Twelve essays pose a challenge to classical anthropological theory and methodology in which Indian cultures have been analyzed in isolation, without regard for nation-state context. Empirically focused, they deal with such issues as how the Guatemalan tourist industry appropriates indigenous clothing to create a national image and how highland Indian music has adapted to Peruvian state interventions since the colonial period. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This book adopts a variety of disciplinary, thematic, and country-based approaches to the complex and contested issues around the character of the nation-state in Latin America. In recent years there has been a great deal of scholarly interest in this topic from the viewpoint of cultural and literary studies, but Latin America remains under-represented in general historical and sociological theories of nationhood. The authors seek to develop debate and research on the topic through case-studies (including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru and Spain), historiographical review, and themes such as the role of violence, military conscription and pensions, money and the role of finance, early notions of development, the ambiguous role of liberalism, and how to evaluate the reach and qualities of the nation-state. Contributors include Miguel Angel Centeno (Princeton University), Malcolm Deas (St Antony's College, Oxford), James Dunkerley (Institute of Latin American Studies, University of London), Paul Gootenberg (State University of New York at Stony Brook), Alan Knight (St Antony's College, Oxford), Colin Lewis (London School of Economics), Fernando López Alves (University of California, Santa Barbara), David McCreery (Georgia State University), Florencia Mallon (University of Wisconsin), Seemin Qayum (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Guy Thomson (University of Warwick), and Steven Topik (University of California, Irvine). James Dunkerley is director of the Institute of Latin American Studies, University of London, and also professor of politics at Queen Mary, University of London. He is coeditor of the Journal of Latin American Studies. His most recent books are Americana: The Americas in the World, around 1850 (or 'Seeing the Elephant' as the Theme for an Imaginary Western) (2000) and Warriors and Scribes: Essays in the History and Politics of Latin America (2000).

Remaking the Nation presents new ways of thinking about the nation, nationalism and national identities. Drawing links between popular culture and indigenous movements, issues of 'race' and gender, and ideologies of national identity, the authors draw on their work in Latin America to illustrate their retheorisation of the politics of nationalism. This engaging exploration of contemporary politics in a postmodern, post new-world-order uncovers a map of future political organisation, a world of pluri-nations and ethnicised identities in the ever-changing struggle for democracy.

The "Indian question" has come to the forefront of political agendas in contemporary Latin America. In the process, indigenous movements have emerged as important social actors, raising a variety of demands on behalf of native peoples. Regardless of the situation of Indian groups as small minorities or significant sectors, many Latin American states have been forced to consider whether they should have the same status of all citizens or whether they should be granted special citizenship rights as Indians. This book examines the struggle for indigenous rights in eight Latin American countries. Initial studies of indigenous movements celebrated the return of the Indians as relevant political actors, often approaching their struggles as expressions of a common, generic agenda. This collection moves the debate forward by acknowledging the extraordinary diversity among the movements' composition, goals, and strategies. By focusing on the factors that shape this diversity, the authors offer a basis for understanding the specificities of converging and diverging patterns across different countries. The case studies examine the ways in which the Indian question arises in each country, with reference to the protagonism of indigenous movements in the context of the threats and opportunities posed by neo-liberal policies. The complexities posed by the varying demographic weight of indigenous populations, the interrelation of class and ethnicity, and the interplay between indigenous and popular struggles are discussed. The volume concludes that the Indian struggles are having a direct impact on the character of democracy, and in the process contribute to the redefinition of Latin American societies as multicultural.

Categorized into eight geographical regions, this encyclopedic reference examines the history, beliefs, traditions, languages, and lifestyles of indigenous peoples of North America.

Independence and Nation-Building in Latin America: Race and Identity in the Crucible of War reconceptualizes the history of the break-up of colonial empires in Spanish and Portuguese America. In doing so, the authors critically examine competing interpretations and bring to light the most recent scholarship on social, cultural, and political aspects of the period. Did American rebels clearly push for independence, or did others truly advocate autonomy within weakened monarchical systems? Rather than glorify rebellions and "patriots," the authors begin by emphasizing patterns of popular loyalism in the midst of a fracturing Spanish state. In contrast, a slave-based economy and a relocated imperial court provided for relative stability in Portuguese Brazil. Chapters pay attention to the competing claims of a variety of social and political figures at the time across the variegated regions of Central and South America and the Caribbean. Furthermore, while elections and the rise of a new political culture are explored in some depth, questions are raised over whether or not a new liberal consensus had taken hold. Through translated primary sources and cogent analysis, the text provides an update to conventional accounts that focus on politics, the military, and an older paradigm of Creole-peninsular friction and division. Previously marginalized actors, from Indigenous peoples to free people of color, often take center-stage. This concise and accessible text will appeal to scholars, students, and all those interested in Latin American History and Revolutionary History.