Understanding Latin American Politics

This textbook integrates domestic and international factors for understanding Latin American politics. The thematic structure of the book is to utilize three different levels of analysis to explain Latin American politics: international, national, and local. This approach has the benefit of incorporating the dynamics of globalization while also including political factors more at ground level, including the influence of subaltern groups. Although there may be important international influences on domestic politics, they interact with and are mediated by national political figures and grassroots activists. The book has four sections: Theoretical and Historical Background; Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean; The Andean Region and Venezuela; and Brazil and the Southern Cone.

Each chapter contains key terms, discussion questions, and further sources and a range of pedagogical materials for use in the classroom. This textbook is available in an open access digital edition.