Latin American Popular Culture

August 9, 2000
Exploring the cultural focus of an entire continent is a daunting task, but for the 13 academics here--mission accomplished. The essays, only two of which are reprints, share the Latin American theme yet represent unique contributions to scholarship by employing cultural events or activities to relate a nation's history and social awareness. Essays by Pamela Voekel and Matthew D. Esposito take a cemetery and a funeral as their settings, while two other articles report on national exhibits at world expositions to demonstrate the efforts of Argentina and Ecuador to present themselves as civilized nations. John Chasteen, Darien Davis, and Graham Holton turn to music and dance as forms of popular culture. In one of the reprinted essays, Nancy Stepan reviews a volume of photographs depicting medicine and health in Brazil. Collectively, the essays overcome the stigma often attached to the study of popular culture as a legitimate academic discipline that provides insight into intellectual and cultural character and the distinguishing "images, practices, and institutions" that create national identities. Recommended for academic libraries.--Boyd Childress, Auburn Univ. Lib., AL

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