Product Description
Clark has masterfully collected thirteen essays that discuss the various aspects of Tex Mex, Central American and Latin American music.Major personalities from these musical cultures the are discussed in detail range from Bob Marley to Carmen Miranda.Vast in scope, the contributors engage with divergent musical styles such as Latin dance and the national rock of Argintina. ... Read more

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Nearly thirty years have passed since Latin America began the arduous task of transitioning from military-led rule to democracy. In this time, more countries have moved toward the institutional bases of democracy than at any time in the region’s history. Nearly all countries have held free, competitive elections and most have had peaceful alternations in power between opposing political forces. Despite these advances, however, Latin American countries continue to face serious domestic and international challenges to the consolidation of stable democratic governance. The challenges range from weak political institutions, corruption, legacies of militarism, transnational crime and globalization among others.

In Latin American Democracy contributors – both academics and practitioners, North Americans and Latin Americans – explore and assess the state of democratic consolidation in Latin America by focusing on the specific issues and challenges confronting democratic governance in the region.

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Celia Correas de Zapata, an internationally recognized expert in the field of Latin American fiction written by women, has collected stories by thirty-one authors from fourteen countries, translated into English by such renowned scholars and writers as Gregory Rabassa and Margaret Sayers Peden. Contributors include Dora Alonso, Rosario Ferré, Elena Poniatowska, Ana Lydia Vega, and Luisa Valenzuela. The resulting book is a literary tour de force, stories written by women in this hemisphere that speak to cultures throughout the world. In her Foreword, Isabel Allende states, “This anthology is so valuable; it lays open the emotions of writers who, in turn, speak for others still shrouded in silence.” ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Worthwhile for Its Range of Authors
This book was published in 1990 and contained 32 pieces by 31 writers, from 13 nations and Puerto Rico. It gathered together many Latin American female writers, who didn't begin to receive due attention in earlier anthologies in English for the region until starting from the mid-1980s.

The oldest writers it contained were Bolivia's María Virginia Estenssoro (1902-70), Paraguay's Josefina Pla (1909-99), Chile's María Luisa Bombal (1910-80), Argentina's Luisa Mercedes Levinson (1910-87), Cuba's Dora Alonso (1910-2001), Venezuela's Antonia Palacios (1910-2001) and Mexico's Elena Garro (1916-98). Those born in the 1920s and 30s included Marta Traba, Clarice Lispector, Nélida Piñon, Carmen Naranjo, Rosario Castellanos and Elena Poniatowska. The youngest were those born in the 1940s: Isabel Allende, Liliana Heker, Rosario Ferré and Christina Peri Rossi. Writers such as Laura Esquivel, born later, and Gabriela Mistral and Carmen Lyra, born before 1900, weren't included. Brazil's Dinah Silveira de Queiroz and Lygia Fagundes Telles were other, more contemporary writers who weren't selected.

As far as could be judged, the pieces ranged from the 1930s to the 1980s, with the main focus on the last few decades. Argentina had the greatest number of selections, with Levinson, Orozco, Traba, Valenzuela, Kociancich, Heker and Glickman, followed by Mexico, with Garro, Dueñas, Castellanos, Dávila and Poniatowska. Although the collection aimed to highlight female writers in the region, it provided only brief biographies for the authors and almost no information on the dates of publication or sources for the stories it contained.

The stories were of many types. A number were good at conveying their female protagonists' shifting mental landscapes as they considered or struggled against their husband (Bombal, Castellanos), revenged themselves on man and fate (Levinson), fantasized about love (Guerra), relived moments of deepest intimacy with a former lover (Palacios), meditated on what it meant to have a child (Estenssoro), recalled a youthful obsession with the worlds of fragrances and shoes (Duenas), or faced old age and approaching death (Lispector).

Others contained a narrator but gave most attention to the surrounding characters. For example, a story by Llano about a family that found its dead relatives appearing on the other side of a mirror in their home. Or Glickman's story set in the past, describing relationships among her elderly Jewish relatives and friends, emigrants from persecution in Europe.

Most of the stories were set in the present, more or less. Others were set in the past: the story by Glickman, or a story by Kociancich, which took its inspiration from a well-known woodcut from the Renaissance picturing a knight, death and the devil. Another, by Pla, depicted the final moments of a former Spanish conquistador, dying in bed in the new land, old and isolated from those around him. One, by Yáñez Cossío, took place in the future. It had no main characters and seemed to be a parable about society as a whole, using mainly the subject of computers.

Some of the stories were written ostensibly from a man's point of view. Besides those by Kociancich and Pla just mentioned, one by de Vallbona showed a young man's horror at his mother's declaration of freedom from her marriage, hand in hand with his growing attraction. In a story by Araujo, a narrator from a privileged group of leftist students recounted a kidnapping they attempted that went wrong; this was one of the few stories from the region I've read that referred to the period of student unrest in the 1960s.

An unsubtle story by Piñon showed a male landowner's reverence for his prize cow, from her purchase to her giving birth, to her sickness and death. A parody by Poniatowska took the form of a letter written by a jealous man to a French film actress, denouncing her for her "infidelity" to him by falling in love on screen, and ending by asking for her autograph and revealing he was in jail for attacking her image in the theater. In a funny story by Vega, which began on a makeshift craft struggling toward the U.S., two Spanish-speaking refugees from Cuba and the Dominican Republic ganged up on a French-speaking Haitian, but to the North Americans on the ship that rescued them they all looked the same. The only person on the ship shown to be working was a Puerto Rican deep in the hold.

A handful of other stories were fragmented, rambling or tiresome, with a point I was unable to grasp.

Almost none of the stories, when they focused on women, showed them in control of their own lives or free of the limits placed on them by families, husbands or lovers. Very few stories focused on, say, love between equals or the love between mothers and children. In a rare work showing a couple on more or less equal terms (Naranjo), a man and woman fell into a relationship and each started taking on characteristics of the other: the man became pregnant, and the woman began growing a beard and speaking in a deep voice. The story by Allende was primarily about the violence that brought a man and a woman together and then drove them apart, in the form of a folktale or allegory, with characters larger than life. None of the stories contained anything so mundane as a woman at work in an office.

Many of the stories used magic realist devices like exaggeration and absurdity (Solari, Naranjo) or blended hallucination and reality (Guerra, Davila, Llano, Palacios, Ferré, Garro). In the work by Solari, students attacked and ate a sensitive poet-teacher who'd lost control of her class. In the piece by Davila, a man saw his double walking with a stranger, and his consciousness shifted gradually into that of the second man or something deeper, resembling the style of Cortàzar. The work by Ferré shifted between the points of view of a selfish mother-in-law, bookish daughter and omniscient narrator, jumped back and forth in time, and was circular in form, with the conclusion becoming the beginning. The story by Garro contained a woman who appeared to belong to both the modern day and the time of the Spanish Conquest, with a husband in the present and a wounded Indian lover in the past, and the two realities penetrating each other. Other than these last two relatively complex pieces, for the most part the stories avoided complicated shifts in point of view or time like those found in writers like Asturias, Carpentier, Lezama Lima, Rulfo, Donoso, Sarduy or Arenas. Nor were there metaphysically intricate constructions like those of Borges.

For me, a handful of stories were really outstanding all the way through: Levinson, say, or Poniatowska. Yet the editor took great care in selecting a range of authors, styles and subjects, and that range, rather than the power of any particular story, was what was enjoyed most. The writing, too, ran along a spectrum from the following, in one piece:

"During the following days both of them opened the floodgates of repressed love and, for the first time since their cruel fate was decided, opened themselves to receive the other's proximity."

To this in another work, by Levinson:

"The expression on her face was no different from that of a great many women one meets in towns or cities: a mask of melancholy or tedium, and behind the mask, nothing . . . . Stretched out on the hammock, fanning herself, her face impassive, it was only her body that moved, undulating over the netting, multiplying its flutterings like the thousands of brilliant underwater fish disputing among themselves in an unnatural environment, to no end; all a bit monstrous."

This, by Palacios:

"And Delia feels fulfilled, frightened with a fulfillment and abandon that leaves her she knows not where . . . .Delia forgets her name, her birthdate, her fingerprints, those shallow curving designs on her fingertips . . . And Delia is moving, moving with the earth alongside Joaquín with an inebriating and all-enveloping sensation and feels lifted and detached from this earth, projected to those infinite heights she may not reach; or maybe descending, slowly, to those depths beyond the subsoil, beyond the seas, beyond the bottoms of the seas . . . Delia loses her memory and all notion of time, hours or minutes, seconds or centuries. Delia forgets yesterday's memories and tomorrow's . . ."

And this, by Lispector:

"But it happens that the woman also thought: it was too late to have a destiny. She thought that any kind of switch with another human being would do her good. It was then that it occurred to her there was no one else with whom she could trade places . . . . Why hadn't the other old women advised her that this could happen until the end? . . . . Without even one sublime thought to serve as a rudder and ennoble her existence . . . . She concluded that she was going to die as secretly as she had lived. But she also knew that every death is secret . . . .

"It was then that Mrs. Jorge B. Xavier abruptly doubled over the sink as though she were going to vomit out her viscera and she interrupted her life with an explosive silence: there!--has!--to!--be!--a!--way!--out!"

Earlier anthologies of female writers for the region include Other Fires: Short Fiction by Latin American Women (1986) and Landscapes of a New Land: Short Fiction by Latin American Women (1989). Later ones include Out of the Mirrored Garden (1995) and Cruel Fictions, Cruel Realities: Short Stories by Latin American Women Writers (1997).

Nice collection
I loved the collection of different stories providing and showing magical realism and how it is used. I would recommend it to anyone doing a study on latin american women like I am. Very helpful, with neat stories! Check itout! ... Read more

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TAKING SIDES: CLASHING VIEWS ON LATIN AMERICAN ISSUES presents current controversial issues in a debate-style format designed to stimulate student interest and develop critical thinking skills. Each issue is thoughtfully framed with an issue summary, an issue introduction, and a postscript. An instructor’s manual with testing material is available for each volume. USING TAKING SIDES IN THE CLASSROOM is also an excellent instructor resource with practical suggestions on incorporating this effective approach in the classroom. Each TAKING SIDES reader features an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites and is supported by our student website, www.mhcls.com/online. ... Read more

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In The Vintage Book of Latin American Stories, Julio Ortega and Carlos Fuentes present the most compelling short fiction from Mexico to Chile. Surreal, poetic, naturalistic, urbane, peasant-born: All styles intersect and play, often within a single piece. There is "The Handsomest Drown Man in the World," the García Márquez fable of a village overcome by the power of human beauty; "The Aleph," Borges' classic tale of a man who discovers, in a colleague's cellar, the Universe. Here is the haunting shades of Juan Rulfo, the astonishing anxiety puzzles of Julio Cortázar, the disquieted domesticity of Clarice Lispector. Provocative, powerful, immensely engaging, The Vintage Book of Latin American Stories showcases the ingenuity, diversity, and continuing excellence of a vast and vivid literary tradition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Good taste of Latin American lit
This book is really helpful for getting a review of prominent Latin American writers. The only thing that would make this book better, would be more extensive biographies of the writers.

Here comes the sun
The perfect door to get inside some amazing latin american authors is this anthology of short stories. Here you will find how we are, how we think, how we feel. Please... dont forget to read "Subterranean River" written by Inés Arredondo.
"I want to find something smooth, something harmonious, into which my soul can glide. Not these peaks, these useless wounds, this falling and getting up again; higher, lower, crooked, almost still, making you dizzy"

must have
"The vintage book of Latin American Stories" is a must have. Ever story in this book deserves individual praise. There are a couple of stories that stand out above the others.

One of these stories is "The Aleph" by Jorge Luis Borges. In this story, Borges tackles the concept of "the Aleph" which is perceived as everything that exists as well as everything that does not. It opens the mind to the perception of human knowledge and the concept of knowing "everything."

Another great story in this book is "Blow up" by Julio Cortazar. His style of writing captivates the mind even when the story is about a photograph. But the story is not just about the photograph but also about the emotions and actions in and behind the photograph.

Although these two stories alone are worth more than the value asked for book, another story that deserves to be mentioned is "Luvina" by Juan Rulfo. The descriptive qualities shown by the author are extraordinary. The way the town of Luvina is described actually reconstructs the town in the readers mind. Whether that is good or not is an open question.

The rest of the short stories are just as valuable as the mentioned. The book is a really must have.

Most certainly 'vintage'
These stories are a good start in learning about the Latin American story-telling tradition.

Lost in the translation
This book is an eclectic collection of surrealistic short stories. Many of the stories have an odd, nightmare-like quality to them. The language does not flow like in most short stories, and this may be a problem intrinsic in reading a story that has been translated.It takes considerable effort to get through these stories. ... Read more

Product Description
Novels from Spanish and Portuguese-speaking Latin America are read in translation all over the world. This Companion offers a broad overview of the novel's history and analyzes in depth several representative works by, for example, Gabriel García Márquez, Machado de Assis, Isabel Allende and Mario Vargas Llosa. Indispensable to students of Latin American studies, of comparative literature and of the development of the novel as genre, the book features a comprehensive bibliography and chronology and concludes with an essay about the success of Latin American novels in translation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The novel is alive and well and living in Latin America
This book is part of the distinguished series of Cambridge Companions to Literature. It consist of 17 essays. Rather than following the anticipated chronological evolution of works, the book is presented in topics: history, heterogeneity, gender and sexuality themes. A more author specific presentation follows on the work of others such as Donoso, Fuentes, Gallegos, Cortazar, to mention a few.


A core sectiion consists of a discussion of sixs novels. The so called authors creating the "boom of the Latin American Novel. This section is perhaps of the greatest interest to the general reader. It includesthe work of Machado de Assis and Clarise Lispector(Brazil, Juan Rulfo, (Mexico), Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia), Isabel Allende (Chile) and Mario Vargas LLosa (Peru). And can serve as touchstone for a grand view of the new style in prose and story telling thematic innovation. Grammatically pure, these artist write crystaline prose: pleasing, docile, musical, poetic, personal. Just as direct is the fury of the violent, carnal and inevitable political ramifications of the Latin American Novel.

Spanish is in itself a docile, sweet language. Just being able to read these novelists in the original justifies learning this language. ... Read more

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Over a decade ago, Jorge Castañeda wrote the classic Utopia Unarmed, which offered a penetrating and comprehensive account of the Latin American left’s fate at the end of the Cold War. Since then, the left across Latin America has travelled in paths no one could have predicted. Latin American nations from Mexico to Argentina wavered for years between leftism and American-supported neoliberalism, but in recent years the left has experienced a tremendous resurgence throughout the region. However, the left is not unified, and as Castañeda, Morales, and their contributors show, it has followed two distinct paths – a more cosmopolitan style leftism, exemplified by Brazil and Chile, and a left fuelled by populist nationalism that has clear debts to Perón or Cárdenas, and is most evident in Venezuela, Mexico’s PRD, Bolivia, and Argentina. Leftovers comprehensively updates this very important story, with country and area specialists contributing.

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This important and welcome volume is the first English-language anthology of writings on Latin American modern art of the twentieth century. The book includes some fifty seminal essays and documents-including statements, interviews, and manifestoes by artists-that encompass the broad diversity of this emerging field. Many of these materials are difficult to access and some are translated here for the first time. Together the selections explore the breadth and depth of Latin American modern art as well as its distinctive evolution apart from American and European art history. Included in this collection are fascinating ideas and insights on the impact of the avant-garde in the 1920s, the Mexican mural movement, Surrealism and other fantasy-based styles, modern architecture, geometric and optical art, concrete and neo-concrete art, and political conceptualism. For students and scholars of Latin American art, the volume offers an invaluable collection of primary and secondary sources. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very cool book on Central American art and motifs
I love this book. There are all kinds of references to different works of art and contemporary plus modern art styles, they go into detail on what different elements mean, and that's helpful for people like me who are new at analysing art. ... Read more

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In the first cookbook to encompass the full spectrum of Latin American cooking all across America today, Himilce Novas and Rosemary Silva offer 200 enticing recipes that have been drawn from the home kitchens of Americans with roots in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala, and nearly every other corner of Latin America.

Spicy, colorful, and full of surprises, Latin flavors are the latest rage with Nuevo Latino chefs from New York to Los Angeles. But here the exotic is translated into wonderful everyday dishes that home cooks can easily master.

For starters, Novas and Silva give us luscious Chilled Roasted Sweet Red Pepper and Coconut Soup or Orange-Scented Roasted Pumpkin Soup and appetizers known as antojitos ("little whims")--Bayamo's Fried Wontons with Chorizo and Chiles or a Costa Rican Black Bean and Bacon Dip.

For main courses, there are hearty delights like Piri Thomas's Chicken Asopao or a Heavenly Potato Pie with Minced Beef, Raisins, and Olives.

Center stage in many a meal are the rice and bean dishes with countless delicious variations on the theme, like Gallo pinto, Red Kidney Beans and Rice, and "Jamaican coat of arms",also called Rice and Peas (which are actually small red beans).

And to satisfy the Latin appetite any time of day, also included here is a rich array of tamales, empanadas, and other turnovers, like Little Brazil Shrimp Turnovers stuffed with shrimp and hearts of palm.

From Cristina, the Cuban American talk show hostess in Miami, to U.S. Representative Henry B. González of Texas, from film producers and opera singers to young students and grandmothers, the authors have gathered, along with the family recipes and their origins, stories of the past and of the good times celebrated in America. Novas and Silva also offer invaluable information on Latin American chiles, on the earthy appeal of plantains and tubers like yuca and taro, and on other special foods that give these dishes their unique character, along with mail-order sources for hard-to-get ingredients.

An exuberant one-of-a-kind cookbook that will add a new dimension to the American table. Amazon.com Review
If you've an unquenchable hankering for Latin Americanfare--say Cuban Salsa de Perro (Dog Sauce), ColombianCazuela de Mariscos (Seafood Stew), or the Haitian confectionof Bananas with Rum Butter Cream--you'd be advised to turn to LatinAmerican Cooking Across the U.S.A. by Himilce Novas and RosemarySilva. The authors explain the history of each dish, its typicalpresentation in its land of origin, and how to go about preparing itin an American kitchen. It's a wonderful resource for a wide audience,whether you have Latin American roots and want to cook the meals youremember from grandma's house, have traveled in Latin America and wantto recreate the dishes you loved on vacation, or merely have a tastefor the cuisine of Latin America and want the option of cooking it upat home. The authors collected a fine array of recipes--200 in all--athorough sampling of soups, appetizers, and salads; entrees withpoultry, fish, or meat; various rice, bean, and vegetable concoctions;plus turnovers, breads, desserts, and drinks--all versions oftraditional dishes culled from individuals living in the United Statesso as to translate easily into American home meals. Replete withfamily stories and culinary history, the recipes are intriguing totry, easy to make, and resonate with the various flavors of LatinAmerica. --Stephanie Gold ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Good Recipes
I tried some of the recipes like Fried Adobo Chicken, Oxtail Stew and few others and they all came out as expected. I just wish it came with some pictures because even though I'm some what familiar with Mexican, Panamanian, and Puerto Rican cooking, I like to see pictures whenever I'm cooking something I didn't grow up on.

An inspired collection of recipies for those of us who love Latin American cuisine.
Himilice Novas & Rosemary Silva have managed to create a unique and totally engaging recipe book. They have combined the art of cooking with the art of story telling and delivered a passionate & spirited collection of Latin American dishes. My favorite dish is the Pargo Dorado con salasa de coco y lima, delicate red snapper in a coconut lime sauce. Another outstandig dish is Abuelita's Vanilla Flan it's smooth & not to sweet. Among a sea of ordinary recipe books, this one sails above the rest and indeed has become my favorite.

a pleasurable way to expand my horizons
I wasn't sure at first if I was going to enjoy this cookbook because I am not at all familiar with Latin dishes or ingredients. The recipes in "Latin American Cooking Across the USA" are very accessible, as I've read many of them I've thought to myself "that sounds really good", even ones with ingredient combinations and preparations completely unfamiliar. I am happy that this book dispels the notion that all Latin food is super-spicy, there are subtle and flavorful recipes in this book not just heat ( I think Americans have gone way overboard with hot spices and garlic as if that is a guarantee of good flavor, which it is not). It is also interesting to see how recipes have changed because of availability of ingredients in the US or because of change in tastes by later generations. I can't wait to try so many of these recipes!

one of my most treasured (cook)books
This is a great cookbook. If you have any interest in cookbooks that are worth reading, as well as using to cook from, just buy it already. You will learn a lot about Latin American family traditions, too.

More than 10 years ago, while browsing cookbooks at the Strand bookstore in New York, I came across this book, and discovered Puerto Rican holiday recipes. "Why not try them this year?", I thought. So, I made Puerto Rican christmas that year, and ever since. A testament to how good/authentic these recipes are is that in that first year, the guests included my (Puerto Rican) mother-in-law and a family friend in from La Isla. The results we warmly greeted. "Eddie's Puerto Rican Roast Pork" is one of those recipes that is super easy, but will result in an indescribably good dish, and a beautiful centerpiece to your dinner. I have made many of the other dishes, too -- all to great acclaim.

Favorites inclue the "Arroz con Gandules", "Panama Canal Seviche", "Shrimp Seviche", both Flan recipes, and, of course, "Coquito", the yummy Puerto Rican version of eggnog, with rum and coconut.

The stories are as good as the recipes, so even if you don't cook, the book is a terrific read. But, be warned, it _will_ make you hungry.

Excellent comprehensive collection of recipes
I tried the Jerk marinade recipe for chicken and curry goat (lamb) and both came out delicious. Even though the jerk recipe I have been following for a while now calls for green onions and brown sugar, both of which are omitted in the recipe from this book, the result (it uses ginger and garlic that I havent seen in other jerk rubs before) was delectable. Following the recommendation of the author, we recently visited Vernon's Jerk place in the Bronx and were very pleased with the food!! I have been dabbling in caribbean/cuban/spanish cuisine for a little while now and this book is a must have if you wanna prepare authentic latin american dishes! This book also has a huge dessert section. Colombian American Guava Bread, Pumpkin Flan and Coconut Bread Pudding all came out excellent! Happy cooking! I am sure this will be a book you'll keep coming back to every time you feel like whipping together something spicy and exotic! ... Read more

Product Description
Now, in The Oxford Book of Latin American Short Stories, editor Roberto Gonzalez Echevarria brings together fifty-three stories that span the history of Latin American literature and represent the most dazzling achievements in the form. These stories exhibit all the inventiveness, the luxuriousness of language, the wild metaphoric leaps and uncanny conjunctions of the ordinary with the fantastic that have given the Latin American short story its distinctive and unforgettable flavor.

Short story lovers will find a wealth of satisfactions here, in terrains both familiar and uncharted. Readers acquainted with only the most popular Latin American writers will be delighted to discover many exciting new voices, including Catalina de Erauso, Ricardo Palma, Ruben Dario, Augusto Roa Bastos, Cristina Peri Rossi, along with Borges, Garcia Marquez, Fuentes, Cortazar, Vargas Llosa, and many others.With a fascinating introduction by Roberto Gonzalez Echevarria, The Oxford Book of Latin American Short Stories offers in a single, unprecedented volume a view of one of the most diverse and fertile literary landscapes in the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Spanish Literature
This was exactly what I needed, ordered and received. Great book, was a *little* worn when received, but now is officially beat up a bit, LOL!! I am keeping the book, however, as I really love the stories/excerpts that the editor included.

A Great Resource of Latin American Literature
This was a required book for a college course, but the stories are interesting and entertaining none the less.

The Good, the Bad, and the Indifferent
There are too many stories here that can not be called great literature. Latin American writing is better than this! This anthology does it a great disservice. ... Read more

Product Description
This guide gives a brief and accessible overview of the whole of Latin American Studies. Covering all the possible topics, from colonial cultures and identity to US Latino culture and issues of race, gender and sexuality, this book situates Latin America in its historical, linguistic and cultural context. Written by an international team of experts, the Companion includes time-lines, a glossary of terms and annotated suggestions for further reading. ... Read more

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Through a variety of primary sources - including speeches, poems, letters, and book excerpts - this collection illustrates the origins, progress, and unfulfilled republican promise of the Latin American Wars for Independence (1780-1850). A general introduction offers a history of the period; headnotes introduce each selection and provide historical and political context. Maps and illustrations are included, as are a chronology of the Wars for Independence, suggestions for further reading, and a thorough index. ... Read more

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The Latin American Cultural Studies Reader brings together thirty-six field-defining essays by the most prominent theorists of Latin American cultural studies. Written over the past several decades, these essays provide an assessment of Latin American cultural studies, an account of the field’s historical formation, and an outline of its significant ideological and methodological trends and theoretical controversies. With many essays appearing in English for the first time, the collection offers a comprehensive view of the specific problems, topics, and methodologies that characterize Latin American cultural studies vis-à-vis British and U.S. cultural studies.

Divided into sections preceded by brief introductory essays, this volume traces the complex development of Latin American cultural studies from its roots in literary criticism and the economic, social, political, and cultural transformations wrought by neoliberal policies in the 1970s. It tracks the impassioned debates within the field during the early 1990s; explores different theoretical trends, including studies of postcolonialism, the subaltern, and globalization; and reflects on the significance of Latin American cultural studies for cultural studies projects outside Latin America. Considering literature, nationalism, soccer, cinema, postcolonialism, the Zapatistas, community radio, and much more, The Latin American Cultural Studies Reader is an invaluable resource for all those who want to understand the past, present, and future of Latin American cultural studies.

Contributors. Hugo Achugar, Eduardo Archetti, John Beverley, José Joaquín Brunner, Antonio Candido, Debra A. Castillo, Antonio Cornejo Polar, Román de la Campa, Ana Del Sarto, Roberto Fernández Retamar, Juan Flores, Jean Franco, Néstor García Canclini, María Gudelia Rangel Gómez, Adrián Gorelik, John Kraniauskas, Neil Larsen, Ana López, Jesús Martín-Barbero, Francine Masiello, Daniel Mato, Walter D. Mignolo, Carlos Monsiváis, Mabel Moraña, Alberto Moreiras, Renato Ortiz, José Rabasa, Angel Rama, Gustavo A. Remedi, Darcy Ribeiro, Nelly Richard, Alicia Ríos, Beatriz Sarlo, Roberto Schwarz, Irene Silverblatt, Graciela Silvestri, Armando Rosas Solís, Beatriz González Stephan, Abril Trigo, George Yúdice ... Read more

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"This excellent time-tested text continues to be a lucid--and the best--single volume introduction to the complexities of Latin American politics." (G. Pope Atkins, United States Naval Academy)

The only text organized on a country-by-country basis that represents all Latin American countries, Latin American Politics and Development offers instructors maximum flexibility in organizing courses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Timely text book
If you like nonfiction and have any interest in the Southern Hemisphere, this read gives you a broad as well as deep viewpoint of Central and South American political isssues. I asked for the books used by NYU School of Global Affairs, and this is a required title. Living in South America, it has been a valuable and compelling read.

Best overview of Latin American politics yet available
This book is simply the best compilation of political profiles of Latin American countries. It is NOT guided by Wiarda's philosophy, as one would infer from a posted comment here. This collection is written by several authors, leading specialists for each individual country. The array could not be more eclectic. I had the privilege of being both a student of Wiarda's and another contributor in this collection. And I can tell you, unequivocally, that their perspectives on South American politics are quite different. One being more of a pessimist (Wiarda) insofar the historical, immutable traditions that have entrenched itself in Latin America and the other being an optimist, who has great faith in low politics, the transformation at the grass-roots level (informal politics) and who spends much time abroad doing just that virtually every year. You simply cannot put this textbook in the same class as Hunt (who indeed works one major theme throughout his work) or with other authors who have produced far better scholarship than Hunt AND who approach US-Latin American foreign policy (which incidentally, Wiarda/Kline's book is NOT about foreign policy but intended for comparative politics, so it really should not be compared to Hunt, nevertheless...) such as Schoultz and Carothers. But on the comparative politics note, this book simply surpasses an often-assigned textbook by Skidmore/Smith in both content and style. Look elsewhere in vain; this is the best compilation book you are going to find in the market.

Something to bear in mind:
Despite his considerable knowledge on the subject of latin american affairs, one must remember that Mr. Wiarda himself has been involved as a D.C. insider, advising multiple administrations and normally favoring the right-wing, "top-down" style of democracy (read, sub-fascism) that is friendly to U.S. business interests. Consider also how he justifies this approach: while U.S. citizens normally favor a kind of Lockean form of government, by their very culture latin americans are more Rousseau-esque, in that they require a strong Leader to look up to. (Somehow it never occurs to people who are backing fascists that it might be that the Lack of a more open, "lockean" government is what contributes to the instability and insurection that they are trying to crush.) Considering that this is the kind of ideology that has infected U.S. foreign policy towards our southern neighbors for more than one hundred years (see Hunt, "Ideology and US Foreign Policy"), it might actually be a good read, if only to get a better understanding of how such supposedly intelligent and well-meaning people can make and justify such terrible decisions; however, if you want the truth about latin america, look else-where.

Captures Latin America in a nutshell
Wiarda and Kline have done an outstanding job of drawing together comprehensive, compact histories of Latin American countries.Moreover, in their introduction they have encapsulated and explained most of the historical forces that still affect and shape Latin America up to the present day.This book is for anyone, whether casual reader or serious student, who wants to understand Latin America as a whole, or any country in Latin America in particular. ... Read more

Product Description
A unique combination of two major approaches, this reader is separated into two parts. Part I focuses on four central themes: democratization, economic development, social policy, and changing political actors. Each chapter in this follows a debate format, with complementary readings. Part II features six chapters focusing on particular countries or regions within Latin America, examining how the central themes discussed in Part I play out in each particular case. ... Read more

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Now in its third edition, this leading reader has been updated to make it even more relevant to the study of contemporary Latin America. This edition includes an entirely new chapter, _The New Left Turn,_ and the globalization chapter has been thoroughly revised to reflect the rapid pace of change over the past five years. The book continues to offer a rich variety of materials that can be tailored to the needs of individual instructors. By focusing each chapter on a single interpretive _problem,_ the book painlessly engages students in document analysis and introduces them to historiography. With its innovative combination of primary and secondary sources and editorial analysis, this text is designed specifically to stimulate critical thinking in a wide range of courses on Latin American history since independence. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Dont Use Amazon
Terrible company!!!!!!! I ordered this book online and never even got it. Amazon sucks. Wish i could say more about the book but its kinda hard when i never got it. ... Read more

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