Media and Politics in Latin America: Globalization, Democracy and Identity: 52 (International Library of Political Studies, 52) - Hardcover

'This book by a leading scholar of media in Brazil and Latin America is lucid, focused and pertinent in approach and treatment, and inspired by a profound commitment to democratization. It deserves to be widely read.'Jan Nederveen Pieterse, Mellichamp Professor of Global Studies and Sociology at University of California, Santa Barbara. 'Media and Politics in Latin America sheds light on the confusing, obscure, but very important discussion about media regulation and public media that has been intense in many Latin American countries. Through a solid theoretical framework and a comparative analysis between two major cases, Brazil and the United Kingdom, Carolina Matos shows that the aspirations for public media are still alive and strong as a way to reach a more democratized media environment in Latin America. Matos is a rising star among the best scholars in the field of Latin American Media Studies.'Professor Rosental Calmon Alves, Knight Chair in Journalism & UNESCO Chair in Communication and Director of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, University of Texas at Austin. 'Carolina Matos is an outstanding scholar of Latin American media. Her applied comparative method, including an accomplished analysis of the contrasting media systems of Brazil and the United Kingdom, yields a unique and profound insight into the potential for public sphere(s) television across both commercial and State funded or supported media. This is absolutely required reading for critical scholars and students of international and South American media, and of public sphere television.'Oliver Boyd-Barrett, Director of Communication Studies, Bowling Green State University, Ohio. 'Carolina Matos' book is a welcome addition to the literature on media and politics in Latin America. The book is packed with valuable insights about media history in the region, and offers an interesting perspective for the comparative study of media systems. The analysis intelligently dissects the problems for media democracy and, particularly, the troubles that have plagued public broadcasting. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the evolution of media systems outside the West.'Silvio Waisbord, Associate Director of the School of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University. 'We have long needed a comprehensive, in-depth survey of Latin American media that comes from someone who has mastery of all the relevant languages, theories, and settings. Now it's arrived! Carolina Matos has produced an instant classic,' Toby Miller, Distinguished Professor of Media & Cultural Studies at the University of California, Riverside.

Latin America is an increasingly important geopolitical entity and its nations are emerging as some of the most influential and radical states in the modern world. The media conglomerates which control the television and radio platforms in these countries, such as the Globo organization in Brazil and the Mercurial S.P.A. media corporation in Chile, have great political influence across the region. Here, Carolina Matos contrasts public service broadcasting in Latin America to that in Europe and the UK, engaging with current debates on globalisation and theories of cultural imperialism. She examines the role public media has played in the processes of national development, democratisation and international dialogue across South and Central America, arguing that it can be a powerful tool for political and social inclusion. This book will be essential reading for students and scholars of Media, Politics and Cultural Studies, as well as those with an interest in Latin American culture. As key polities, such as Brazil and Mexico, begin to flex their economic and demographic muscle, Media and Politics in Latin America is a timely examination of society and politics in the region.