The Other West

by Carmagnani, Marcello; Giammanco Frongia, Rosanna M.

• ISBN13: 9780520267497
• ISBN10: 0520267494
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-03-23
• Publisher: Univ of California Pr

Summary

The Other Westprovides a provocative new interpretation of Latin American history and the region's place in the changing global political economy, from the discovery of America into the twenty-first century. Marcello Carmagnani's multidisciplinary and award-winning analysis sheds new light on historical processes and explains how this vast expanse of territory-stretching from the American southwest to the southernmost tip of the continent-became Europeanized in the colonial period, and how the European and American civilizations transformed one another as they grew together. The book departs from traditional historical thought which assumes that Latin America was passive in its drift toward Western civilization and that once there, the region meekly conformed to Western standards. Carmagnani takes an opposing stand by situating his narrative in the context of world history, brilliantly showing how the Iberian populations and cultures-both European and American-merged and evolved. The result is a new kind of historical analysis, one that creates a dynamic arena where cultures are drawn together both within and beyond their national frontiers.