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Real World Latin America

Date of publication:

November 2008

ISBN:

978-1-878585-73-8

Pages:

286

Price:

$29.95

• About
• Table of Contents

Real World Latin America brings together the best recent reporting on the region from Dollars & Sense and NACLA Report on the Americas. This timely anthology offers diverse perspectives on the profound economic and social transformations taking place in Latin America in recent years.

In 45 well-researched, accessible articles, Real World Latin America provides a thorough introduction to Latin American economic policies, including the region’s changing political maps, the hidden costs of development, struggles for human rights, international trade deals, and the role of the United States in the region. Chapters on social movements and alternative forms of production document the grassroots challenges to the Washington Consensus that are rising from Argentine factory shop-floors, Venezuelan cooperatives, Oaxacan schoolrooms, and elsewhere. Further chapters look at the impact of migration on home countries and diasporan communities, and the challenges of responsible environmental stewardship.

Praise for Real World Latin America:

The editors of Dollars & Sense and NACLA Report on the Americas have done us a great service. This is a timely collection of essays, sophisticated yet highly readable analysis of the most pressing issues facing Latin America today. The book is ideally suited for undergraduate courses on the region, and will be of interest to a broader readership as well.
—Eric Hershberg, President, Latin American Studies Association

Latin America is on the move, finding its way towards new approaches to economic development with social justice. Real World Latin America provides a compelling picture of change, political conflict, and the real stakes involved in the region. It is a valuable guide to the contemporary history of the present, inviting readers to stay tuned for more to come.
—Michael A Cohen, Director of the International Affairs Program, New School University

This is a timely and invaluable overview of current political, economic, social and cultural dynamics in Latin America. It brings together an impressive array of experts who write in a concise and accessible manner on a wide range of topics that define the current Latin American and hemispheric reality. Here the reader will find analysis and context for making sense of today's headlines. I cannot imagine a more important collection for classroom use and for readers from the general public interested in understanding contemporary Latin America.
—William I. Robinson, Professor of Sociology, Global Studies, and Latin American Studies, University of California at Santa Barbara, and author of Latin America and Global Capitalism

Real World Latin America is an excellent collection of articles, providing students with insightful critiques of Latin American political, economic and social issues. As Latin America continues to undergo dramatic changes and as the relations between the region and the United States continue to be of great importance, students need to hear alternative voices. This collection provides those voices, presenting the issues in an accessible and engaging manner. Real World Latin America will be extremely valuable for students in Latin American studies courses, but also for students with broad interests in international affairs.
—Arthur MacEwan, Professor of Economics (Emeritus), University of Massachusetts, Boston

Real World Latin America is an ideal survey text for introductory Latin American studies courses. It covers the vital issues of the region, including democratization, the rise of the Left, economic reform, US-Latin American relations, and migration and its political consequences. Moreover, the volume's breadth takes into account the region's vast diversity and deep-seated inequalities along the lines of class, race/ethnicity, and gender. The two well-respected publications from which the collection is drawn, Dollars & Sense and the NACLA Report on the Americas, offer critical perspectives informed by their long-standing expertise in the region.
—Elisabeth Jay Friedman, Chair, Latin American Studies, University of San Francisco