Contemporary Latin America 1970 to the Present

Rina Villars is the author of three books in Spanish on the history and political culture of Central America, and scholarly articles on Spanish linguistics and women. 

Series Editor’s Preface viii

Acknowledgments x

Part I Latin America in a World Setting 1

Introduction 3

1 What Is Latin America? 5

2 Beliefs 20

Part II Government 41

Introduction 43

3 The Demise of Social Revolution 48

4 The Armed Forces Bow to Civilian Rule 67

5 The Turning toward Democracy 97

6 Religion, Politics and the State 113

7 Lawless Violence, Impunity and the Democratic Transition 127

Part III Wealth 143

Introduction 145

8 The Challenge of Sustained Growth 148

9 Poor Countries, Rich Countries 161

10 Agonies of Underdevelopment 185

Part IV Culture 207

Introduction 209

11 Education 211

12 Research and Communications 225

13 Literature and the Visual Arts 249

14 Cinema and Sports 263

Part V Communities 275

Introduction 277

15 The Family, Women and Sexuality 281

16 Indigenous Peoples and Their Movements 304

17 Toward a Latin American Community of Nations? 322

Sources Consulted 332

Index 342

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