Anthropology of Latin America and the Caribbean

By:Harry S. Sanabria (Universityof Pittsburgh)

Overview:

The first single-authored comprehensive introduction to major contemporary research trends, issues, and debates on the anthropology of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The text provides wide and historically informed coverage of key facets of Latin American and Caribbean societies and their cultural and historical development as well as the role of power and inequality in this development.

What Reviewers Are Saying:

“The text moves well and builds over time, paying close attention to balancing both the Caribbean and Latin America as geographic regions, Spanish and non-Spanish speaking countries, and historical and contemporary issues in the field. I found the geographic breadth to be especially impressive.”

--Cymene Howe, Cornell University

“[The contents] reflect the insights of an anthropologist who knows Latin America intimately and extensively.”

--Jeffrey V. Mantz, California State University, Stanislaus

"I applaud the author on a holistic approach to the study of Latin America. The various features introduce students to the complexity of this topic and its relevance in their studies. By providing a single-authored, integrated perspective, it serves as an excellent required text for the classroom, allowing the professor to build upon this work with any additional areas of expertise that are brought to the class. In addition, the features “In Their Own Words” and “Controversies” provide a multi-dimensional format that encourages students to see culture as a living and changing force instead of a homogeneous collection of artifacts.”

--Marjorie Snipes, State University of West Georgia

"... The overall strength of the text rests on the excellent choice of subject matter and the synthesis and presentation of research within each area… The topical coverage…, is excellent, and probably, the most compelling reason for me to consider changing my own course to incorporate this text… I am particularly impressed with the excellent synthesis of materials, concepts and examples from Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean…The author has achieved a solid balance between providing a general explanatory framework, and examples of specific cases… The choice of chapter topics (food, popular culture, violence, and the global economy) is refreshing, insightful, and important."

--Anne Woodrick, Northern Iowa University