On Our Own Terms

Sarah Foss is assistant professor of history at Oklahoma State University. 
For more information about Sarah Foss, visit the Author Page.

“An extensively researched and thoughtful volume. . . . a necessary intervention in how we examine development, as it moves away from a focus on policy and toward how development was implemented, contested, and negotiated on the ground.”—Hispanic American Historical Review

“Creatively researched and thoughtfully written and analysed, On Our Own Terms is a welcome contribution to the historiography of the Cold War in Guatemala.”—Journal of Latin American Studies

“Excellent. In this well-researched book . . . Foss shows readers how states used development to forge a politically useful populace. On Our Own Terms is a praiseworthy contribution.”—Journal of Social History

“An innovative study of Cold War-era development projects in rural Guatemala. . . . Foss skillfully weaves a chronological narrative that spans significant national, regional, and global shifts, integrating them into her history with such grace that her reader might overlook this accomplishment.”—The Americas

“A pivotal contribution to the study of development and Indigenous history in Guatemala. Foss’s account places Indigenous communities at the center of the global Cold War, revealing them as purposive participants in development initiatives over a half-century of Guatemalan history.” —A Contracorriente

“Foss's study provides a devastating analysis. . . . The breadth of her sources, the depth to which she mines them, and the complex ways she interweaves them is impressive. On Our Own Terms is a multilayered study of development thinking and practice on Guatemala's Indigenous people, sufficiently historicized to provide a valuable contribution to Cold War historiography.”—Journal of American History