Excessively European, refreshingly European, not as European as it
looks, struggling to overcome a delusion that it is European.
Argentina--in all its complexity--has often been obscured by
variations of the "like Europe and not like the rest of Latin
America" cliche. "The Argentina Reader" deliberately breaks from
that viewpoint. This essential introduction to Argentina's history,
culture, and society provides a richer, more comprehensive look at
one of the most paradoxical of Latin American nations: a nation
that used to be among the richest in the world, with the largest
middle class in Latin America, yet one that entered the
twenty-first century with its economy in shambles and its citizenry
seething with frustration.
This diverse collection brings together songs, articles, comic
strips, scholarly essays, poems, and short stories. Most pieces are
by Argentines. More than forty of the texts have never before
appeared in English. "The Argentina Reader" contains photographs
from Argentina's National Archives and images of artwork by some of
the country's most talented painters and sculptors. Many selections
deal with the history of indigenous Argentines, workers, women,
blacks, and other groups often ignored in descriptions of the
country. At the same time, the book includes excerpts by or about
such major political figures as Jose de San Martin and Juan Peron.
Pieces from literary and social figures virtually unknown in the
United States appear alongside those by more well-known writers
such as Jorge Luis Borges, Ricardo Piglia, and Julio Cortazar.
The "Argentina""Reader" covers the Spanish colonial regime; the
years of nation building following Argentina's independence from
Spain in 1810; and the sweeping progress of economic growth and
cultural change that made Argentina, by the turn of the twentieth
century, the most modern country in Latin America. The bulk of the
collection focuses on the twentieth century: on the popular
movements that enabled Peronism and the revolutionary dreams of the
1960s and 1970s; on the dictatorship from 1976 to 1983 and the
accompanying culture of terror and resistance; and, finally, on the
contradictory and disconcerting tendencies unleashed by the
principles of neoliberalism and the new global economy. The book
also includes a list of suggestions for further reading.
"The Argentina""Reader" is an invaluable resource for those
interested in learning about Argentine history and culture, whether
in the classroom or in preparation for travel in Argentina.
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