Fall 2008 - The Johns Hopkins University Press

Latin America andGlobal CapitalismA Critical Globalization PerspectiveWilliam I. RobinsonThis ambitious volume chronicles and analyzes from acritical globalization perspective the social, economic, andpolitical changes sweeping across Latin America fromthe 1970s through the present day. Sociologist William I.Robinson summarizes his theory of globalization and discusseshow Latin America’s political economy has changedas the states integrate into the new global production andfinancial system, focusing specifically on the rise of nontraditionalagricultural exports, the explosion of maquiladoras,transnational tourism, and the export of labor and theimport of remittances. He follows with an overview of theclash among global capitalist forces, neoliberalism, and thenew left in Latin America, looking closely at the challengesand dilemmas resistance movements face and their prospectsfor success.Through three case studies—the struggles of the region’s indigenouspeoples, the immigrants rights movement in theUnited States, and the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela—Robinson documents and explains the causes of regionalsocio-political tensions, provides a theoretical framework forunderstanding the present turbulence, and suggests possibleoutcomes to the conflicts.Based on years of fieldwork and empirical research, thisstudy elucidates the tensions that globalization has createdand shows why Latin America is a battleground for thoseseeking to shape the twenty-first century’s world order.William I. ROBINSON is a professor of sociology, global studies,and Latin and Iberian studies at the University of California,Santa Barbara. He is the author of several books on globalization,including A Theory of Global Capitalism, also publishedby Johns Hopkins.Constructing DemocraticGovernance in Latin Americathird editionedited by Jorge I. Domínguez and Michael ShifterThis latest edition of this acclaimed text examines fourthemes vital to building market-oriented democracies inLatin America: the development of democratic institutions,globalization’s impact, socio-political integration, and marketreforms. Within these broad themes, the contributorsexplore how issues such as the performance of political parties,civilian control of the military, human rights protections,and executive-legislative relations are playing out ineight countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia,Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. They find a mixed record onmany fronts and discuss the uncertain state of democracy inseveral Latin American states in light of recent institutionalsetbacks and attempts to overhaul the political sphere.Edited by Jorge I. Domínguez and Michael Shifter andfeaturing contributions from more than a dozen leadingscholars of democratization studies, this volume provides aconcise and up-to-date measure of the quality of democracyin Latin America.Jorge I. Domínguez is the Antonio Madero Professor of Mexicanand Latin American Politics and Economics at HarvardUniversity. He is the author of numerous books, includingDemocratic Politics in Latin America and the Caribbean, also publishedby Johns Hopkins. Michael Shifter is Vice President forPolicy at the Inter-American Dialogue and adjunct professorof Latin American studies at Georgetown University.An Inter-American Dialogue BookJohns Hopkins Studies in GlobalizationChristopher Chase-Dunn, Series EditorSeptember 424 pages 6 x 9 18 line drawingsOctober 384 pages 6 x 9 11 halftones978-0-8018-9039-0 0-8018-9039-X $55.00(s) / £29.00 hccomparative Politics978-0-8018-9004-8 0-8018-9004-7 $60.00(s) / £32.00 hc978-0-8018-9005-5 0-8018-9005-5 $25.00(s) / £14.00 pbcomparative PoliticsTHE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS www.press.jhu.edu 52