Contemporary Latin America
1970 to the Present
Blackwell History of the Contemporary World
1. Edition September 2012
368 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
Contemporary Latin America presents the epochal political, economic, social, and cultural changes in Latin America over the last 40 years and comprehensively examines their impact on life in the region, and beyond.
* Provides a fresh approach and a new interpretation of the seismic changes of the last 40 years in Latin America
* Introduces major themes from a humanistic and universal perspective, putting each subject in a context that readers can understand and relate to
* Focuses on 'Ibero-America'--Brazil and the eighteen countries that were formerly Spanish possessions- while offering valuable comparative views of the non-Iberian areas of the Caribbean
* Emphasizes the global, regional and national dimensions of the region's recent past
Series Editor's Preface viii
Acknowledgments x
Part I Latin America in a World Setting 1
Introduction 3
1 What Is Latin America? 5
2 Beliefs 20
Part II Government 41
Introduction 43
3 The Demise of Social Revolution 48
4 The Armed Forces Bow to Civilian Rule 67
5 The Turning toward Democracy 97
6 Religion, Politics and the State 113
7 Lawless Violence, Impunity and the Democratic Transition 127
Part III Wealth 143
Introduction 145
8 The Challenge of Sustained Growth 148
9 Poor Countries, Rich Countries 161
10 Agonies of Underdevelopment 185
Part IV Culture 207
Introduction 209
11 Education 211
12 Research and Communications 225
13 Literature and the Visual Arts 249
14 Cinema and Sports 263
Part V Communities 275
Introduction 277
15 The Family, Women and Sexuality 281
16 Indigenous Peoples and Their Movements 304
17 Toward a Latin American Community of Nations? 322
Sources Consulted 332
Index 342
'It is not easy to write a contemporary history of a region as large and complicated as Latin America. Yet this clearly written book succeeds admirably in its aims, providing the reader with an excellent understanding of politics, economics, and society. ... This is a welcome addition to the literature of a region whose recent changes have not yet been fully understood.'--Professor Victor Bulmer-Thomas, former Director of the Institute of Latin American Studies, London University, and of Chatham House
'Rigorous but never pedantic, compactly comprehensive but never over-simplified, Holden and Villars have given us a fresh, lively introduction to a region that many non-Hispanics approach with a set of inaccurate preconceptions. Highly recommended.'--Lars Schoultz, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
'This book offers an interesting new perspective on contemporary Latin American history, focusing on the 1970s as a decisive returning point. The book is scholarly and well researched and will add an extra dimension to our understanding of the region.'--George Philip, London School of Economics and Political Science
Dominion University in Norfolk Virginia. He is the author of
amongst others, Armies Without Nations: Public Violence and State
Formation in Central America, 1821-1960 (2004), and co-editor of
Latin America and the United States: A Documentary History
(with Eric Zolov, 2010) as well as numerous scholarly
articles.
Rina Villars is the author of three books in Spanish on
the history and political culture of Central America, and scholarly
articles on Spanish linguistics and women.