Latin America: A New Interpretation (Studies of the Americas) [Hardcover]

Laurence Whitehead (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1403971315 | ISBN-13: 978-1403971319 | Publication Date: December 22, 2005 | Edition: First Edition

This innovative contribution to comparative area studies evaluates Latin America's distinctiveness, and shows how 'large regions' can be compared. The overwhelming impact of Europe followed by precocious independence produced an exceptional outward orientation, which has prompted successive waves of reform 'from above and without', often resisted and superceded rather than fully assimilated. This book explores the resulting patterns that can be observed in multiple domains, through the optic of a 'mausoleum of modernity.' By applying this perspective to state organization, the politics of expertise, privatization, poverty and inequality, and citizenship insecurity, it generates an overall new interpretation of Latin America's regional distinctiveness.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Taken as a whole, these essays provide both bold summary assessments of continent-wide trends and well-grounded analyses of central issues such as privatization and citizen security in specific countries; all of them are thought-provoking and suggestive.”--Jonathan Hartlyn, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

“Whitehead has a knowledge of Latin America that is remarkably both extensive and deep. Combined with an acute theoretical mind, he has written a most interesting and innovative interpretation of this region, which deserves close reading and widespread attention.”--Guillermo O'Donnell, Kellogg Professor of Government, University of Notre Dame

“Laurence Whitehead's fine achievement consists in exploring complex hemispheric relations in the context of transformative global landscapes. These essays take an ingenious, interdisciplinary approach to inter-regional issues, bringing the cultural imagination to bear on economic and political realities. Whitehead's insights into the progress and perils of democratic citizenship are particularly important for the times of insecurity and fear in which we live today.”--Homi K. Bhabha, Anne F.Rothenberg Professor of English, Director of the Harvard Humanities Center, Harvard University

 

About the Author

Laurence Whitehead is Official Fellow in Politics and Acting Warden of Nuffield College.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; First Edition edition (December 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1403971315
• ISBN-13: 978-1403971319
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,585,979 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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