| Black social movements in Latin America: from monocultural mestizaje to multiculturalism, ed. by Jean Muteba Rahier. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. 250p bibl index afp ISBN 0-230-39360-8, $90.00; ISBN 9780230393608, $90.00. Reviewed in 2012dec CHOICE. | ||
| In Latin America, indigenous peoples, not African descendants, have historically set the agenda for struggles for ethnic identities and associated social, cultural, and territorial rights. As a result, Afro-Latin American movements, as well as research on them, have lagged behind their indigenous counterparts. This outstanding, accessible volume goes a long way toward closing that gap. A series of essays from leading scholars on Central America, the Andes, and Brazil provide probing investigations into the challenges facing black social movements in the second decade of the 21st century. Catherine Walsh contributes a key, insightful study that examines how the historic invisibility of Afro-Latin Americans is perpetuated in contemporary policies. Governments have often tacked on rights for African descendants to those previously granted to indigenous peoples, but now Afro-Latin Americans are emerging out of that indigenous shadow. The volume includes interviews with two leading activists, Alexandra Ocles in Ecuador and Maria Inês Barbosa in Brazil. A landmark study that provides a model for future research in a historically marginalized field. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- M. Becker, Truman State University |