Modern Latin America

by Thomas E. Skidmore, Peter H. Smith

Now in its sixth edition, Modern Latin America is a lively interpretive history and the leading text in the field. Thoroughly updated and revised, the book includes a new chapter on the history of Colombia from the wars of independence to the violent conflicts of the present day. It also
examines such topics
* the impact of 9/11 on U.S.-Latin American relations
* globalization
* drug trafficking
* women's roles in society and politics
* the fragility and uncertainty of democracy in Latin America

The book features sociocultural sections and boxes in nearly every chapter, covering such diverse areas as the psychology of exile, Santería in Cuba, baseball in the Dominican Republic, and the popularity of Latin music in the U.S. All political and economic information has been updated. As in
earlier editions, the authors use an in-depth case study approach that guides readers through the major countries of Latin America, highlighting central themes including European-New World interaction, racial mixtures, military takeovers, and United States intervention in the area. With an
insightful look into the future, Modern Latin America , Sixth Edition, will continue to be an exceptional text for undergraduate courses on contemporary Latin American history, society, and politics.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Textbooks, Latin American History, School, Political Science

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 26, 1984

About the author

Thomas Elliott Skidmore was an American historian and scholar who specialized in Brazilian history.

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Textbook for my Latin American History class. I learned quite a bit from reading this book, it makes me wish I had bought it instead of renting it. If you are interested in a great overview of the various Latin American countries and their history I highly suggest this book.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I figured it was in my best interest to get a good comprehensive birds-eye view of this part of the world. This was a great book and thoroughly covered the economic, political, and social histories of latin american countries. Through no fault of the writers, at time I felt like I was reading the same old story over and over again since so many latin american countries have shared 1) single export economies 2) struggles for power and land between rich landowners and landless peasants 3) fluctuating attitudes between wanting foreign investment and rejecting it 4) fluctuating attitudes toward the US 5) strong military regimes that intervene to overthrow presidents at will 6) struggles between marxist-left and neo-conservative economics and 7) the constant issue of land reform. Wow, what a history.

[Aliza · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is clearly written and provides a decent introduction to South and Central America, and the Caribbean islands. However, it quickly becomes repetitive because each chapter is constructed almost identically, so that it is almost as if all of the chapters after Chapter 2 are simply fill-in-the-blank repeats of the earlier ones. For an introduction, I also think the authors worry about details (going through every leader and election, for instance), when they should be pointing out trends and patterns. I also think the last full chapter, discussing the interactions of Latin America and the rest of the world, would have been better placed near the beginning.

The other issue I have with this book is that, in certain chapters, the ideology of the authors interferes with their ability to narrate history. I have no objection to a detailed discussion of the negative affects of U.S. interventionism over the last century - any discussion of Latin America has to give a great deal of space to the way successive U.S. administrations have interfered, often in very destructive ways, in Latin America. However, the authors seem to think that U.S. interference accounts for virtually every problem faced by these nations, and therefore don't give enough time to discussing internal difficulties. This is blazingly apparent in the chapter on Cuba, where there is virtually no discussion of the repressive nature of Castro's government. As a result, I felt I didn't get much of an understanding of the internal problems that helped create the catastrophic situations in many Latin American countries, or how they might be solved.

[what-ifsamalgam · Rating 2 out of 5]

En pocas palabras el libro cumple, ofrece una primera aproximación introductoria que permite comprender generalidades a lo largo y ancho del continente tal como se lo propone.
El objetivo de demostrar que los procesos económicos provocan cambios sociales y estos llevan a cambios políticos es consistente a lo largo de todo el libro, y yo diría que es también su mayor fortaleza. Sin embargo, tiene un par de problemas claves, en general no describe a los sistemas políticos (si las elecciones son directas o indirectas, y cada cuánto se elijen presidentes/renuevan los parlamentos) democráticos por lo que se torna difícil saber cuando han sido violentados o interrumpidos a menos que específicamente lo diga, también flaquea en los procesos populares sin líderes claros. Para cerrar con algo positivo, destaco que le dedique un apartado a los países del Caribe ya que salvó por Cuba y tal vez Puerto Rico, suelen ser ignorados por la historiografía.

[Thomas Ray]

7th edition 2010

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terribly dry. Entirely too much economics. Dated and boring. I couldn't even get trough the whole thing. Sleep inducing.

[Charlie Luthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated this book particularly because of its theoretical framework of world systems analysis and the place of many Latin American societies in the global economic core-periphery relationship. This structure also illuminates the unending process of planned economic dependence imposed on Latin America by capital in core states (i.e. Europe and particularly the US). It begins in colonial period and extends to the book’s end at the height of neo-liberalism. It also reveals the untold (by conventional education in the US) interference of the United States across the entire continent for over a century and its part in this continuing process. In every single country profile, the US and/or the IMF as well as other Washington Consensus institutions manipulate the economy and political structure of Latin America to extract capital and impose a further vicious cycle of debt.

The period the book was written in and the prevailing neoliberal perspectives present seem to have influenced it in its outlook. The authors declare that after the fall of the East Bloc, socialism seemed to be on an irreversible decline in Latin America. However, the socialism as a “dead ideology” framing has proven to be a product of the neoliberal “end of history” attitude of the time with Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Mexico, and others now having left leaning or socialist governments. This contrasts with one of the author’s final statements about the political outlook of many parts of Latin America being in the hands of neoliberal economists and technocrats.

I appreciated the outlines of each country/region’s geography and the influence it has had on its social development. Sadly some countries are missing and only mentioned as side notes in descriptions of other countries or the chapters on the region as a whole. These are Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Suriname, and Guyana. While I appreciated the book as a whole, I would have liked more information about these countries too.

[Pablo Reboredo-Segovia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for my Latin American Government and Politcs class at UTK and it was a very good introduction to LA politics and helped me feel more in touch with my families situation abroad. WE specifically focused on initial democratic transitions and the dynamics that currenly shape politics there. The edition I was reading was written in 2013 so I'm still lagging behind a bit but it was overall a great read and kept me from taking any and all "venezuela" arguments online seriously.

[Addie Nolley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great treatment of the history of an entire continents region. Although there was some bias, I felt it actually contributed to my understanding of the people, history, and culture of Latin America. A+ pick by Dr. Jones for Liberty’s Latin America—National Period course!

[Simon Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview of Latin American history. Pretty easy to read and a great starting point for anyone interested in Latin America.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty general but informative and well done. The best general introductory text on LatAm you will find. There's breakdowns by country as well as regional themes.History is hard to write well and this book was not boring. Thomas Skidmore is the foremost historian of Brazil writing in english and this book doesn't disappoint. I love you Thomas.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good, provides overview then goes state by state, and then a generalized outtro. Really love the breadth and depth of this book. Though you may need to wikipedia some of the political stuff!

[Dee McLadha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hung onto this my college textbook and finally read it from cover to cover. Incredible account of the drama of new nations; many parallels and lessons for today.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a person who has lived briefly in South America, I am always fascinated in learning about both the present day current events there and past history. I found this book to be a very informative overview of each Latin American country, but also found it to be a bit repetitive in its layout. Overall, I feel I learned a lot by reading this book, but I also felt compelled to read more into many of the things that were briefly mentioned but sort of skimmed over.
Initially I thought the book would be a more comprehensive view much like the end chapters, which I would have preferred to have been longer and more detailed.
This book also does not really give a feel for the overall cultures of Latin America, which I think is an important detail when describing the history of a country.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

For any novice headed to or just interested in Latin America, this is the perfect prelude to understanding the region. Given the complexities of the various countries that make up Latin America - its history, economics, politics, culture - it's impossible to write about everything in one book, but the authors do an excellent job highlighting key points and messages, and do not always take a pro-U.S. view. The information is easily digestable and not just a listing of facts and figures; it provides insight that will trigger your interest in this fascinating region.

[Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is written like a textbook that would be used in a college class. It was very interesting to me given my experience of having gone to Mexico and Brazil and having lived in Brazil. After the first few chapters that talk about Latin America as a whole, there are specific chapters that detail the history of the major countries in the area, which I found the most interesting. It is more of a economic and political history and while there were a few snippets about the culture and lifestyle, it would have been nice to have more of that in this book.

[Tom Oman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book. It may be a textbook but it is written in a very accessible and concise style that makes it a very easy read. It flows well and stays interesting, with every section being relevant and compelling. Thankfully this book is free of the long and dull writing that some textbooks can be notoriously known for.

If you want a quick and concise survey of the different Latin American countries and how they relate to each other as well as the world as a whole, then this book will provide that kind of overview.

[Namrirru · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the 5th edition paperback. This is the best book on Latin America that I've ever read. The text is clear and repetative in such a way that it is easy to cross-reference. Most of the chapters are about specific countries, which are then divided and organized into topics (i.e. economy, political history, etc).

[Edward · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good textbook for Latin American studies. It provides a broad overview of Latin American history and society, albeit in an unorthodox fashion. Rather than dividing each nation by chronological order, it uses several nations and their history as models for the region.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skidmore is a great story teller and historian and clearly knows his subject. Well presented, engaging and well written. A great read for anyone trying to unwind the current political complexities in Latin America. I'd love an update to bring it fully up to current events!

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great, simple view of Latin American history, how Latin America got to where it is today.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

if you want to Latin America You have to read this book

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm reading the 1992 3rd edition. This is a good basic review of Latin America after independence to 1990.

[Mr. Pe Mr. Pe]

this is a great book and i recommend it to everyone

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great survey of Latin America history. Really enjoyed learning more about the United States' interaction with the Latin American world. Fascinating and frightening implications and results.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heavy, although it seems some more unpleasant things were glossed over. Bah.

[Marlaina McCauslin]

spring '11

[Jayden gonzalez]

txtbk

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and a well written history of the rise of Latin America in the modern world.