A Companion to Latin American History

This volume provides a state–of–the–art overview of the history of Latin America in all its diversity. Comprising 28 chapters by leading world experts, the book presents a single source of information and analysis for scholars and students interested in Latin America′s past and is the ideal starting point for further study. Latin America is defined as the vast region stretching from the middle of North America through the entire tropic belt, and extending south over plains to the glaciers and fjords of the southernmost inhabited regions of the earth. In the pre–Columbian era, the area incorporated hundreds of distinct language groups; today, there are still more than 20 independent nations in the region. This Companion recognizes this variety, while providing systematic chronological and geographical coverage of the basic historical trends and new areas of scholarly interest.

List of Figures, Tables, and Maps. Notes on Contributors. Introduction (Thomas H. Holloway, University of California, Davis). 1. Early Population Flows in the Western Hemisphere (Tom D. Dillehay, Vanderbilt University). 2. Mesoamerica (John Monaghan and Andrew R. Wyatt, University of Illinois, Chicago). 3. Tradition and Change in the Central Andes (Jeffrey Quilter, Peabody Museum, Harvard). 4. Portuguese and Spaniards in the Age of European Expansion (William D. Phillips, Jr. and Carla Rahn Phillips, University of Minnesota). 5. Exploration and Conquest (Patricia Seed, University of California, Irvine). 6. Colonial Brazil (1500––1822) (Hal Langfur, SUNY, Buffalo). 7. Institutions of the Spanish American Empire in the Hapsburg Era (Susan Elizabeth Ramírez, Texas Christian University). 8. Indigenous Peoples in Colonial Spanish American Society (Kevin Terraciano, University of California, Los Angeles). 9. Slavery in the Americas (Franklin W. Knight, Johns Hopkins University). 10. Religion, Society, and Culture in the Colonial Era (Rachel Sarah O’Toole, University of California, Irvine). 11. Imperial Rivalries and Reforms (John Fisher, University of Liverpool). 12. The Process of Spanish American Independence (Jaime E. Rodríguez, University of California, Irvine). 13. New Nations and New Citizens: Political Culture in Nineteenth–century Mexico, Peru, and Argentina (Sarah C. Chambers, University of Minnesota). 14. Imperial Brazil (1822––89) (Judy Bieber, University of New Mexico). 15. Abolition and Afro–Latin Americans (Aline Helg, University of Geneva). 16. Land, Labor, Production, and Trade: Nineteenth–century Economic and Social Patterns (Aldo A. Lauria–Santiago, Rutgers University). 17. Modernization and Industrialization (Colin M. Lewis, London School of Economics). 18. Practical Sovereignty: The Caribbean Region and the Rise of US Empire (Mary A. Renda, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA). 19. The Mexican Revolution (Adrian A. Bantjes, University of Wyoming). 20. Populism and Developmentalism (Joel Wolfe, University of Massachusetts). 21. The Cuban Revolution (Luis Martínez–Fernández, University of Central Florida). 22. The National Security State (David R. Mares, University of California, San Diego). 23. Central America in Upheaval (Julie A. Charlip, Whitman College). 24. Culture and Society: Latin America since 1900 (Robert McKee Irwin, University of California, Davis). 25. Environmental History of Modern Latin America (Lise Sedrez, California State University, Long Beach). 26. Women, Gender, and Family in Latin America, 1820—2000 (Nara Milanich, Barnard College). 27. Identity, Ethnicity, and “Race” (Peter Wade, University of Manchester). 28. Social and Economic Impact of Neoliberalism (Duncan Green, Oxfam, Great Britain). Index.

Thomas H. Holloway is Professor of Latin American History at the University of California at Davis, where he was Director of the Hemispheric Institute on the Americas from 2000 to 2007. He served as President of the Latin American Studies Association, 2000–01, and Executive Secretary of the Conference on Latin American History, 2002–07. He has taught widely on Latin American history since 1974. His research focuses mainly on the social and economic history of Brazil. His previous books include Immigrants on the Land: Coffee and Society in São Paulo, 1886–1934 (1980) and Policing Rio de Janeiro: Repression and Resistance in a 19th–century city (1993).

"For many readers, this work will prove helpful in engendering a broader understanding of the layers, complexities, and array of approaches in studies of Latin America. Summing Up: Highly recommended." ( CHOICE , February 2009) "Blackwell is to be congratulated on offering a comprehensive review drawing together the disparate threads of the history of the many nations which make up the southern half of the American continent … .For the undergraduate student of the general reader seeking a handy overview to the history of the region the present volume provides an excellent introduction." ( Reference Reviews , Issue 7 2008) "The 30 scholars who contributed these 28 essays covering prehistoric times to the present represent the fields of anthropology, archaeology, ethnography, gender studies, history, political science, and Spanish. They furnish readers with an excellent addition to the body of works exploring Latin America. Entries are ordered logically and pragmatically and lend structure to a comprehensive approach to the study of Latin America. This work treats Brazil as a distinctive entity and explores women, gender, family, and modern environmental history. The editor addresses the appropriateness of the descriptor "Latin America." The inclusion of these elements is timely, lending to the completeness of coverage. The maps are important to the few entries that include them and provide the reader with graphical data. However, the small size and indiscernible formatting of the maps undermines their potential usefulness. Because of the scholarly tone and depth of information provided in each entry, readers who already have a foundational knowledge of the region will extract the greatest benefit. Nevertheless, for many readers, this work will prove helpful in engendering a broader understanding of the layers, complexities, and array of approaches in studies of Latin America. Summing Up : Highly recommended. Upper–division undergraduates and above." ( A. G. Garza, California State University, Stanislaus, Choice, February 2008) "This volume is an accessible and welcome contribution to the general field of Latin American Studies. Overall, the volume is excellent with just the right mix of generalization and particularity. This volume is smartly structured, well informed, and written by top scholars in the field." ( The Americas: Quarterly Review of Inter–American Cultural History , April 2007)