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In the history of post-colonial Latin America no person has held power so firmly and for so long as did Pedro II as emperor of Brazil. This is the first full-length biography in 60 years, and the first in any language to make close use of Pedro II's diaries and family papers.
A sweeping yet intimate exploration of Latin America's political history, Forging Latin America profiles fifty-two of the region's most influential figures who, for better or worse, have shaped its character and destiny from the Spanish Conquest to the present day. This polyphonic gathering of dictators, reformers, revolutionaries, artists, writers, priests, and activists not only foregrounds the major political developments since 1492 but also spotlights lesser-known stories of hope, change, and resistance from the ground up. Along the way, the book shows how ideas can bring down a government or build one, how power corrodes ideology until the perpetuation of power becomes an ideology in and of itself, and how the intellectual heritage of Latin America has been used, disputed, and reinvented over five astonishing centuries.
Rio de Janeiro in the first half of the nineteenth century had the largest population of urban slaves in the Americas—primary contributors to the atmosphere and vitality of the city. Although most urban historians have ignored these inhabitants of Rio, Mary Karasch's generously illustrated study provides a comprehensive description and analysis of the city's rich Afro-Cariocan culture, including its folklore, its songs, and accounts of its oral history. Professor Karasch's investigation of the origins of Rio's slaves demonstrates the importance of the "Central Africaness" of the slave population to an understanding of its culture. Challenging the thesis of the comparative mildness of the B...
A clearly structured and well-informed synthesis of developments and events in Brazilian history from the colonial period to the present, this volume is aimed at non-specialized readers and students, seeking a straightforward introduction to this unique Latin American country. Divided chronologically into five main historical periods - Colonial Brazil, Empire, the First Republic, the Estado Novo and events from 1964 to the present - the book explores the politics, economy, society, and diplomacy during each phase. The emphasis on diplomacy is particularly original and adds an unusual dimension to the book.
In Feb. 1877, a letter from the county council of Telha, a town of 600 people located in the Serra da Mattos in Brazil reported that people were dying from starvation. The previous year's rainy season had been sparse, and the harvest, poor. Now, this season's rains still had not appeared. This was the Great Drought -- three years of failed rains enshrined in Brazilian memory as the worst drought ever to hit Brazil's northeast. Drought had visited the region throughout its history, with the earliest recorded occurrences dating back to the 16th century. The failure of rains in 1877 was devastating, for it caught the provinces of the north totally unprepared. The specter of periodic droughts producing dislocation and death continues to haunt the region.
This book examines how Latin American countries and Spain tried to build modern and efficient state institutions for more than a century - without much success. The chapters tell how these countries went about constructing systems of authority that could manage their territories, support economic development, provide basic services, and promote a sense of national community. The book can serve as an introduction to nineteenth-century Latin America and Spain, as a historical guide to the process of state building, and as a tool for experts looking for the latest work by leading scholars in the field.
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An interdisciplinary journal that publishes original research and surveys of current research on Latin America and the Caribbean.
As the elder daughter of an emperor whose wife had presented him with no sons, Isabel stood to inherit the monarchy of Brazil with the passing of Dom Pedro II. On three separate occasions, Isabel was named regent, or head of state, when her father was required to leave the country for extended periods. On each occasion, she served as the dutiful daughter, following her father's instructions to the letter and resisting any attempts at personal aggrandizement. During her third regency, as her father recuperated in Europe, rather than accumulate personal power and oppose the forces of republicanism and abolition, Isabel personally led the struggle to pass the Gold Law of 1888 abolishing slavery...