Latin America, Its Problems and Its Promise: A Multidisciplinary Introduction ed. by Jan Knippers Black (review)

188 The Latin Americanist Spring 2006 nation of the evolution of democracy will work equally well in courses designed around contemporary themes as well as those adopting a country-centered pedagogy. While the collection by and large is written at a level that permits its use with lowerdivision undergraduates, advanced undergraduates and graduate students will be well served by the collection’s expansivesurvey of research approaches and methodologies.In sum, Readings in Latin America will expose undergraduate and graduate students alike to many of the most influential Latin American and North American scholars who are actively researching in the region today, and this anthology warrants serious considerationfor any graduate or undergraduate survey course in Latin American or comparativepolitics. Mark Setzler Departmento f History and PoliticalScience High Point University Latin America, Its Problems and Its Promise: A Muliidisciplinary Introduction. By Jan Knippers Black (ed.). Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2005, p. 624, $40.00. Thebook summarizesthe currentsituationof LatinAmerica, from its origins to the present time, through a multidisciplinary approachthat coversa greatvariety oftopicsrelatedto the region. Despitethe wide scopeof the book, it analyzesin depth all important and relevant topics related to the region. The chapters cover different historical periods, and provide a comprehensiveinsight about the subregionsand countries. The authors describe the region from an angle that permits the readerto getmacro- aswell as micro-views of theregion.This helps to visualize the geographicalcontext, the historical human settlement and the social development of the region, given the variety of different environments in South America. This promotesa better understandingof the indigenouspopulation and the relationshipof the societiesin different periodsof developmentin the region. The analyses consider not only the historical but also the social and economic structure of the local societies and their relation with the events in the region. The political processes and trends are considered based in the particular historical and social circumstances of the region. The authors not only refer to the traditional lines of ideological Book Reviews 189 and political thoughtbut also includesome specificcharacteristics of the social structure in the region, which include the external pressures, and also mention the role of women in politics. The phenomenon of globalization is analyzed considering the new threats to the securityof the region. The analysisof the past about particular historical grievances among certain countries helps to visualizethe current situationand the political position of the different state actors for themes like securityand integration. The book also includesthe analysisof the external relations of the region that had been influenced initially by the European empires ruling the colonies. The chapters explain the changes of that influence from the colonial period, up to now, which has motivated a renovation of internal, interregional, and external relationshipamongthe countriesof SouthAmerica and the rest of the world. The authors analyze the hegemonic role and influence of the United States, which increased along with its involvement in the politics of the region as well as its economic interests.The authors also mention about the current interest of economic integration in the region with internal and external organizationsand other states. That interest has also shown the new internal concern of confronting the traditional hegemony represented by the United States,especiallyfrom the southerncone. The collectionpresents a special analysis of the subregions and particularstates,fromthe historicalbackgroundto the current events, includingthe role and influenceof the elites, religion, and the military.It also includesthe analysis of intraregional conflicts of differentoriginsand their influenceon the history ofthe region. Theauthorsmention the role of the internal politics, and the external ideologicalinfluencein the eventsofsomeparticularstatesand subregions,with the repercussionsthat those actionsstillhave on the region. The authors’analyses are edited in such a manner that it allows interconnectingall the events from a regional perspective , which makes the book all the more valuable. The authors observe continuity in the criteria they analyze, consideringthe origin of the problemsand the correspondentconsequencesin every historicalperiod. The depth of their investigations is consistentand includes a profound background of events and circumstances.The volume also considers the international context and mentions the role of some political and economic internationalinstitutions. However, in a fitureedition it would be important to include the new role of the already existent international institutionsand agreements. The authors demonstratean open approachtowardsthe role 190 The Latin Americanist Spring 2006 of the Unites Statesin differentepochsand...