Costa Rica Reader

Stewn Palmer

Description

Long characterized as an exceptional country within Latin America, Costa Rica has been hailed as a democratic oasis in a continent scorched by dictatorship and revolution; the ecological mecca of a biosphere laid waste by deforestation and urban blight; and an egalitarian, middle-class society blissfully immune to the violent class and racial conflicts that have haunted the region. Arguing that conceptions of Costa Rica as a happy anomaly downplay its rich heritage and diverse population, The Costa Rica Reader brings together texts and artwork that reveal the complexity of the country's past and present. It characterizes Costa Rica as a site of alternatives and possibilities that undermine stereotypes about the region's history and challenge the idea that current dilemmas facing Latin America are inevitable or insoluble.This essential introduction to Costa Rica includes more than fifty texts related to the country's history, culture, politics, and natural environment. Most of these newspaper accounts, histories, petitions, memoirs, poems, and essays are written by Costa Ricans. Many appear here in English for the first time. The authors are men and women, young and old, scholars, farmers, workers, and activists. The Costa Rica Reader presents a panoply of voices: eloquent working-class raconteurs from San Jose's poorest barrios, English-speaking Afro-Antilleans of the Limon province, Nicaraguan immigrants, factory workers, dissident members of the intelligentsia, and indigenous people struggling to preserve their culture. With more than forty images, the collection showcases sculptures, photographs, maps, cartoons, and fliers. From the time before the arrival of the Spanish, through the rise of the coffee plantations and the Civil War of 1948, up to participation in today's globalized world, Costa Rica's remarkable history comes alive. The Costa Rica Reader is a necessary resource for scholars, students, and travelers alike.

Sujets

• Histoire
• Cultural studies
• History of the Americas
• Central America
• SS Central America
• Costa Rica

Informations

• Publié par: Duke University Press
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780822382812
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

The Costa Rica Reader

      A series edited by Robin Kirk and Orin Starn

Also in this series:

  : , ,  Orin Starn, Carlos Iván Degregori, and Robin Kirk, editors

  : , ,  Edited by Robert M. Levine and John J. Crocitti

  : , ,  Edited by Gabriela Nouzeilles and Graciela Montaldo

  : , ,  Edited by Gilbert M. Joseph and Timothy J. Henderson

  : , ,  Edited by Aviva Chomsky, Barry Carr, and Pamela Maria Smorkaloff

Praise for      

‘‘A stellar collection of texts on Brazilian history and contemporary life. No ordinary reader, this volume goes below the surface to introduce an American audience to Brazil’s complexities and diversity.’’ —Foreign Affairs

‘‘The best introduction for English readers to [Argentina’s] history, culture, and society.’’ —Benjamin Schwarz,The Atlantic Monthly

‘‘Anyone who has a keen interest in Mexico—in delving deep into the country’s rich history and culture before going there—would be fascinated by this book.’’ —June Sawyers,Chicago Tribune

‘‘WhatThe Cuba Readerdoes extraordinarily well is to reveal the nuances and complexity of the Cuban experience.’’ —Susan Fernandez,The Miami Herald

‘‘A hefty volume that will satisfy your curiosity on almost all things Brazilian.’’ —South American Explorer

‘‘The Brazil Readeris simply indispensable.’’ —Julio César Pino,Hispanic American Historical Review

THE

COSTA

RICA

READER

, , 

Edited by Steven Palmer and Iván Molina

  

Durham and London

nd printing,  ©  Duke University Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper  Designed by Amy Ruth Buchanan Typeset in Dante by Tseng Information Systems, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data appear on the last printed page of this book.

To Lubín in loving memory

Contents

Acknowledgments xiii Introduction 

I.Birth of an Exception? 

Warriors and Sacred Struggle.Pre-Columbian Distinctions A Conqueror Looks on the Bright Side.Town Council of Castillo de Garci-Muñoz Hunting Indians.Claudia Quirós The Execution of Pablo Presbere.José María Figueroa The Trial of Pablo Presbere, Cacique of Suinse. Lorenzo Antonio de Granda y Balbín A Slave’s Story.José Cubero Free Blacks, Mulattoes, and Mestizos Seek Legitimacy.Cabildo of Cartago Brotherhood of the Virgin.Ricardo Fernández Guardia Life and Labor in the Central Valley, circa .Iván Molina The Fall of Morazán.Unknown Libelous Pornography from .José María Figueroa Civilizing Domestic Life in the Central Valley, –.Eugenia Rodríguez

II.Coffee Nation 

Privatization of the Land and Agrarian Conflict.Silvia Castro Tico Sweepstakes.Pío Joaquín Fernández Witness to Heroism.Gerónimo Segura Holidays in Costa Rica, .Thomas Francis Meagher (illustrated by Ramón Páez) Denunciation of the Lazarene Brothers.Diego Quesada Building Civilization.Fernando Zamora