repair U.S. relations with the region. In addition, key topicssuch as women and Latin American politics, socialist governments and anti-American sentiment, Argentinas deteriorating economy, and Colombias struggle with military and narcotics issuesreceive expanded and revitalized treatment. Other updated material covers outcomes of recent elections in Bolivia, Brazil, and Nicaragua, among others. Through a hybrid thematic and regional organization, this text provides an essential foundation for introductory courses on Latin America.
Review
Praise for Previous Editions
Jan Knippers Blacks revised fourth edition updates this reader to include modern issues ranging from the traumatic impact of drugs to debt, threats to distinctive ecological zones, new populist political parties and social movements and their attendant social and economic crisis, and more. This book continues to be a popular reader for classroom use.”
—Colonial Latin American Historical Review
"Prof. Jan Knippers Blacks updated textbook is the ideal resource for any interdisciplinary survey of Latin America. Its new chapters are especially welcome in the sense that the more current trends in interdisciplinary research on Latin America are brought to the readers attention clearly and forcefully. The regional comprehensiveness of the book is preserved in the current edition, and its thoughtful division between content areas and country case studies successfully addresses competing visions of how the region should be studied, and its organizational structure provides excellent material for debating and critiquing the pedagogies of Latin American Studies."
—James D. Huck, Tulane Universitys Stone Center for Latin American Studies
"This provocative textbook offers comprehensive articles on Latin America by some leading experts in the field. They cover all the major issues and countries, including historical background as well as recent events."
—Paul Drake, Dean of Social Sciences, University of California, San Diego
"Will provide undergraduates with a broad understanding of the evolution of the issues and theoretical frameworks that have been at the center of this field of study."
—Journal of Third World Studies
"This is a superb collection of essays on the Latin American reality in the age of globalization. Eminently accessible, timely, and informative, this is an ideal primer for the classroom or simply for those seeking a well-rounded overview of Latin American affairs."
—William I. Robinson, University of California, Santa Barbara
"For the fourth edition of Latin America: Its Problems and Its Promise, Jan Knippers Black has assembled an impressive line-up of academic and policy experts from a variety of disciplines. The result is a stellar array of articles that make this far and away the best interdisciplinary introduction to Latin America on the market. The chapters are concise and compelling, perfect for undergraduates; the up-to-date analysis of current events and trends will satisfy and inform even the most demanding instructors."
—Robert Buffington, Bowling Green State University
Synopsis
Revised and updated throughout, this multidisciplinary survey of Latin American history, politics, and society features chapters on individual countries by invited authorities.
About the Author
Jan Knippers Black is professor of international policy studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California, a Graduate School of Middlebury College. She has authored or edited numerous books, including
Development in Theory and Practice: Paradigms and Paradoxes, Second Edition (Westview Press).
Table of Contents
List of Maps, Tables, Figures, and Illustrations 1 Introduction: Latin America Leading the Learning Curve
Jan Knippers Black
PART ONE: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE
2 Landscape and Settlement Patterns
Alfonso Gonzalez
3 The Indian Populations of Latin America
Karl H. Schwerin
4 Harmonizing and Disharmonizing Human and Natural Environments
David Stea and G. Shane Lewis
PART TWO: HISTORICAL SETTING
5 Colonial Latin America
Peter Bakewell
6 Latin America Since Independence: An Overview
Michael Conniff
PART THREE: ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL STRUCTURES
7 Latin American Economies Restructure, Again
William P. Glade
8 Social Structure and Change in Latin America
Henry Veltmeyer and James Petras
9 Strategies and Trends in Latin American Activism
Wendy Muse Sinek
PART FOUR: POLITICAL PROCESSES AND TRENDS
10 Participation and Political Process: The Collapsible Pyramid
Jan Knippers Black
11 Women and Latin American Politics: Participation, Citizenship, and Democracy
Jane S. Jaquette
12 Globalization, Insecurity, and Crisis in the Americas
Jorge Nef
PART FIVE: EXTERNAL RELATIONS
13 International Relations in Latin America: Conflict and Cooperation
James Lee Ray
14 The United States and Latin America: Into a New Era
Wayne S. Smith
PART SIX: MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA
15 Mexico: A Revolution Laid to Rest?
Fred R. Harris and Martin C. Needler
16 Central America: From Revolution to Low-Intensity Democracies”
Thomas W. Walker and Christine J. Wade
17 Panama and the Canal
Steve C. Ropp
PART SEVEN: CUBA AND THE CARIBBEAN
18 The Cuban Revolution
Nelson P. Valdés
19 The Caribbean: The Structure of Modern-Conservative Societies
Anthony P. Maingot
PART EIGHT: THE ANDES
20 Colombias Split-Level Realities
Jan Knippers Black with William H. Godnick
21 Venezuela: The Challenge to a Model Democracy”
Steve Ellner
22 Ecuador: Political Turmoil, Social Mobilization, and a Turn Toward the Left
Pablo Andrade A. and Liisa L. North
23 Peru: Precarious Democracy amid Dependent Development in a Divided Nation
Cynthia McClintock
24 Bolivia: An Indigenous Movement Consolidates Power
José Z. Garcia
PART NINE: BRAZIL AND THE SOUTHERN CONE
25 Brazil: From Military Regime to Workers Party Government
David Fleischer
26 Chile: The Development, Breakdown, and Recovery of Democracy
J. Samuel Valenzuela and Arturo Valenzuela
27 Argentina: Decline and Revival
Peter Calvert
28 Uruguay and Paraguay: An Arduous Transition
Diego Abente Brun with Michael Danielson
29 Conclusion: A New Kind of Togetherness
Jan Knippers Black
Acknowledgments
About the Book, Editor, and Contributors
Index