Latin America

<P><B>A sweeping history of Latin America’s centuries-long battle for freedom</B></P><P>Forged by colonial rule, Latin America gained its independence in the greatest cycle of anti-colonial revolution in history. Latin Americans were among the first to ask: how do we create a liberal society from the rubble of conquest and domination?</P><P>In this masterful history, Timo Schaefer tells the story of a region transformed by shifting borders, political and economic upheaval, and the clash and mingling of cultures. Challenging the idea that Latin America was doomed by its colonial past, Schaefer reveals a far richer and more surprising story: of people who repeatedly fought to make freedom meaningful in their own lives.</P><P><I>Latin America</I> takes us from the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors to liberation under Simón Bolívar and the larger-than-life figures – Eva Perón, Che Guevara, Hugo Chávez – who shaped the region in more recent times. But Schaefer also moves beyond familiar highlights to bring to life the ordinary people often pushed to the margins: slaves, peasants, miners, women, labourers and indigenous litigants. Their persistent quest for justice animates a gripping narrative spanning more than five centuries.</P><P><I>Latin America</I> is an epic account of a momentous struggle over law, rights, citizenship, and democracy. At a time when liberal freedoms are once again under threat across the world, Schaefer shows why Latin America’s history matters to us all.</P>