Jan Knippers Black's Latin America: Its Problems and Its Promise is one of the most successful textbooks on Latin America. A multidisciplinary collection of invited chapters edited by Black and intended for introductory courses on Latin America, the new fourth edition chronicles the region's ongoing struggle to attain effective sovereignty, democracy and equity. It has been updated to include chapters on the impact of globalization, changing gender roles, and new social movements, especially of peasants and indigenous peoples. Unlike other Latin America textbooks, this volume is purposefully multidisciplinary, including contributions from historians, geographers, economists, political scientists, sociologists, anthropologists, philosophers, and diplomats. Only contributors well-known for their expertise on specific relevant topics are invited to contribute to this volume. The multidisciplinary perspective introduces students to the history, geography, politics, and culture of Latin America. This fourth edition is streamlined yet includes a special focus on significant current events and trends.
Jan Knippers Black is a professor in the Graduate School of International Policy Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California. She has authored or edited and co-authored many books, including Development in Theory and Practice: Paradigms and Paradoxes (Westview Press, 1999).