Placing Latin America: Contemporary Themes in Human Geography

Front Cover
Ed Jackiewicz, Fernando J. Bosco
Rowman & Littlefield, 2008 - Business & Economics - 276 pages
An innovative text for students, Placing Latin America takes a thematic approach to the study of the diverse human geographies of Latin America. Avoiding pre-defined ideas about this rapidly globalizing region, this volume focuses on the dynamic connections between people and places. Fifteen chapters written by a diverse group of contributors provide a well-rounded and accessible introduction to many dimensions of human geography, including discussions of migration in the context of transnationalism and globalization; the relations between urbanization, employment change, and the material and environmental landscapes of cities; and the connections between economic development and political change at different scales. Particularly exciting are the chapters on themes not typically found in other textbooks on the region, such as geographic analysis of the drug trade, tourism landscapes, and Latin American cinema. Jackiewicz and Bosco also include chapters on current problems of border and migration between the United States, Mexico, and the rest of Latin America. The book is well organized for the classroom-each theme chapter is illustrated by specific examples from different places in the region and includes suggested reading resources. Students and general readers alike will enjoy and learn from the connections that are drawn between different themes and contemporary concepts and important theories in critical human geography such as scale, place, and spatiality.
 

Contents

Eras and Errors A Historical and Geographical Overview of Latin Americas Economic and Political Development
17
Neoliberal Exports and Regional Vulnerability Overview and Critical Assessment
31
Urbanization Migration and Employment in Latin America A Review of Trends
51
Architectural Icons and Urban Form The Power of Place in Latin America
69
USMexico Borderlands
83
Spaces of Tourism
97
Sustainable Development and Ecotourism General Principles and Eastern Caribbean Case Study
115
Drug Geographies
137
The Geographies of Latin American Social Movements
177
Urban Environmental Politics in Latin America
191
Transnational Communities Identities and Moving Populations
205
Beyond the NationState Scaling Claims to Latinoa Citizenship in the United States
235
Cinematic Spaces of Latin America
251
Index
269
About the Contributors
273
Copyright

NGOs and Ongoing Changes in Latin American Society
159

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