Abstract

Most non-Central Americans think of the narrow neck between Mexico and Colombia in terms of dramatic past revolutions and lauded peace agreements, or sensational problems of gang violence and natural disasters. In this volume, the contributors examine regional circumstances within frames of democratization and neoliberalism, as they shape lived experiences of transition. The authors—anthropologists and social scientists from the United States, Europe, and Central America—argue that the process of regions and nations “disappearing” (being erased from geopolitical notice) is integral to upholding a new, post-Cold War world order—and that a new framework for examining political processes must be accessible, socially collaborative, and in dialogue with the lived processes of suffering and struggle engaged by people in Central America and the world in the name of democracy.

Jennifer L. Burrell is Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University at Albany SUNY.

Ellen Moodie is Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Illinois.

“The editors mostly avoid the problem of dissonance often faced by multi-authored texts, with a clear and concise framing narrative. While the individual chapters are quite distinctive, they always feel interconnected. Taken together, these ethnographies offer a powerful story of the intersection of multiple forces and highlight the struggles and incredible resilience of the region’s people.” • Bulletin of Latin American Research

“As recent events in Honduras and the increasing incursion of drug wars on American life attest, the relationship between the United States and Central America is far from over. This book fills a much needed gap in the literature by addressing the complex presents and futures of Central America, its blurred relationship with the US and the complex intra-regional difference. It is an ambitious text in its privileging of the ethnographic gaze so as to provide a regional vision.” • M. Gabriela Torres, Wheaton College

“[A] very rich and timely collection on contemporary Central America [that] situates local worlds of Central American citizens within the broader framework of key global challenges such as neoliberalism, globalization and democratization. In doing so it makes a critical contribution to contemporary studies of political transition more generally and those of Latin America more specifically. It unites a fascinating range of chapters in this timely and thoughtful collection.” • Mo Hume, University of Glasgow