Problems in Modern Latin American History

Sources and Interpretations

Now in its fifth edition, this leading reader has been updated with new readings and visual sources. This edition includes an added final chapter on current social movements to help students reflect on the ecological realities that inform their world. In addition, the “Legacies of Colonialism” chapter has been restored to give students an understanding of the deep roots of the problems explored. Instead of a separate chapter on women and social change, women’s voices have been woven more seamlessly throughout the book to reflect women’s parity and equity in history.

Covering key historical themes from independence to the present, the reader’s unique “problems” organization provides a thematic complement to narrative accounts of modern Latin American history. By focusing each chapter on a single concept or interpretive problem—such as nationalism, slavery, or social revolution—the text engages students in the analysis of historical sources and, at the same time, introduces them to the twists and turns of historiography. With its innovative combination of primary and secondary sources and thoughtful editorial analysis, this text is designed specifically to stimulate critical thinking in a wide range of courses on Latin American history since independence.