Latin America Bureau Books – serie

Since 1954 Paraguay has been ruled by the dictator Alfredo Stroessner, the longest surviving head of state in the world. His regime has been characterized by extreme brutality, corruption and economic stagnation. However, in 1973 Paraguay began to experience dramatic economic and social changes as a result of the construction of Itaipu - the largest hydroelectric dam in the world - and massive Brazilian colonization. Paraguay: Power Game chronicle's Paraguay's tragic history and analyzes the nature of the Stroessner regime. It look critically at the country's explosive economic development, in particular the threat to Paraguayan autonomy from Brazil, and shows how this process is deepening the exploitation and impoverishment of the Paraguayan people. The terms of the Itaiou treaty, which gurantee Brazil cheap electric power at Paraguay's expense, have already become a focus for opposition to Stroessner's iron control of the country, marking the beginning of a new power game in Paraguay.

On 17 July 1980 Bolivia suffered the most brutal and bloody military coup in its history. The leader of the coup, General Luis Garcia Meza, thus brought to an end Bolivia's faltering attempts to establish parliamentary democracy. The coup's purpose was not simply to prevent the inauguration of the newly elected civilian government. Its broader aim was to do away with all opposition, from progressive clergy to trade union, peasant and left-wing organizations and to establish a right-wing military regime in the style of the dictatorships in neighbouring Argentina and Chile.Bolivia: Coup d'Etat traces Bolivia's history from the 1952 Revolution to the July 1980 coup and its aftermath. It analyzes the country's political forces and socio-economic structures and chronicles the Bolivian miners' traditional struggle against the armed forces. It also describes the violations of basic human and democratic rights and examines the nature and origins of the present regime.

Far From Paradise looks at the Caribbean behind the tourist brochures: small, vulnerable countries beset by poverty and injustice, searching for a road out of underdevelopment. It traces the history of the area and looks at recent experiences of Jamaica, Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago, and Haiti - and evaluates their differing approaches towards development. Other sections focus on the role of transnational corporations in the Caribbean, the problems of regional integration and examples of alternative, grassroots development.

An insight into urban violence in Medellin, Colombia's second city. Alsonso Salazar journeys into the jails, hospitals and shanty towns of Colombia's drug capital to interview teenage contract killers, their families, priests and self-defence vigilantes. He brings alive the world of Medellin's youth gangs who, in their own words, are "born to die" before they can have children or grow old.

Mexico Inside Out provides an introduction to the country for the student and traveller alike, people who want to know more about the real Mexico than is found in an ordinary guidebook.

From the time of Columbus and the Spanish conquistadores, the history of Latin America has been closely entwined with mining. Yet in recent decades, the industry has taken on vast new dimensions, becoming far more powerful and destructive than anything seen in earlier periods. Driven by high mineral prices, mining companies have moved into countries where hitherto they had little or no presence, and ventured into ever more remote and ecologically sensitive areas, such as high up in the Andean cordillera and deep into the Amazon rainforest. This has brought about unprecedented social and environmental changes: entire landscapes have been radically transformed, and lifestyles which have changed little in centuries have, in some cases, disappeared altogether. But as mining has expanded, so has social conflict, with frontline communities mobilizing in defence of their lands, water, livelihoods, and cultures. This resistance has occurred throughout the region and has taken on very different forms: from roadblocks to research; from sabotage to street theatre.While some communities have paid a heavy price for their opposition, others have achieved some impressive victories. The Heart of Our Earth tells their story: how the mining industry has affected them, how they have fought back, and their visions for fairer and more sustainable futures. Written in clear, non-technical language, The Heart of Our Earth is for students, academics, activists, journalists, and anyone who has ever wondered about the true costs of the metals which increasingly power our lives.

Blending reportage, travel writing and analysis, 'Crossed off the map: Travels in Bolivia' uses a journey through Bolivia, from the Andes to the Amazon, to explore the country's turbulent history and contemporary challenges, painting a picture of a country that "was the building block of the modern world, but is now lost in time".

Blending reportage, travel writing and analysis, 'Crossed off the map: Travels in Bolivia' uses a journey through Bolivia, from the Andes to the Amazon, to explore the country's turbulent history and contemporary challenges, painting a picture of a country that "was the building block of the modern world, but is now lost in time".

Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile is relatively well known in the UK, but what happened during the Argentine dictatorship, 1976-83, when thousands of men, women, and children were subjected to state terrorism, remains largely unknown. The book describes the secret detention camps, the disappearances, the kidnapping of hundreds of babies and small children. It is based largely on eyewitness accounts gathered by CLAMOR, an ecumenical group of volunteers in São Paulo, Brazil which was backed by the Catholic church and the World Council of Churches. The group was instrumental in finding the first ‘disappeared’ children to be located, and contributed to the search for many others.The book also covers the situation in the other South American countries ruled by military dictators, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile and Bolivia, where CLAMOR supported local human rights organizations and sent missions. The group was one of the first organizations to denounce the collaboration between the security forces of the dictatorships, involving cross-border kidnappings, torture and murder of dissidents, which later became known as Operation Condor. Clamor's work involved careful, daring and at times dangerous work, and this book has the intensity and excitement of a crime or spy thriller.Because CLAMOR closed its doors when the region returned to democracy, its role has gone largely unreported. As a founder member of CLAMOR, with access to all the archives, Jan Rocha, Journalist and former Correspondent for the BBC and the Guardian, is in a unique position to tell its story. She concentrates on eyewitness accounts, including her own, and on the question of the children, not only those kidnapped, but those left behind when their parents disappeared.The book also fills a gap in understanding why the UK government, and Europe as a whole, reacted so differently to the human rights situation in Chile and Argentina.

Women Resisting Violence is an illuminating and powerful account of the ways in which women and girls encounter violence and the bold initiatives they are developing to respond to it. Across Latin America, the number of femicides has grown at an alarming rate, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Alongside has come a dramatic increase in domestic violence; loud demands over domestic workers’ rights; increased suffering from and fierce resistance to land-grabbing; increased urban violence; violent discrimination against migrants; and the relentless growth of state control over women’s reproductive rights. In Women Resisting Violence, case studies and interviews with women leaders from Latin America highlight the multiple and intersecting forms of gendered violence – where race, ethnicity, sexuality, and socio-economic status, and other markers combine to identify, discriminate against, and target women. Collecting a chain of voices, we focus on these women’s inspirational strategies for transforming their communities and influencing international laws. Their testimonies underline the importance of culture, commemoration, and the arts in consolidating and amplifying active resistance. Women’s voices are loud and clear: gendered and intersectional violence is rampant in Latin America. But women are pushing back. As the Mexican proverb boldly states, '‘They wanted to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds.’WRV Collective: Jelke Boesten is a professor of Gender and Development at the Department of International Development, King’s College London. Andrea Espinoza is a feminist researcher focused on women’s and Indigenous people’s rights in Latin America, particularly in Ecuador and the Andean region. Cathy McIlwaine is a professor of Geography at King’s College London. Louise Morris is a journalist and audio producer who’s made podcasts, radio, and audiobooks for BBC Radio 4, NPR, Audible, Pottermore and the BBC World Service. Patricia Muñoz Cabrera (PhD) is an international research consultant and trainer on gender and intersectionality in development policies. Moniza Rizzini Ansari is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, School of Law. Marilyn Thomson is an independent gender consultant working on issues such as the rights of migrant and refugee women, violence against women and girls, and the care economy. Rebecca Wilson is Managing Editor at Latin America Bureau.

Women Resisting Violence is an illuminating and powerful account of the ways in which women and girls encounter violence and the bold initiatives they are developing to respond to it. Across Latin America, the number of femicides has grown at an alarming rate, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Alongside has come a dramatic increase in domestic violence; loud demands over domestic workers’ rights; increased suffering from and fierce resistance to land-grabbing; increased urban violence; violent discrimination against migrants; and the relentless growth of state control over women’s reproductive rights. In Women Resisting Violence, case studies and interviews with women leaders from Latin America highlight the multiple and intersecting forms of gendered violence – where race, ethnicity, sexuality, and socio-economic status, and other markers combine to identify, discriminate against, and target women. Collecting a chain of voices, we focus on these women’s inspirational strategies for transforming their communities and influencing international laws. Their testimonies underline the importance of culture, commemoration, and the arts in consolidating and amplifying active resistance. Women’s voices are loud and clear: gendered and intersectional violence is rampant in Latin America. But women are pushing back. As the Mexican proverb boldly states, '‘They wanted to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds.’WRV Collective: Jelke Boesten is a professor of Gender and Development at the Department of International Development, King’s College London. Andrea Espinoza is a feminist researcher focused on women’s and Indigenous people’s rights in Latin America, particularly in Ecuador and the Andean region. Cathy McIlwaine is a professor of Geography at King’s College London. Louise Morris is a journalist and audio producer who’s made podcasts, radio, and audiobooks for BBC Radio 4, NPR, Audible, Pottermore and the BBC World Service. Patricia Muñoz Cabrera (PhD) is an international research consultant and trainer on gender and intersectionality in development policies. Moniza Rizzini Ansari is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, School of Law. Marilyn Thomson is an independent gender consultant working on issues such as the rights of migrant and refugee women, violence against women and girls, and the care economy. Rebecca Wilson is Managing Editor at Latin America Bureau.