This collection explores the perpetually changing notion of Latin American identity, particularly as illustrated in literature and other forms of cultural expression. Editor Elizabeth Montes Garcés has gathered contributions from specialists who examine the effects of such major phenomena as migration, globalization, and gender on the construct of Latin American identities, and, as such, are reshaping the traditional understanding of Latin America's cultural history. The contributors to this volume are experts in Latin American literature and culture. Covering a diverse range of genres from poetry to film, their essays explore themes such as feminism, deconstruction, and postcolonial theory as they are reflected in the Latin American cultural milieu.

"Required reading for those interested in Latin American identity. Authors recognize difficulty of the pregnancy of the moment - globalization and diaspora - in which the topic is being discussed. In the introduction, Chanady offers an excellent historical review of the topic. Essays by Enrique Dussel, Josâe Rabasa (see item #bi 98003988#), Franðcois Perus, and Iris Zavala are especially noteworthy"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.

This study frames the social dynamics of Latin American in terms of two types of cultural momentum: foundational momentum and the momentum of global order in contemporary Latin America.

In this book, Jorge Larrain examines the trajectories of modernity and identity in Latin America and their reciprocal relationships. Drawing on a large body of work across a vast historical and geographical range, he offers an account of the cultural transformations and processes of modernization that have occurred in Latin America since colonial times.

Publisher description

This book explores the key role of sound and image in the perception of nations throughout the history of the Americas. It subverts the strict chronology previously upheld by historians regarding the formation of national identities by looking at the development of countries in varied cultural, economic, and political situations.