Problems in Modern Latin American History: A Reader

Problems in Modern Latin American History: A Reader is the long-awaited successor to Joseph S. Tulchin's Problems in Latin American History, which was published more than twenty years ago and has been out of print for ten. Realizing how the field has changed in the past two decades, Professors Chasteen and Tulchin have compiled a work that addresses new topics and issues to serve both faculty and students alike. The authors examine nine problems in modern Latin America-issues that complement most survey texts and create geographical and chronological spans maximizing the book's applicability to various classroom needs. Each of the book's nine chapters, compiled by an expert in the field, begins with an introduction that provides an overview of the problem to be examined.

Professors Chasteen and Tulchin have compiled a work that addresses topics and issues vital to surveying modern Latin America in which they must interpret two centuries of life in complex, multiracial societies. They examine nine "problems" in modern Latin America: Spanish American Independence and Its Consequences; Making Sense of Caudillos and 'Revolutions' in 19th Century Latin America; African Slavery in Brazil; Urban Populism in 20th Century Politics; Images of Women; The Search for Cultural Identity; The Dilemmas of Development; Revolutionary Movements in Central America; and Inter-American Relations. Each selection is compiled by an expert in the field, begins with an introduction that provides an overview, followed by related selections by both historians and the makers of history. Each selection in turn pis preceded by an explanatory note that places it in context. Problems in Modern Latin American History also has a list of suggested further readings is provided at the end of each chapter. -- Midwest Book Review