The format of this book enables the student in spanish to understand being bilingual on the part of the communicative process; that of being bicultural is an indispensable element. The text tunes the learner, at the advanced level, by introducing the communicative performance taking into consideration the spanish dialectal variations into some cultural aspects of the traditional and contemporary systems of latin american societies. The book applies a practical approach to learning spanish as a foreign language by focusing on most latin american countries culture with specific topics: family, social stratification, politics, religion, the position of women, transportation problems, drugs and trafficking, traditional healers, the concept of time, the social stratification of language, the life of some indigenous cultures in the high Andes and in the deep jungles, students visiting a foreign country, in addition to some other topics of interest. Each chapter starts with an ethnographic description of some cultural aspects of a geographical area and its people. Some cultural aspects are suggested to participate on discussions related to the chapter. The student is asked to translate simple sentences into spanish. The verbal interaction among the people in the described area is reflected in the dialectal variations collected, which leads to questions to measure the students comprehension level. Cultural notes are explained at the end of each chapter.

In The Politics of Religion and the Rise of Social Catholicism in Peru (1884-1935) Ricardo Cubas Ramacciotti provides a lucid synthesis of the Catholic Church’s responses to the secularisation of the State and society whilst offering a fresh appraisal of the emergence of Social Catholicism and its contribution to social thought and development of civil society in post-independence Peru. Making use of diverse historical sources, Cubas provides a comprehensive view of a reformist yet anti-revolutionary trend within the Peruvian Church that, decades before the emergence of Liberation Theology and under divergent intellectual paradigms, developed an active agenda that addressed the new social problems of the country, including those of urban workers, and of indigenous populations.

Ard examines Mexico's long transition to democracy and the vital role played by the National Action Party, an opposition system party inspired by Catholic social doctrine and dedicated to democratic values. Ard examines the problem of democratic transitions by focusing on Mexico's National Action Party (PAN), a democratic opposition party based on Catholic social doctrine. The 2000 defeat of Mexico's long-time ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party was more than the displacement of one ruling clique by another. More profoundly, Fox's stunning victory closed the book on a persistent political-religious conflict—a great party conflict—that had dogged Mexico since its break with the Spanish Empire. The 2000 election represented the end of a long conversion process, a reconciliation between Mexico's Catholic and Revolutionary political traditions, and the forging of a new national political consensus. Ard examines Mexico's long transition to democracy in which the PAN, an opposition system party inspired by Catholic social doctrine and dedicated to democratic values, played a vital role. The book begins with a theoretical framework to understanding the Mexican transition, with an emphasis placed on the importance of conciliation, political liberties, and the democratic opposition party. Ard then addresses the fundamental church-state cleavage and how it shaped Mexico's great parties. He then looks at the founding of the National Action Party, a reforming system party that broke the great party mold. The bulk of his analysis centers on the details of the political transition and the challenges ahead for Mexican democracy. This book is of particular importance to scholars, students, and researchers involved with Mexican politics and history, and Latin American Studies in general.

Enrique Dussel's philosophy has gained worldwide prominence. This is the first full-length book on Dussel's philosophy ever to appear in English. The essence of Dussel's thought is presented through the concept of "ethical hermeneutics," which seeks to interpret reality from the viewpoint of what Emmanuel Levinas presents as the "other" - those who are vanquished, forgotten, or excluded from existent socio-political or cultural systems.

This landmark work constitutes a complete historical, sociological, and political view of religion as a cultural expression in Latin America. Parker shows how, beginning with the arrival of the conquistadors, religion has played a transcendent role in shaping the national cultures of the region, particularly its popular cultures, and continues to do so. Parker argues that while capitalistic modernization and urbanization do lead to secularization, this process is not linear or progressive. Secularization in Latin America does not destroy its religious fabric but rather transforms it, accentuating its pluralistic character. Christianity, and particularly Roman Catholicism, has influenced Latin American identity and culture most profoundly. But it has by no means been the sole influence, nor has Christianity itself remained unchanged in the process. As a product of history and capitalistic modernization, the trait of religion that emerges most clearly is that of cultural and religious pluralism.