Description:
This narrative history of Latin America surveys five centuries in less than five hundred pages. The first third of the book moves from the Americas before Columbus to the wars for independence in the early nineteenth century. The construction of new nations and peoples in the nineteenth century forms the middle third, and the final section analyzes economic development, rising political participation, and the search of identity over the last century. The collision of peoples and cultures--Native Americans, Europeans, Africans--that defines Latin America, and gives it both its unity and diversity, provides the central theme of this concise, synthetic history.
Brief description: Marshall C. Eakin is Professor of History at Vanderbilt University and Executive Director of the Brazilian Studies Association (BRASA). A specialist in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Brazilian history, he is the author of British Enterprise in Brazil (1989); Brazil: The Once and Future Country (1997); and Tropical Capitalism: The Industrialization of Belo Horizonte, Brazil (2001). Eakin has also created two video courses with the Teaching Company: "Conquest of the Americas" and "The Americas in the Revolutionary Era." He is a noted authority on the region, and has written many journal and magazine articles on Latin American history, culture, and politics as well as contributing to travel guides. He lives in Nashville, TN.
Review Quotes:
"The best short survey of Brazil since the anthropologist Charles Wagley's 1963 classic, An Introduction to Brazil." --Kenneth Maxwell, Foreign Affairs, on Brazil: The Once and Future Country
"Eakin's clear organizational framework combines with his taut prose to produce a highly readable and informative history of Latin America. Students will want to turn first to The History of Latin America: Collision of Cultures to begin their education in the history of this fascinating region." --Todd A. Diacon, Professor of History, Vice Provost for Academic Operations, The University of Tennessee, on Brazil: The Once and Future Country "This book is well-written and jargon-free, with accessible prose for the novice student of Latin America. Having used several different general survey texts in my introductory Latin American Studies course, I can truly say that this is my favorite." --Erin Minzenberg, Miami University, The Latin Americanist, on Brazil: The Once and Future Country