Projections of Power in the Americas

Two phenomena are of central interest in the nine contributions that make up this volume: one is the question of power and its multiple forms, and the other is that geographical, political and cultural multifaceted unity we call the ‘the Americas’. The book is a multidisciplinary effort, written by scholars from the fields of history, political science, anthropology, sociology and cultural studies, who all share an interest in the ways in which power is projected in the Americas.

Some contributors focus on the sources of power, while others are more concerned with how it is presented and legitimized by those who hold it. Likewise, some investigate the relations between government and citizens, while others look at more informal structures of power. Common to all contributions, however, is that they attempt to trace the forms that political and social power take in different American contexts – from the highest echelons of political power in Washington, D.C. to the local politics of a small village in Mexico. Common to all contributions is a nuanced exploration of the various manifestations of political and social power in the Americas.

Helene Balslev Clausen is a researcher and external lecturer at Aarhus University, Denmark. She has published widely in the field of migration studies.

Niels Bjerre-Poulsen is Associate Professor and Director of the Center for the Study of the Americas at Copenhagen Business School, Denmark. His major fields of research are American political culture and the American presidency.

Jan Gustafsson is Associate Professor at the Center for the Study of the Americas, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark. His main areas of research and academic interest are Latin American politics and culture, including popular culture and identity constructions, identity theory, and semiotics.