A History of Race in Latin America

A History of Race in Latin America examines the interplay between lofty ideals of racial equality and harsh realities of systemic racism. It traces how marginalized groups have grappled with discrimination and demanded inclusion and equality.

The first chapter covers the Spanish-American colonial, Independence, and early republican periods to examine how hierarchical colonial societies created new republics that mandated racial equality. Subsequent chapters focus on Brazil and Cuba, as well as modern Mexico, Bolivia, and Colombia, with reference to other countries and cases. The chapters explore key topics such as Independence wars, slavery and emancipation, Indigenous Communities and Liberalism, “Racial Democracy” and mestizo nationalism, the 1959 Cuban Revolution, and Indigenous and Black movements. Leaders and heroes like Antonio Maceo, Benito Juárez, Yalitza Aparicio, Pablo Zárate Willka, and Francia Márquez appear, alongside countless everyday people who have experienced and shaped Latin American history. Throughout, this book traces multiple ways that race has been defined, experienced, and contested.

A History of Race in Latin America will be of great use to students, journalists, scholars, and activists interested in Latin American studies, racism, and anti-racism in modern history.