
Not available to order
Publication date:
01 August 1997Length of book:
222 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781461647003
In Where Cultures Meet, editors Weber and Rausch have collected twenty essays that explore how the frontier experience has helped create Latin American national identities and institutions. Using 'frontier' to mean more than 'border,' Weber and Rausch regard frontiers as the geographic zones of interaction between distinct cultures. Each essay in the volume illuminates the recipro-cal influences of the 'pioneer' culture and the 'frontier' culture, as they contend with each other and their physical environment. The transformative power of frontiers gives them special interest for historians and anthropologists. Delving into the frontier experience below the Rio Grande, Where Cultures Meet is an important collection for anyone seeking to understand fully Latin American history and culture.
In Where Cultures Meet, David Weber and Jane Rausch have assembled a remarkable set of insightful essays on the very different roles frontiers have played in shaping both North American and latin American development. By standing on 'the outside looking in,' the essayists not only provide a new perspective on our own frontier experience, they mount a compelling argument for the value of the comparative approach to frontier history. By treating both contemporary Latin American urban frontiers and the transformation in the Brazilian Amazon, this collection of essays brings dramatic relevance and urgency to the discussion. A truly significant contribution.