Nineteenth-Century Nation Building and the Latin American Intellectual Tradition: A Reader

This volume provides readings from the works of eighteen Latin American thinkers of the nineteenth century, each of whom were engaged in examining and articulating the problems that Spanish and Portuguese America faced in the one hundred years after securing independence in 1810. All major regions of Latin America are represented, regions that differ significantly with regard to indigenous background, geography, climate and available resources. Nonetheless, their people confronted the common problems that surround the intractable challenges of statecraft and nation-building -- issues of race, international relations, economics, education, and self-understanding. Janet Burke and Ted Humphrey provide fresh, accessible translations; a general Introduction that sets the works to follow in historical and intellectual context; biographical headnotes for each contributor; a glossary; and a bibliography.