Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Sport in Latin America and the Caribbean (Jaguar Books on Latin America)

Sport in Latin America and the Caribbean is the most comprehensive overview to date of the development of modern sports in Latin America. This new book illustrates how and why sport has become a central part of the political, economic, and social life of the region and the repercussions of its role. This highly readable volume is composed of articles on a wide variety of sports-basketball, baseball, volleyball, cricket, soccer, and equestrian events-in countries and regions throughout Latin America, including Mexico, the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Peru, Brazil, Cuba, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. Broad in scope, this volume explores the definition of modern sport; whether sport is enslaving, liberating, or neutral; if sport reflects or challenges dominant culture; the attributes and drawbacks of professional versus amateur sport; and the difference between sport in capitalist and socialist nations. Other subjects that are addressed as they pertain to modern sport include: diffusion and globalization/internationalization; hegemony, dependency, and nationalism; politics and the state; culture, ethnicity, and race; economic class; gender; commercialization, modernization, and professionalization; health, morality, crime and vice; economics and labor productivity; and the media. Review Arbena and LaFrance should be commended for promoting a field that promises to enhance both our understanding of modern Latin American culture as well as the way Latin Americans, in embracing U.S. and European sports, have transformed them into variations that are uniquely their own.--South Eastern Latin Americanist A fascinating anthology, meticulously documented and engagingly written; it leaves the reader longing for more. Providing a pleasing entree into Latin American and Caribbean cultures, this collection richly demonstrates the symbiosis between sport and national consciousness. Bravo!--Joan M. Chandler, University of Texas at Dallas A first-rate interdisciplinary compilation of the work of an impressive group of scholars, Sport in Latin America and the Caribbean fills a real void in cross-cultural sport studies.--Alan Klein, Northeastern University By taking a broad view of politics, business, and social history, the contributors to this volume show that sport is essential to understanding modern Latin America. The attention given to women athletes is particularly refreshing.--Jeffrey M. Pilcher, The Citadel Joseph Arbena is unquestionably one of the world's leading authorities on Latin American sports. He and David LaFrance have put together a collection of essays that range from speculations on the political views of Argentine soccer idol Diego Maradona to shrewd sociological comments on the exploits of Peruvian female volleyball players. For those curious about Latin American and Caribbean sports, this is a fine place to begin.--Allen Guttmann, president, North American Society for Sport History These essays provide stimulating and acute analyses of sport within the Latin American world. Written by a virtual all-star lineup of scholars, this book will be a real gem for the serious student of Latin culture.--Samuel O. Regalado, author of Viva Baseball!: Latin Major Leaguers and Their Special Hunger About the Author Joseph L. Arbena teaches Latin American history and geography and modern sports history at Clemson University. David G. LaFrance is research professor in the BenemZrita Universidad Aut~noma de Puebla, Mexico.