Leslie Bethell is an emeritus professor of Latin American history, whose scholarship centers on the political, social, and cultural history of the region, particularly Brazil, during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He is widely recognized as the principal editor of the monumental twelve-volume Cambridge History of Latin America, a work hailed as a landmark and authoritative survey of the field. His analyses offer profound insights into the complex historical forces and cultural shifts that have shaped Latin America. Bethell's extensive research and editorial contributions have made him a pivotal figure in understanding the continent's intricate past.
Published to mark his 80th birthday, this volume is the first collected compendium of the work of Professor Leslie Bethell and consists of seven essays on major themes in modern Brazilian history and politics. The essays are new, but draw from his classic published works: book chapters and journal articles, and public lectures delivered in the ten years since his retirement.
Cuba: A Short History brings together four chapters from Volumes 3, 5, and 7 of The Cambridge History of Latin America to provide for scholars, students and general readers a concise history of this important island nation. Contributors, top scholars in the field, trace the political, economic, and social development of Cuba from the middle of the eighteenth century to the present day. The concluding chapter, updated for this volume, considers the dilemmas and challenges that Castro's Cuba faces in the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse. Each chapter is accompanied by a bibliographical essay that many readers will find useful.