Bøger udgivet af Latin America Bureau

In Fight for the Forest, Chico Mendes talks of his life's work in his last major interview. Tony Gross, environmentalist, expert on Amazonian affairs and a friend of Chico Mendes, follows the trial, conviction, and release of Chico's assassins and examines Brazil's environmental policy under President Fernando Collor de Mello.

This anthology looks at the AfroCuban experience through the eyes of the island's writers, scholars and artists. "A rich portrait of AfroCuba--one of the most vibrant and least well-documented of the black Caribbean diasporas."--Stuart Hall

Promised Land vividly portrays these events with photographs and the words of people directly involved. It provides the background to understanding current events and where solutions may lie for the people of El Salvador.

This book contains topical articles covering the "levantamientos" of 1999 and 2000 and interviews with indigenous leaders to provide a unique insight into one of the strongest movements in Latin America. The selection of essays and background information on the problems facing indigenous people make this this a fascinating introduction to Ecuador.

Under The Eagle 2nd Edition traces the history and motivations of United States policy in Central America and the Caribbean

One day, old man Antonio is walking in the mountainous jungles of Chipas with his old friend Subcomandante Marcos, when he sees a macaw. The bird reminds the old man of a folk tale - the story of how the gods found all the colours in the world.

Gender impacts on every major social issue from rights to social policy, from ethnicity to poverty, this work is a comprehensive overview of the subject, examining trends in gender over history until the present. The authors draw on a wide range on theoretial analyses as well as their own field of work to illuminate the importance of diversity in gender in Latin America, as well as more traditionally held concepts of class, ethnicity, the urban-rural divide and age and peer groups. Debunking traditional universalizing stereotypes, this text charts contemporary changes gender roles, relations between the genders, and gender- and sexuality-based identities. Chapters are arranged around broad themes, including gender and poverty, gender and health, gender and sexuality and gender and employment. Each chapter begins with an introduction to the core issues the debates and theoretical work in the relevant field, and case studies. The authors also make reference to the continually expanding literature on the subject, including work on men and masculinity, fatherhood and sexuality.

Exploding the myth of the Great Navigator, the author reveals how Colombus accidentally found a continent and systematically pillaged its resources. This controversial book depicts a Columbus not only obsessed by gold but willing to endorse murder for it.

Interweaving reportage, interview and analysis, this work provides an overview of Guatemala, its resilience and its suffering. It explores poverty and inequality, the guerilla war and the role of the military, and human rights abuses, especially under the curent government. It also examines the impact of political violence on Guatemala's writers, artists and indigenous culture.

Distinctive among the turbulent nations of South America, Costa Rica enjoys a reputation for political stability and prosperity. Since abolishing its army in 1948, the "Switzerland of Central America" has experienced unbroken democratic rule and respect for human rights. Yet this small country has also been affected by the debt crisis of the 1980s, with the resulting increases in poverty and social inequality. Its economy traditionally based on coffee and bananas, Costa Rica is now among the world's top eco-tourism destinations. The influx of tourists brings vital income and employment but also threatens to spoil the country's beauty. The book is part of the "In Focus" series which is aimed at students and independent travellers.

The idyllic landscapes of the Eastern Caribbean belie a dramatic and often cruel history. Fought over by the imperial Navies and vulnerable to natural disasters, these small islands have also been marked by slavery, migration and a tradition of resistance. With their population rooted in every continent, a mix of influences has created today's cultural diversity and self-expression. As tourism replaces agriculture, the islands of the Eastern Caribbean face the challenge of economic survival and maintaining their distinctive identities. The countries focused on are: Trinidad and Tobago; St Vincent and the Grenadines; Anguilla; Antigua-Barbuda; Barbados; Dominica; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Martinique; Montserrat; Saba; St Eustatius; St Kitts-Nevis; St Lucia; and St Martin.

The Mapuche of what is today southern Chile and Argentina were the first and only indigenous peoples on the continent to have their sovereignty legally recognised by the Spanish empire, and their reputation for ferocity and bravery was legendary among the Spanish invaders. Their sense of communal identity and personal courage has forged among the Mapuche a strong instinct for self-preservation. Today their struggle continues: neither Chile nor Argentina specifically recognise the rights of indigenous peoples. In recent years disputes over land rights, particularly in Chile, have provoked fierce protests from the Mapuche. In both countries, policies of assimilation have had a disastrous effect on the Mapuche language and cultural integrity. Even so, in the last ten years the Mapuche have managed a remarkable cultural and political resurgence, in part through a tenacious defence of their ancestral lands and natural resources against marauding multinationals which has catapulted them to regional and international attention. The Language of the Land is the first book in English to examine the contemporary Mapuche: their culture, their struggle for autonomy within the modern-day nation state, their religion, language and distinct identity. Leslie Ray examines issues of ethnicity, biodiversity and biopiracy in Mapuche lands, their struggle for rights over natural resources, and the impacts of tourism and neoliberalism.

Rodolfo Walsh was a writer of crime novels, a tireless investigative journalist who uncovered real political crimes, an instant historian of a turbulent and violent era in Argentinian and Latin American politics.This is an account of Rudolfo Walsh's life. It includes extended excerpts from his varied writings.

Bolivia In Focus is an authoritative and up-to-date guide to this fascinating land.

Looks at the Caribbean behind the tourist brochures: small, vulnerable countries beset by poverty and injustice, searching for a road out of underdevelopment. It traces the history of the area and looks at recent experiences of Jamaica, Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago, and Haiti.

Once a byword for military repression and human rights abuses, Chile's image is now that of a dynamic success story. The "Chilean Miracle", based on radical free-market reform and export-led growth, has been presented as a model for all developing countries. Yet this transition has also created its own social problems, challenging the traditional values with the advent of extreme materialism. Famed for its landscapes which range from glaciers to deserts, Chile is also home to a cultural life, exemplified by writers such as Pablo Neruda and Ariel Dorfman. Music, cinema and handicrafts reflect the country's artistic diversity as well as its mixed ethnic traditions. This book is part of a series aimed at students and independent travellers.

The US-Mexican border is a unique meeting point of the first and third worlds. Every day thousands of Mexicans run the gauntlet of the US Border Patrol to reach the promised lands of California and Texas. On the Mexican side half a million people, mainly young women, earn a dollar an hour or less, toiling for US companies in the assembly plants. In On The Line, Augusta Dwyer journeys through the crowded, dirty cities of the border, uncovering the stories of dozens of ordinary Mexicans - workers, illegal migrants, environmental activists. She reveals the hidden costs of free trade, and shows how Mexicans are resisting exploitation and the destruction of their environment.

First published in 1994, this work has become established as one of the standard texts on urbanization and regional development problems. This revised edition contains updated statistics and analysis, as well as the author's new introduction, covering events in Latin America up to the present. Looking at a range of cities from Mexico City to Rio de Janeiro, Alan Gilbert explores the many social and environmental challenges facing the Third World's most urbanized region. Chapters explore the growth of the city, migration and informal-sector employment, housing strategies and urban protest.

Colombia is a country of dramatic and contradictory images. Officially it is a Latin American successs story , with steady growth, political stability and a large middle class. Yet it has become notorious for the activities of the so-called Medellin and Cali cartels and the violence surrounding the cocaine trade. Although credited with the region''s longest lasting democracy, it has been the scene of extreme political and criminal violence which gives it the highest murder rate in the world.Colombia: Inside the Labyrinth explains the reality behind the official and the actual country. It examines the historical basis of Colombia''s two-party system and analyses the corruption and instability which have undermined the state''s ability to govern. Exploring the economic and social forces which condemn a quarter of the population to absolute poverty, it examines the role of the political parties, trade unions, guerrillas and civic movements in Colombia today. Colombia: Inside the Labyrinth unravels the threads of this paradoxical country. Drawing on first hand research, interviews and testimony, it offers a provocative and timely analysis of a country described as a ''political time bomb''.Colombia: Inside the Labyrinth explains the reality behind the official and the actual country. It examines the historical basis of Colombia''s two-party system and analyses the corruption and instability which have undermined the state''s ability to govern.

An introduction to the history and current implications of the debt crisis, which positions debt in the wider context of globalisation and development. Deeper than Debt brings together a wide range of viewpoints to discuss the effects of economic globalisation on the lives of the poor majority in debtor countries. This primer text argues that, due to debt, four fifths of the world's population cannot develop while inequality between the rich and the poor grows. This book provides invaluable analysis for activists who have campaigned successfully with Jubilee 2000 and other campaigns, and for those wanting a deeper look at development and economic issues raised by international debt.Debt is a good thing - for creditors. In the current global economy, the debt owedby the poorest countries allows the richest to have enormous infl uence over mostSouthern economies. Such control is enforced via the International Monetary Fund,which requires poor countries to export raw materials at low prices, cut back onsocial spending on areas such as health and education, and to privatise nationalwealth - all to generate dollars to pay rich creditors. Debt means four fi fths of theworld 's population cannot develop, while inequality between the rich and poorgrows.Deeper than Debt brings together a wide range of arguments and views to examinethe effects of economic globalisation on the lives of the poor majority in debtorcountries, and how debt can illuminate the process of the ever-deepeninginequality between rich and poor.Deeper than Debt will provide invaluable analysis for debt activists who havecampaigned successfully with Jubilee 2000 and for those wanting a deeper look atthe development and economic issues raised by debt.George Ann Potter is an economic anthropologist with 20 years' experience ofdevelopment management and policy work. She lives and works in Bolivia whereshe is involved in the Jubilee 2000 campaign. She has written extensively on debt.including a book, Dialogue on Debt ( 1988).

Haiti’s dramatic history, pressing social problems and rich culture make it one of the most fascinating nations in the Americas. This book aims to reflect some of Haiti’s extraordinary diversity through the best of writing, both from and about the country. While many journalistic accounts are rapidly overtaken by events, this collection reveals the more deep-rooted reality of the ‘magic island’ and its people. 

During two centuries of independence from colonial rule, Haiti has developed into a society quite distinct from those found in the rest of the region. Hollywood-derived images of black magic, and Graham Green-inspired conceptions of a "nightmare republic" do scant justice to the reality of life for those who make up the third largest population in the Caribbean. This work addresses these questions, and provides an up-to-date guide to the people, politics and culture of this Caribbean nation.

This history of popular education looks at one of the most successful social movements to use popular education, the Movement of Landless Rural Workers (MST) in Brazil. It highlights the importance of popular education to the "new" social movements based around identity, such as women's and indigenous organizations