Latin America since Independence

by Alexander S. Dawson

Now in its third edition, Latin America since Independence explores the region’s rich and diverse history through carefully selected stories, primary source documents, maps, and tables that offer a diverse approach to dominant historical narratives. While histories of the "other" Americas often link disparate histories through revolutionary or tragic narratives, this text begins with the assumption that our efforts to imagine a common past for nearly thirty countries are deeply problematic. Without losing sight of chronology or regional trends, the book offers a distinctive conceptualization of the region as a diverse social landscape with a multiplicity of peoples and voices. Each chapter introduces students to a specific historical issue, which in turn raises questions about the history of the Americas as a whole. Key themes include: Chapters also include timelines highlighting important dates and suggestions for further reading. This third edition has been updated throughout and includes a new Chapter 9 that discusses foreign intervention in Central America, and new text on the drug wars, resource extraction, and indigenous self-determination. Richly informative and highly readable, Latin America since Independence provides compelling accounts of this region’s past and present that will be of interest to students of Latin American history and society.

Genres: Teaching, History

410 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

A specialist in the history of Latin America, Alexander Dawson is associate professor of history at SUNY Albany.

Reviews

[Mari]

I barely touched this book. It was a required reading for a class I took. Can't say if it was bad or good, but it definitely has a lot of words.

[Craig Campbell]

LAST 101
Excellent textbook

[Elizabeth Vilchis]

Decent textbook. The amount of primary sources incorporated was impressive.